Should I get someone to sign off on my Building or Renovation?

Posted on April 3, 2012 by Oliver Dempsey

Certifying my building or renovationHi folks,
Here is an important issue that I think it is worth covering for any building works that you may have planned for the future.  The answer is yes it is advisable to retain an  Architect, Structural Engineer or Building Surveyor to inspect periodically during building or renovation works and to advise you and certify the works on completion. Your Certifier should have full Professional Indemnity insurance and be sure to request a copy of the insurance and retain it for future reference.  An average house requires 5 stage payments but the more visits the certifier makes the better.  The Certifier must feel satisfied that the works comply with the building regulations and therefore it takes as many visits as it requires.  Don’t forget that the building regulations are there to protect you or future owners of the building so it’s no advantage to take short cuts on the specifications that are laid down.  In fact I would say aim to go beyond what the regulations specify as much as possible because you only have one chance to get the job done right.  It is particularly important for example that the required depth of foundation is dug with the required re-enforced steel.  This should be inspected by the certifier before the concrete is poured.

I know it sounds over the top but I would advise you to be present during the pouring of the foundation so that you can see the cement being poured over the re-enforced steel and take photos while the concrete is being poured and keep them as a record.   The same applies for the sub floor, make sure it is inspected by the certifier to ensure that the correct depth of concrete is being laid and that the correct amount of re-enforced steel has been included in it.

It is the law in Ireland that your building must be compliant with building regulations.  These regulations are there to protect you from having a property that is structurally unsafe or that could be a fire hazard. Using a certifier to inspect and sign off on your building is not only the law but it could also an insurance policy for you in the event that your property was ever deemed to be non-compliant in the future.  If it is found at a later stage that your property was non-compliant at the time it was certified, the certifier’s professional indemnity insurance could possibly cover you for any losses

Make sure that the certifier is completely separate from the building contractor.  It is not a good idea to have someone who is related in any way to the builder as there could be a conflict of interest.  So for complete peace of mind please use an independent certifier.

As with any profession I would say keep a good eye on what is going on yourself.  Don’t take it for granted that the certifier will see everything so make sure to inspect the building daily and take lots of photos that you can refer back to or show to the certifier or any interested parties.  Familiarise yourself with the regulations so that you can even spot some obvious stuff yourself. You can find technical guidance documents from the Irish Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government Resources at http://www.environ.ie/en/TGD.  This will be one of the biggest investments of your life and it’s your money so make sure that you keep a good eye on everything and don’t be afraid to ask the certifier if you’re unsure about something the builder is doing.  And if you’re not happy with the answer the certifier gives you ask someone else.

As the building owner, you are responsible for compliance with the Building Regulations. As I said above these regulations are the law, so it is illegal to be non-compliant.  Non compliance can result in a fine or prison sentence or in the case where non compliance causes the death of someone could result in a charge for manslaughter.   Where buildings are found to be non-compliant you will be forced to remedy the faults or even to tear down the building altogether in the case of a severe problem.

You can’t sell a property without an opinion on compliance with the Building Regulations so whether you are building a new property or extending or renovating a property make sure to have it certified.

And lastly please do not pay for work until it has been signed off by the certifier up to that stage.  If the builder wants you to pay for work in advance it is better to pay the money into an escrow account.   An escrow is a holding account where money is held by a trusted third party and it can be released in stages as the work has been certified or approved by you.  The escrow protects you as you only release the money as the work has been approved and the escrow protects the builder as they know that the money is there for them when the work has been signed off.  A solicitor can hold money in escrow or you can use a trusted online escrow service.  We provide a link to an escrow service to all users who post a job on our website and we highly recommend that it be used.

I cannot emphasise enough the importance of getting your building works properly certified throughout the building works and if you think you are going to forget the advice I have given you in this article please print or bookmark this page and read it over and over again throughout your building project until it is complete and certified:-)

To find an Architect, Structural Engineer or Building Surveyor go to the Golden pages or get up to 4 quotes from any of these professional here

Cheers
Oliver Dempsey
Tradesmen.ie

The advice in this article is meant as a guide only and a decision should only be made on how to proceed with your building project by consulting with a qualified building professional who can inspect your particular project and give appropriate advice on the matter.

