Asbestos was widely used in Irish construction from the 1940s through to its EU-wide ban in 1999. Properties built or refurbished before 2000 – and particularly those built before 1980 – must be treated as potentially containing asbestos-containing materials (ACMs) until proven otherwise. Under Irish law, employers and building owners have a legal duty to […]

Internal alterations and extensions to a property must be certified by an appropriate construction professional such as a Chartered Building Surveyor as being compliant with building and planning regulations. If the property has any changes, available compliance documentation is passed from the vendor to the purchaser’s solicitor and is included with the title documents. The […]

The government is proposing to ease restrictions on the construction of standalone structures in the gardens of private dwellings to facilitate their use as habitable structures. There have been a number of notable cases around the country over the years where the enforcement element of the current planning laws has been applied to people who […]

The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) has launched a new pilot scheme to address the retrofit needs of older homes. This development is most welcome for people wishing to renovate older properties that present with their own unique set of challenges in terms of heat loss reduction. The Business Post 27th October 2024 published […]

The new SCSI guide “Speed Up Your Property Sale – A Guide To Avoiding The Most Common Delays“, is designed to help purchasers identify, and hopefully avoid, potential delays in selling their property. For most residential property sales, it is  estimated that the average timeframe is about four to five months. However, for some property […]

Kelleher and Associates carry out many pre-purchase surveys of older period, often protected, structures. Unfortunately, very many older brick-built properties have pointing that is in a poor state of repair or has been incorrectly pointed. Frequently, aggressive cleaning causes permanent damage to otherwise only lightly soiled brickwork that can be brought back to life by […]

Kelleher & Associates were asked to complete a heat loss survey on a 20 year old property. Our Client was finding the property difficult to heat. We carried out an internal and external thermal imaging survey where several cold wall surfaces stood out were and excessive heat loss was consequently occurring. The heat loss issue […]

Drone surveys of period roofs are now carried out as a standard (weather and location permitting) as part of our pre-purchase surveys. Talk to us about the benefit of drone technology and how it can identify hidden roof defects not visible from ground level. Get the full picture in crystal clear, 4K format. Video footage […]

“A State-backed mortgage loan will be made available for people looking to renovate derelict properties under plans due before Cabinet today. Minister for Housing Darragh O’Brien will bring a series of memos to Cabinet including updates on the Coalition’s flagship Housing For All plan. Under new plans targeting the issue of vacancy around the country, […]

Solar Panels are expected to last or perform at an optimal level for 20-30 years. However, with the right maintenance, this can be extended by a significant margin. As part of our pre-purchase house surveys and for a small additional fee we can closely inspect existing solar installations for damage. Also, drone infrared technology can […]