New rules to kill off self-build homes in Galway

New national building regulations being implemented this weekend will “kill off” the tradition of self-building in rural Galway and add up to €15,000 to the cost of constructing a home.

Galway West Fianna Fáil Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív said the legislation – which comes into force on Saturday – is “the ultimate case of taking the biggest rock-breaker you can get to crack a nut”.

And Connemara area councillor Tom Welby said: “The self-build one-off house is gone now.”

Under the new regulations, projects will require detailed drawings and certified builders, as well as constant inspections to be carried out by a chartered engineer or chartered surveyor.

Cllr Welby told the Connacht Tribune: “You will require a chartered architect, chartered engineer or chartered surveyor to inspect the build, and a person registered with the Construction Industry Federation to carry out the build.

“To put that into perspective, I regularly work with about 17 engineers in the Connemara area. Only three of them are chartered. There are two builders registered in Connemara – Kennys in Barna and a man in Oughterard who is in his late 60s.

“The self-build has been the preferred option in rural Ireland, and to all intents and purposes, that is gone now. You could go out with a friend and do the ground work, then get a good blocklayer and so on.

“If there was a mortgage from the bank involved, there would be around six inspections by an engineer. That figure will not rise to about 16 inspections. The costs associated will be huge,” said Cllr Welby.

For more on this story, see this week’s Connacht Tribune