 

Please feel free to comment below if you have any questions or suggestions

Here are some other articles that you might be interested in below:-

http://blog.tradesmen.ie/2011/10/attic-conversion-prices-dublin-ireland

http://blog.tradesmen.ie/2012/04/house-extension-prices-dublin-ireland

http://blog.tradesmen.ie/2012/04/do-i-need-planning-permission

Posted in tips | 7 Comments

Winners of our February Draw 2012

Posted on March 31, 2012 by Oliver Dempsey

Winners of February Draw

Hi folks,

what our users think is very important to us so each month we ask you to provide us with feedback on jobs that you have posted and in return we enter you in a draw for cash and other prizes.   You can see the result of the February Draw below held on March 29th for people who posted feedback in February. Congratulations to Brian Mulvaney, Donabate, Co. Dublin who was the winner of the 1st prize of €100 cash and to Jodie Walsh, Blackrock, Co. Dublin who was the winner of the 2nd prize of €30!!

In addition to these cash prizes, anyone who hired a tradesman and provides feedback in February, March and April will be entered in an additional draw at the end of the three months to win a Samsung Galaxy Tab Wifi and 3G worth 600!!

You can see the video of the draw on our Facebook page here

or click here to post your own job

Cheers
Oliver Dempsey
Tradesmen.ie
31 March 2012

Posted in Prizes and Competitions | Leave a comment

Winners of our January Draw

Posted on March 30, 2012 by Oliver Dempsey

January WinnersHi folks,

feedback is very important to us on Tradesmen.ie so each month we ask our users to provide us with feedback on jobs that they posted and in return we enter them in a draw for cash and other prizes.   Here is the result of the January Draw below held on March 7th for people who posted feedback for jobs that they posted. Congratulations to Kevin Mitchell, Portmarnock, Co. Dublin who was the winner of the 1st prize of €120 cash and to Janet Akinsanya, Tallaght, Dublin 24 who was the winner of the 2nd prize of €30!!

You can see the video of the draw on our Facebook page here

or click here to post your own job

Cheers
Oliver Dempsey
Tradesmen.ie
30 March 2012

Posted in Prizes and Competitions | 1 Comment

Tiling Prices and Tile Prices in Dublin Ireland

Posted on March 29, 2012 by Oliver Dempsey

Tiling Prices in Dublin IrelandWe did a quick survey today of tiling prices with tilers in Dublin for labour only, all materials supplied by the customer.  Here are the results below:-

John K: Our rate is 20E sq yd, labour only
Stephen O: We would charge 14.50 per square meter
Christopher Q: Depends on level of work. Does it need a tanking system in the wet areas? What type of tiles ? Is there a pattern in tile? Is adhesive, grout and trims to be included in quote ? Does the floor and walls need to be levelled ? Is the floor concrete or floorboards ? I would recommend a sitr survey first.  I charge FROM e15 m2
Andrey T: Rough 20sq.m. Bathroom, 2day warks,200-250eu or 12eu/m.
JOHN G: Standard bathroom 16 to 20 sg meters 360 euro + vat @ 13.5 labour only
Wayne L: cost would be about e30 p/m i.e 20m = e600 supply & fit.. Sorry i didnt see labour only at bottom of survey. Tiling cost about e17 p/meter
Anthony B: I would really have to get exact measurements, has the bathroom got existing tiles? Do you want them stripped out aswell? R u providing skip aswell? Without skip approx  e700 +vat, labour only (includes stripping existing tiles). Materials extra eg marine ply, grout and adhesive.
Joe T: Standard bathroom 20 meters e360
Vincent B: About e400
Tiit T: 600-800euro
John M: I would do a standard bathroom 22mtrs wall & floor for e330 approx. Thanks.
Gregory M: 450 euro
Jason K: 350 euro
HQ Plumbing: 800 euro
DONNCHA L: 250 euro
Joe T:    If the bathroom is empty ie no toilet sink ect 600 – ish regards joe ps fiddly bits can make a big difference
Barry M:    e450 upwards. Does not include stripping or preparation
Pat M:    Around 20 euros per yard.
Ken F:    Standard bathroom is usually e18 per square yard
Michael C: To tile a standard 24 yards would cost between 400 to 500
Sean B: On the basis that average bathroom is about 30 square meters, I would charge between e550 and e650

