The Selfbuild Podcast

Quantity surveyor Keith Kelliher asks the experts to guide you through your project. The panel consists of Health & Safety advisor Helena Ryan of Cooga Safety Services, financial advisor Rachel Uí Bhaoill of SPREAG, serial self-builder Julie Burke of Dampmaster and Joe McBride of Walk Your Plans.
He looks at ways to save on your house build that most people don’t factor in, from your health and safety obligations to learning from the mistakes of serial self-builders.

This episode was recorded at Selfbuild Extend & Renovate Live Leinster 2026.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Martin Markey, CEO with the Hardware Association Ireland, chats about the findings in the HAI's latest survey on on-off housing, The Potential For Rural Family Homes - A Survey Review, including:
Housing need or locals only rules being the main reason there aren’t more one-off homes being built in Ireland
Potential to double the amount of homes built and the huge demand behind it
What will happen if we don't build more one-off homes: emigration a big issue at the moment as is social capital unravelling in rural areas
Need for one-off housing as part of a mix of solutions in context of population growth
Cost of building not as big a driver of whether or someone will build a house
Building regulations and lack of guidance mostly an issue for architects
Volume and price increases for builder’s merchant sector
Costs coming down the line due to new regulations including ones on timber, steel and Repak

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In this 2026 build cost overview for Ireland, quantity surveyor Keith Kelliher looks at labour and material costs, and where they’re heading. Including:

· Labour costs: what the going rates are for trades
· Material costs: where they are and where they’re heading
· Direct labour vs hiring main contractor: pros and cons
· Should you wait to build?
· Reasons to shop around
· Warnings around site-related costs
· How to make savings

This episode was recorded at Selfbuild Extend & Renovate Live Leinster 2026 in February 2026.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Chairperson of BÁNÚ Donncha Ó hÉallaithe chats about one-off housing in the Gaeltacht, including:
Why young people in the Gaeltacht aren't able to build on their own land
The loss of the Irish language due to young people not being able to afford to live locally
Reasons for planning permission refusals, from housing need to a lack of wastewater infrastructure
Solutions to the housing problem in the Gaeltacht and what needs to change to make them happen
Ready to Build scheme: how to get serviced sites to the Gaeltacht
What needs to change to make it easier for people to live in the Gaeltacht
The need for one-off housing and how to make it work in rural areas
The role that Údarás na Gaeltachta will need to play to make it all happen
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Quantity surveyor (QS) Keith Kelliher chats about what a cost plan is and how a quantity surveyor can save you money:
· What is a cost plan and when do you need one, how much does it cost
· How a QS helps with the tender process
· What is a bill of quantities with examples, how much does it cost
· What does a QS do and how they save money
· Cost-design pendulum
· Different VAT rates: what to know about them
· How much does a QS cost to oversee a project?
· What to check for before hiring a QS

This episode was recorded at Selfbuild Extend & Renovate Live Leinster 2026
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.