So as you can see there is a wide variation in prices which range from €12 – €40 per square yard.  The average price is €18 per square yard so it’s well worth shopping around but don’t go for price over quality.  The quality of the work is extremely important when it comes to tiling.  Make sure to look at previous work that tilers have done as quality of workmanship is particularly important for tiling.

For tiles you can pay anything from €10 per square yard to over €100 per square yard depending on the type of tile are you are looking for.  Tile stores that can buy in huge lots of one type of tile can sell tiles at a better rate so it’s worth searching for these.  One word of warning, don’t get caught on the price of grout and adhesive.  You may get an excellent rate on the tiles and when you go to pay the bill you realise you need the grout and adhesive and you can get fleeced on these if you haven’t priced around beforehand.  In fact it’s as important to price the grout and adhesive as it is to price the tiles as the grout and adhesive can end up being more expensive than the tiles.  For example from some research I did I found that you can pay anything from €20 for a 25kg bag for grout up to €80 per 25kg bag so please be careful about this.  Try pricing your grout and adhesive in a hardware store and see can you get a better rate than in the tile shop.

One last thing to be careful about the VAT.  Ask is the VAT included in the price or does it have to be added on later.  If VAT is added on to the original price it’s going to work out a lot more than you bargained for.  And get it in writing, if you get the price over the phone, send a follow up text message to confirm the price that you understand they have given you and whether it is inclusive or exclusive of VAT.  That way there can be no misunderstanding.  Keep this in mind for any home improvements that you are getting done.

That’s all for this time.  If you decide to go ahead with it be sure to post your tiling job here and get up to 4 quotes from rated tradesmen.

Cheers
Oliver Dempsey
Tradesmen.ie
29 March 2012

Posted in Price Comparisons | 5 Comments

Win a Samsung Galaxy Tab Wifi and 3G on Tradesmen.ie

Posted on March 24, 2012 by Oliver Dempsey

samsung galaxy tab wifi and 3gHi folks,
this is just a reminder about a competition we are running to win a Samsung Galaxy Tab Wireless and 3G computer tablet.  To enter the competition all you have to do is next time you want a job done post it on Tradesmen.ie, get a number of quotes, hire your preferred tradesman and rate him.  So no matter whether you want a small job done like clipping the hedge, servicing the boiler, servicing your car or painting a room or a bigger job like upgrading your heating system, adding an extension, converting the attic, adding external insulation, getting new windows and doors, upgrading your bathroom, replacing your kitchen or even building a new home, it doesn’t matter because each time you hire and review a tradesman you are entered in our competition.

The way it works is like this; each month we have a draw with cash prizes* for people who post feedback on the jobs they post on Tradesmen.ie, it doesn’t matter if they hire someone or not, we are just happy to get as much feedback as we can so that we can improve the quality of our service and help our users to get faster quotes and better tradesmen.  In addition to this everyone who hires a tradesman and posts feedback in February, March and April will be entered in an additional draw where the prize will be a Samsung Galaxy Tab Wifi & 3G worth €600!

You can see the video of last draw on our Facebook page here

To post your job click here

Best of Luck Everyone!!

Regards
Oliver Dempsey
March 24th 2012

* The cash prizes for February, March and April are as follows:- 1st prize €100 and second prize €30.  There are terms but nothing too scary:) See here

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How to Spring Clean your Garden

Posted on March 7, 2012 by Oliver Dempsey

cleaning tree limbs7th March 2012.

Hi folks,

With Spring off to an early start in Ireland this year it’s a good time to get out into your garden and take on the mess from the winter! It’s also a great time to get your garden cleared and ready for planting for a nice outdoor space in the summer months that you and your family can enjoy.

The first thing is clearing away the dead plants from winter and mowing the lawn. Next thing is to cut back any plants that keep their leaves in winter such as evergreen or semi evergreen plants so cutting them back in the spring will encourage new growth.

The Spring is the best time to remove any weeds as the soil is still damp and the roots are easier to pull from the ground.  The dead plants, weeds and grass can then be put into your compost containers.

For most plants the Spring is their initial growth burst (once temperatures get to 12 degrees Celsius or more) so add some compost to encourage the plants.  This is also the best time for dividing or transplanting because once the weather turns mild they will be quick to grow with the fine weather and rich soil topped up with new compost.

Now is also a good time to ‘edge’ the flower beds from the lawn.  Use a string and two pegs to create a straight edge and use a spade to cut the straight edge of the grass around.  Edging not only makes the garden look clean and tidy but also prevents the lawn growing into your flower beds.

Or if you’re too lazy to do it yourself, log onto www.tradesmen.ie and get up to 4 quotes from rated gardeners!:)

Cheers
Oliver Dempsey
Tradesmen.ie

Posted in diy | Leave a comment

Grants for montessori and play schools deadline approaches

Posted on March 5, 2012 by Oliver Dempsey

preschool grantsMarch 2012:- This is just a quick note about anyone in Ireland looking for grants for childcare facilities, preschools, crèches, montessori schools and play schools etc.  The closing date for applications is 8am on Tuesday 20 March 2012 so please get your applications in as early as possible to be in plenty of time.

The Childcare Capital Funding Programme 2012 was announced by the Government in December 2011 and there is a total of 6 million euro available under this program

The grants are available to both community and private childcare providers currently taking part in one or more of the Department of Children and Youth Affairs (DCYA) funding programmes in Ireland.  These include the following:-
1. Community Childcare Subvention (CCS) programme
2. Childcare Education and Training Support (CETS) programme and
3. Free Pre-School Year in Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme.

The grant is available for remedial / maintenance/renovation work and /or equipment.

We have had a lot of schools requesting quotes on Tradesmen.ie over the last few weeks as it is a very quick and easy way to get a number of quotes from rated tradesmen (my understanding is that 3 quotes are required for the grant application).  If you are involved in one of these types of childcare facilities above and you are looking for a number of quotes for the grant you can do so here

For more information at An Pobal see here

Cheers
Oliver Dempsey
Tradesmen.ie

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Tradesmen Wanted for New TV Show on TG4

Posted on March 1, 2012 by Oliver Dempsey

tradesmen TV ShowHi folks,

I am delighted to let you know about an exciting TV Show which is looking for tradespeople and trade professionals who are fluent Irish speakers and who are interested in learning how to be creative with their skills to develop an original piece of art under the guidance of well known Irish artists.  It is hoped that the publicity gained from the show could act as a springboard to launch a successful new business career.  It is a 6-part Arts series that will air on TG4, where they will take 6 well-known Irish artists from the areas such as painting, sculpture and glass, and pair them with skilled non-artists for the series. The non-artist will then produce their own piece of original art under the guidance of the artistic mentor. All contributors must be fluent Irish speakers.

They are seeking to put together a list of trades people, trade professionals, or people who have gained practical skills and experience in another field.  These people would have to be interested in, and also suitable to participate in the TG4 arts series ‘Tat Nó Tate’. The thinking behind the series is simple, they want to put that claim, dreaded by all artists, to the test; and that is ‘I could better than that myself.’ 🙂

Each programme will have a participant or tradesperson who has expertise in an area of work not directly related to the arts but that could still be quite creative (e.g. carpentry, building, stonemasonry, welding), paired off with an established and well-known Irish artist. The artist will mentor this person, and also assist them in unlocking their inner-artist and in gaining the skills and methods needed to produce a work of art. The end result will be a piece of original art, produced by the non-artist, that will be evaluated by highly respected critics, artists and gallery owners from the world of the Irish arts.  They are looking for people to take part who are genuinely interested in giving this project a go, and who may even use it as a means of opening new doors for themselves from a career point of view.

Many tradespeople and trade professionals are faced with projects that require deep thought, planning, preparation and creativity, and it is felt that the similarities in their everyday tasks would contribute extremely well to those required to produce original art.

If you are interested or know anyone who is interested please contact us at http://www.tradesmen.ie/contactform.asp and we will pass on your details to the researcher.

Cheers

Oliver Dempsey

Tradesmen.ie

Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments

Win a Samsung Galaxy Tab Wifi and 3G

Posted on February 28, 2012 by Oliver Dempsey

Samsung Galaxy TabHi folks,
this is just to let you know about a competition we are running to win a really cool Samsung Galaxy Tab Wireless and 3G computer tablet.  This are the hotest new technology available and the coolest thing to own at the moment.  To enter the competition all you have to do is the next time you want to get a job done around the house simply post it on Tradesmen.ie, get a number of quotes, hire your preferred tradesman and rate him.  That’s all there is to it and we have every possible trade so nomatter whether you want a small job done like digging the garden, servicing the boiler, fixing the leaky tap, moving a light switch, putting up a shelf, servicing your car or painting a room or a bigger job like upgrading your heating system, adding an extension, converting the attic, adding external insulation, getting new windows and doors, upgrading your bathroom, replacing your kitchen or even building a new home, it doesn’t matter because each time you hire and review a tradesman you are entered in our competition.

The competition is open to jobs that are posted in Ireland only so sorry to all you guys living in other countries but you’ll have to find your own  competition somewhere else or else come and live in Ireland!!

The way it works is like this; each month we have a draw with cash prizes* for people who post feedback on the jobs they posted on Tradesmen.ie, it doesn’t matter if they hire someone or not, we are just happy to get as much feedback as we can so that we can continually improve the quality of our service and help our users to get faster quotes and better tradesmen.  In addition to this everyone who hires a tradesman and posts feedback in February, March and April will be entered in an additional draw where the prize will be a Samsung Galaxy Tab Wifi & 3G worth nearly €600!

To post your job click here

Best of Luck Everyone!!

Regards
Oliver Dempsey
February 28th 2012

* The cash prizes for February, March and April are as follows:- 1st prize €100 and second prize €30.  There are terms but nothing too scary:) See here

Posted in Prizes and Competitions | 2 Comments

HSLC Building Contractors Donacarney, Mornington, Co Meath

Posted on January 19, 2012 by Oliver Dempsey

HSLC Building Contractors House BuildHi folks,
this week I wanted to give you a chance to meet one of our building contractors who is registered on Tradesmen.ie.  The article is written by Gerhard Heyl, Managing Director of HSLC Building Contractors Limited, don’t forget to check out their website at the bottom of this article:-

Introducing HSLC Building Contractors

2012, new year, what about a new home too? No way you think, I can’t afford the price of moving house, well, now you don’t have to. HSLC are specialists in the home extension and home renovation field. Whether you’d like to upgrade your kitchen, or maybe you fancy a single storey extension to open up your property and increase your living space, HSLC will be able to generate innovative ideas and design a plan for your house.

At HSLC we monitor your building project every step of the way, thanks to our project manager who utilises highly efficient management of materials and labour. By ensuring all builds operate in a streamlined, organised way, we endeavour to keep the costs of goods and labour down and keep our pricing realistic.

We adhere rigidly to the building standards documentation as set down by the Irish Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government. Striving to surpass these recommendations wherever possible.

Your home is special and unique to you; therefore we believe each project must also be planned in a unique way. Before we give you a quote, we meet you in your home to discuss your requirements in detail, by doing this; we can offer guidance and advice on the best way to ensure your new house will match your lifestyle. Also, planning out requirements in great detail allows us to give an accurate quotation, helping to eliminate the dreaded ‘extras’ that can crop up.

If you want an extension to fit a specific piece of furniture or a specific hobby, it’s important to visualise the end product before any work commences to ensure the renovation will match your needs. Our six step consultation process ensures you know exactly what you are getting, before the project begins.

You can contact HSLC Building Contractors on 087 7749470 or visit their website at http://www.hslc.ie

Cheers
Oliver Dempsey
Tradesmen.ie

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment