Thursday, March 31, 2016

New estate agent offices open in Dún Laoghaire and Sandyford

Estate agent Vincent Finnegan has opened a new office in Dún Laoghaire.


Finnegan, who started his first business in Dundrum in 2003 and added a commercial arm in 2008, spent the recession years quietly expanding his business, eventually buying his new premises in Dún Laoghaire from Nama at a knockdown price.


According to The Irish Times, the 4,500 sq ft unit at 7/8 Anglesea Buildings had been owned by Richard Murphy of Xtravision fame, who paid more than €2.5 million for it in the boom times. Finnegan picked it up for about €450,000.


The new premises opened last week and has five staff, with plenty of space to expand.


Meanwhile in Sandyford, Damien Baxter and his wife Marie have opened a new branch of Baxters Auctioneers, a business that dates back to the 1970s when Damien's father, the late Kevin Baxter, set up shop in Blanchardstown.


The pair have racked up almost 40 years in the property business between them, both of them working at different stages for Baxters and, more recently, for Sherry FitzGerald in Dundrum and Bray.


Their new venture, Baxter Real Estate in Sandyford village opened a couple of weeks ago with rugby player Dave Kearney and Fine Gael TD Josepha Madigan doing the honours.


The post New estate agent offices open in Dún Laoghaire and Sandyford appeared first on MyHome.ie Advice & Blog.

An organized fridge and Tomato Parmesan Chicken

organized-fridge-4

First of all.. thank you thank you to everyone who left Paris advice!  I read every comment (so many great tips!) and my husband and I have been trying to plan so many things you all suggested.  CAN.  NOT.  WAIT.  :)  Thank you!   K.  About a month ago I gave my fridge a good […]


The post An organized fridge and Tomato Parmesan Chicken appeared first on The Sunny Side Up Blog.

New estate agent offices open in Dún Laoghaire and Sandyford

Estate agent Vincent Finnegan has opened a new office in Dún Laoghaire.


Finnegan, who started his first business in Dundrum in 2003 and added a commercial arm in 2008, spent the recession years quietly expanding his business, eventually buying his new premises in Dún Laoghaire from Nama at a knockdown price.


According to The Irish Times, the 4,500 sq ft unit at 7/8 Anglesea Buildings had been owned by Richard Murphy of Xtravision fame, who paid more than €2.5 million for it in the boom times. Finnegan picked it up for about €450,000.


The new premises opened last week and has five staff, with plenty of space to expand.


Meanwhile in Sandyford, Damien Baxter and his wife Marie have opened a new branch of Baxters Auctioneers, a business that dates back to the 1970s when Damien's father, the late Kevin Baxter, set up shop in Blanchardstown.


The pair have racked up almost 40 years in the property business between them, both of them working at different stages for Baxters and, more recently, for Sherry FitzGerald in Dundrum and Bray.


Their new venture, Baxter Real Estate in Sandyford village opened a couple of weeks ago with rugby player Dave Kearney and Fine Gael TD Josepha Madigan doing the honours.


The post New estate agent offices open in Dún Laoghaire and Sandyford appeared first on MyHome.ie Advice & Blog.

An organized fridge and Tomato Parmesan Chicken

organized-fridge-4

First of all.. thank you thank you to everyone who left Paris advice!  I read every comment (so many great tips!) and my husband and I have been trying to plan so many things you all suggested.  CAN.  NOT.  WAIT.  :)  Thank you!   K.  About a month ago I gave my fridge a good […]


The post An organized fridge and Tomato Parmesan Chicken appeared first on The Sunny Side Up Blog.

Wednesday, March 30, 2016

Property prices unchanged in February – CSO

Residential property prices showed no change in the month of February, according to the latest figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO).


This compares with a decrease of 0.5% recorded in January and a decrease of 0.4% recorded in February of last year.


In the year to February, residential property prices at a national level, increased by 8.0%. This compares with an increase of 7.6% in January and an increase of 14.9% recorded in the twelve months to February 2015.


In Dublin residential property prices decreased by 0.1% in February and were 4.0% higher than a year ago. Dublin house prices decreased by 0.3% in the month and were 4.0% higher compared to a year earlier. Dublin apartment prices were 4.3% higher when compared with the same month of 2015. However, it should be noted that the sub-indices for apartments are based on low volumes of observed transactions and consequently suffer from greater volatility than other series.


The price of residential properties in the Rest of Ireland (i.e. excluding Dublin) rose by 0.1% in February compared with no change in February of last year. Prices were 11.5% higher than in February 2015.


House prices in Dublin are 35.1% lower than at their highest level in early 2007. Apartments in Dublin are 40.9% lower than they were in February 2007. Residential property prices in Dublin are 36.9% lower than at their highest level in February 2007. The price of residential properties in the Rest of Ireland is 35.2% lower than their highest level in September 2007. Overall, the national index is 33.8% lower than its highest level in 2007.


The post Property prices unchanged in February – CSO appeared first on MyHome.ie Advice & Blog.

Property prices unchanged in February – CSO

Residential property prices showed no change in the month of February, according to the latest figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO).


This compares with a decrease of 0.5% recorded in January and a decrease of 0.4% recorded in February of last year.


In the year to February, residential property prices at a national level, increased by 8.0%. This compares with an increase of 7.6% in January and an increase of 14.9% recorded in the twelve months to February 2015.


In Dublin residential property prices decreased by 0.1% in February and were 4.0% higher than a year ago. Dublin house prices decreased by 0.3% in the month and were 4.0% higher compared to a year earlier. Dublin apartment prices were 4.3% higher when compared with the same month of 2015. However, it should be noted that the sub-indices for apartments are based on low volumes of observed transactions and consequently suffer from greater volatility than other series.


The price of residential properties in the Rest of Ireland (i.e. excluding Dublin) rose by 0.1% in February compared with no change in February of last year. Prices were 11.5% higher than in February 2015.


House prices in Dublin are 35.1% lower than at their highest level in early 2007. Apartments in Dublin are 40.9% lower than they were in February 2007. Residential property prices in Dublin are 36.9% lower than at their highest level in February 2007. The price of residential properties in the Rest of Ireland is 35.2% lower than their highest level in September 2007. Overall, the national index is 33.8% lower than its highest level in 2007.


The post Property prices unchanged in February – CSO appeared first on MyHome.ie Advice & Blog.

Tuesday, March 29, 2016

Housing crisis to top the agenda as coalition talks resume

The housing crisis is expected to top the agenda when coalition talks resume today.


Fine Gael has reportedly offered the first concrete deal to Independents and smaller parties as they try to form a minority Government.


Enda Kenny's party sent a discussion document to those taking part in talks last night.


It is the first concrete deal since the post-election stalemate began.


The Irish Examiner claims it contains promises to create a new Minister for Housing, an eight-week housing action plan and suggests ways to cut down on empty homes. There are also proposals to cut the amount of VAT on new homes.


The file, which has been seen by the Irish Examiner and includes 37 separate policy suggestions in response to last Thursday's day-long negotiations on housing, contains no figures on how much any of the plans will cost.


The post Housing crisis to top the agenda as coalition talks resume appeared first on MyHome.ie Advice & Blog.

Housing crisis to top the agenda as coalition talks resume

The housing crisis is expected to top the agenda when coalition talks resume today.


Fine Gael has reportedly offered the first concrete deal to Independents and smaller parties as they try to form a minority Government.


Enda Kenny's party sent a discussion document to those taking part in talks last night.


It is the first concrete deal since the post-election stalemate began.


The Irish Examiner claims it contains promises to create a new Minister for Housing, an eight-week housing action plan and suggests ways to cut down on empty homes. There are also proposals to cut the amount of VAT on new homes.


The file, which has been seen by the Irish Examiner and includes 37 separate policy suggestions in response to last Thursday's day-long negotiations on housing, contains no figures on how much any of the plans will cost.


The post Housing crisis to top the agenda as coalition talks resume appeared first on MyHome.ie Advice & Blog.

Monday, March 28, 2016

Monday ramblings and a question for you!

carrara-marble-countertops-blog

{Full powder room post here} Happy Monday friends!  I hope you all had a nice Easter weekend!  Ours was great – a very full two days.  Get togethers with friends both Friday and Saturday night, gymnastics for the kids, Kole’s birthday party, church on Sunday and a nice long walk with my husband.  Now it’s […]


The post Monday ramblings and a question for you! appeared first on The Sunny Side Up Blog.

Monday ramblings and a question for you!

carrara-marble-countertops-blog

{Full powder room post here} Happy Monday friends!  I hope you all had a nice Easter weekend!  Ours was great – a very full two days.  Get togethers with friends both Friday and Saturday night, gymnastics for the kids, Kole’s birthday party, church on Sunday and a nice long walk with my husband.  Now it’s […]


The post Monday ramblings and a question for you! appeared first on The Sunny Side Up Blog.

Thursday, March 24, 2016

Property Industry Ireland calls for lower VAT rate on new houses

The volume of housing delivered in 2017 and 2018 will be determined by “policy decisions made within the first 100 days of the new government”, according to lobby group Property Industry Ireland (PII).


The group has issued a policy paper to Government and the various political parties and groupings in the new Dáil calling for a number of policy reforms to stimulate house building and tackle homelessness.


These include the appointment of a cabinet-level minister for housing, infrastructure and planning, a reduction in the VAT rate to 9 per cent for the lifetime of the next government, and speedier planning decisions so that it takes no more than 16 weeks for adjudication from a local authority and An Bord Pleanála.


The 14-page document was distributed to the relevant Government departments and the various parties and groupings in the past two weeks.


It wants a minister with oversight of housing infrastructure and planning policy to be appointed for three years, reporting directly to the Taoiseach.


PII says there are currently more than 12 government departments and agencies with a role in setting and enforcing housing policy in Ireland.


“The focus of that minister must be on overcoming barriers within the political process which are delaying the delivery of new, high quality, affordable housing,” PII’s paper states.


It has also called for “emergency planning and development legislation” for three years to fast-track private and public housing developments.


It said a ministerial directive should be considered to speed up planning decisions. “It is essential that planning authorities prioritise pre-application discussions with prospective applicants for housing developments,” PII said.


“Planning authorities should be mandated to put in place a checking mechanism to reduce significantly the national statistics of some 15 per cent of all applications being invalidated.”


It also wants a commission to be set up to review the tax-base of property to make it “sustainable , fair and equitable across its entire life-cycle, including development levies, local property tax, stamp duty and VAT”.


It wants VAT rates charged on construction reduced to 9 per cent from 13.5 per cent.


Currently, about 10,000 new houses are built annually with a construction output value of €2.4 billion. That generates VAT receipts of around €328 million.


PII believes the aim should be 20,000 new units a year with a 9 per cent VAT rate generating €437 million in taxes.


“These tax reductions would make many new housing developments viable,” it said.


Set up in 2011, PII is a division of Ibec representing all strands of the property industry. It has 100 companies as members and committee members include chairman Tom Phillips, a planning consultant, property developer Michael O’Flynn and estate agent Mark FitzGerald.


The post Property Industry Ireland calls for lower VAT rate on new houses appeared first on MyHome.ie Advice & Blog.

Easter in the entry!

easter-in-the-entry-1

Sometimes when I feel overwhelmed with life and everything on my to-do list I have a little trick I do that helps.  It’s a secret, but I love you all so I’m happy to share my secret with you.  Ready for it?  Here it is.. I ignore everything that needs to be done. And I […]


The post Easter in the entry! appeared first on The Sunny Side Up Blog.

Wednesday, March 23, 2016

Kole’s room (the beginning!) and a special night

shiplap-wall-2

I have so many projects going on around my house right now my head is spinning.  But it’s a good spin. :)  My three main BIG priorities this year were to get our garage organized, my master bedroom decorated, and Kole’s bedroom decorated.  All three of those projects are in motion right now (yea!).  I’m […]


The post Kole’s room (the beginning!) and a special night appeared first on The Sunny Side Up Blog.

Adding Built-Ins & White Floating Shelves Around A Window Niche

We’re dropping back in with some progress on the room above our garage that we recently finished insulating, drywalling, and flooring (aka: the former storage room that we hope to use for art / playing / movie nights & spillover sleeping space for visiting friends & family). There’s still lots to do, but we managed to complete one super useful slice of the room thanks to some new cabinets and homemade floating shelves: the storage niche.


Colorful built-ins filled with toys and games, made from white cabinets and white floating shelves perfect for a kids room, playroom, or bonus room.


At first, that recessed space felt like a curveball to symmetry fanatics like us – it’s off-center in the room, it’s only 17″ deep, and it has not one, but two, sloped ceilings. But it was actually its narrow depth that triggered the idea for some sort of built-in. Plus we knew this big blank slate of a room would definitely benefit from some added storage and height / interest on that wall.


Wide angle panoramic photo of an empty bonus room with tan walls, wood floor, windows, and niche nook


And oh yeah, we repainted the room in the middle of this project. We love Edgecomb Gray in every other room that we’ve used it, like the dining room and foyer, so it seemed like the obvious choice here since it was also in the adjoining hallway. But good ol’ E.G. was feeling strangely darker in this room (maybe because of the lack of west-facing windows?) so after a few weeks of trying to convince ourselves it was “fine,” we bit the bullet, broke out our rollers again, and lightened it up.


The winning color was Irish Mist by Behr, which is a very light gray with the slightest green undertone (guess that’s the “Irish” part?). It instantly made the room feel airier, so instead of seeing a darker space at the end of a long hallway, it’s a nice bright, light one, which we really like. Whew. Worth the effort.


Two white floating shelves styled nicely with cheerful kids games and toys above white Ikea cabinets


But back to the built-ins. We started planning them using Ikea’s kitchen planner tool to help us visualize a few options and pin down a final design. We’ve had a great experience with Ikea cabinets in our laundry room – which is adjacent to this room – so they felt like a good choice in here too.


We started first with cabinets all of the same height: several 20″ tall above-fridge cabinets, since they’re the tallest we could go and not block the window. But even with three floating shelves – which we roughly added ourselves in Photoshop – it felt a little too low and unbalanced to us (and all those lined-up doors started to look a little dizzying).


Rendering of built-in cabinets and floating shelves using Ikea 3D Kitchen Planner


Then we tried the staggered look by using standard 30″ tall base cabinets on either side of the window with a 20″ drawer base centered under the window. We liked that the raised height felt more proportionate to such a large space and that the cozy little window nook seemed more custom. Plus that drawer base broke up all the cabinet doors nicely. (You already know this was the winner from our after picture at the beginning of this post, but pretend to be surprised.)


Rendering of built-in cabinets and two floating shelves using Ikea 3D Kitchen Planner


And just for kicks, we briefly considered doing built-in shelves versus floating ones. We liked the idea of something like this, but it felt like it might overwhelm the space and we wanted something that felt a bit more casual. So it was back to Plan B.


Rendering of built-in cabinets and bookshelves using Ikea 3D Kitchen Planner


With our desired look pinned down, we took a road trip to Ikea (hitting up the National Zoo before heading home, which was awesome. Baby Panda says hi). Once back, we assembled the cabinet bases and things started to come together pretty quickly. They also apparently can double as doll beds, so that’s good to know.


Room with sloped ceiling and Ikea cabinet boxes being built, with a girl's doll using one as a window seat


Obviously we didn’t want the cabinets sitting directly on the floor, but the standard Ikea legs would’ve made them too high. So we built a base using 2 x 4″ & 1 x 4″ boards to lift everything up just enough to frame the window nicely. We also mounted 2 x 4s on the wall so our finished built-ins would better fill the recess for a more intentional looking result.


Ikea’s cabinet system now uses a metal suspension rail to hang all cabinets – even their base cabinets. I’ll say that we found this rail a little harder to work with than their previous system, mostly because getting everything level seemed very dependent on your screws being perfectly placed. The cabinets no longer bolt onto the rail, they just hook over the bottom lip, so they’ve eliminated the handy washer/clip that allowed you to fine tune each cabinet’s height after it’s hung.


detail of how Ikea Sektion cabinets attach to metal wall rail using screw and washer


But with a bit of care we got them nice and straight, and other than that we liked having them attached that way – they feel very sturdy. And the wood base that we built underneath is good insurance for us in case they ever get sat on / climbed / body-slammed… although that’s not something we’ll be encouraging.


With everything attached, next up was screwing in a few filler pieces. Our space was an odd length (and the window was a couple of inches off-center) so without settling for a weird asymmetrical assortment of cabinet sizes, we were left with a few small gaps. Clamping these filler pieces in place and then screwing through the adjacent cabinet was a great way to get a strong and precise placement.


how to add filler pieces to Ikea cabinets using clamps and screws


We also had to add a filler piece on either side of the window, since otherwise you’d see the crazy wood/metal rail contraption that keeps everything up. Luckily the girl at Ikea saw our plan and suggested that we buy two extra filler pieces, so we were all set.


white cabinet filler pieces used to cover exposed side of Ikea cabinet installation


We went with the traditional BODBYN style doors, since they’re the most similar to our laundry room ones (which aren’t sold anymore). But once they were on, we realized that our filler pieces created these weird recessed portions. No me gusta.


filler piece between two white Ikea Sektion cabinets with Bodbyn doors creating recessed spot between doors and drawers


So we built them out with some scrap wood pieces that brought them to the same depth as the door and drawer fronts. And we just painted them to match (Soft Wool by Valspar from Ace, thanks to a Pinterest search that turned up a paint match to these BODBYN doors). Just don’t go to Lowe’s looking for it like I originally did (this color is only sold at Ace stores). The added pieces made a world of difference. It all looked a lot better once we had those in place.


Filler panels added to Ikea Bodbyn Sektion cabinet drawers bases


We considered doing wood counters (as you saw in our photoshopped renderings), but we realized that this niche (and room as a whole) would eventually be full of a lot of colorful and patterned things – so we opted to keep things simple. We bought some wood project panels at Lowe’s that would be deep and wide enough to fully cover each section, primed them, and then painted them Soft Wool to match.


Wood project panels from Lowe's being primed and painted white using a small foam roller for use as countertops


When it came time to build our white floating shelves, we figured we’d make some version of the ones Ana White shared with our readers back in the day. But when we held up some scrap wood to envision how that thickness would look (hers are 2″ thick), they looked a little heftier than we would have liked in the niche. But finding plans for slightly less thick floating shelves wasn’t easy.


White floating shelves under sloped ceiling filled with toys books and kids objects in a playroom


Luckily, Sarah at Ugly Duckling House had devised some skinny floating shelves for her kitchen and her technique felt like a great thing to try in here. It uses lots of 1 x 2″ supports like Ana’s plans, but it lays them on their side to achieve a lower profile. We realized we might lose some sturdiness making that change, but since we don’t plan on displaying anything crazy heavy (like tons of china, glassware, or a collection of Shake Weights) we decided to give them a try. Cue lots of wood cutting and pocket hole drilling!


Floating shelf supports made from 1x3 pine boards cut to the same length and drilled with pocket holes using a Kreg Jig


The photo above shows all of the “pegs” that jut out from the wall to provide the support for the shelf. Following Sarah’s plan, it’s a bunch of 1 x 3″ boards for the middle supports and 1 x 2″ boards on the end. We cut them in one sitting to ensure they were all the same length. Ours were 10.25″ in depth, which is the depth of our plywood shelf top (11.75″) minus the width of the 1 x 2″ that they’d all get attached to (1.5″). I’ll jump ahead to this photo of it installed against the wall, since it may help to see the finished brace.


Brace piece of DIY thin wood floating shelves hung on a wall using 1x3 and 1x2 pine boards


To get the support pegs to jut out like that, we attached them by making pocket holes with our Kreg Jig. Clamping them while drilling was a great way to make sure they attached strongly and in perfect alignment.


A Kreg jig clamp being used to secure two pieces of wood together at a right angle using a pocket hole screw


We erred on the side of having more support pegs than probably necessary – about one every 8ish inches apart. I say “ish” because we avoided putting one wherever we’d need to screw through the back piece to secure it to a stud in the wall. So it was helpful to mark those stud-zones before building anything so we wouldn’t have any supports in the way once we were ready to hang it.


marking the placement of studs on a piece of 1x2 pine wood board and drilling pilot holes to sink screws into


The other trick we used to make attaching everything easier was drilling some slightly recessed holes into our wood at each stud mark (the pocket hole drill bit that comes with the Kreg made this pretty easy to do). Since our screw would be going through the long side of the 1 x 2″, it meant we didn’t have to use a cumbersomely long screw to pull everything tightly against the wall for a sturdy result.


attaching brace piece for white floating shelves using a power drill driver and level


Once it was attached, we could add the plywood top to each shelf. This was a 1/2″ thick piece of sanded birch plywood. We had one 4′ x 8′ panel cut into 11.75″ strips at Home Depot, then we cut them to the right length at home on our table saw. Getting them cut at the store not only helped ensure they were all of equal width (their big saw is very consistent from cut to cut), but it was also easier to transport the strips home in our car. We attached them from the underside with 1″ screws so they’d be hidden once we added the bottom panel.


Screwing on a top plywood piece for thin floating shelves using Irwin Quick Grip clamps to hold the in place


For the bottoms, we glued & nailed strips of 5mm thick plywood (which we also had Home Depot cut while the saw was locked into place for the tops).  The thickness of these boards is really important, for reasons that you’ll see in a second.


A Ryobi power nailer to attach thin plywood sheet to bottom of do it yourself floating shelves


The last step to constructing the shelves is adding face boards, but the little pockets that we had created on the inside gave us an idea. We asked Clara if she wanted to write/draw a secret message to hide inside and she was all over that idea. Notes! Drawing! Secrets!


secret note placed within DIY floating shelves during construction for discovery later as a time capsule


Once that important piece of business was complete, we finished off the floating shelves by gluing-and-nailing some 1 x 2″ face boards to the exposed front and side of each shelf. The 1/2″ top and 5mm bottom made the whole thing almost exactly the same width as a 1 x 2″ face board. The 1 x 2″ is just a hair bigger, so the finished product  – well, once it’s primed & painted – looks like one solid piece.


A Ryobi power nailer attaching face pieces of 1x2 pine wood board to thin white floating shelves in bonus room


The floating shelves Sarah built had two side-walls to attach to, so I was a little nervous that ours – which only had one side wall each – might be precarious on the floating ends that are closest to the window. Thankfully they feel just as sturdy as the floating Ikea shelves that we’ve used for years (those don’t have any side-walls, and they’ve held big stacks of dinner plates/bowls/glasses just fine). We’re still not going to overload these with anything extra heavy, but I was pleasantly surprised by how solid these feel.


Window seat created in bonus room with built-in Ikea cabinets and white floating shelves


We love the impact that all of this vertical storage has had in this otherwise sparse/hodgepodge room so far. Not only does it help the room feel a bit more finished, but it totally signaled to the kids that this is a playful and fun space for them to settle into. They have been bringing in toys and stuffed animals from their rooms, and this space is getting lots of action – which is definitely nicer than the years it dutifully served as pillow storage.


White floating shelves hung against angled wall and sloped ceiling in kids playroom bonus room


And as for the cabinets below (here’s an affiliate link to the hardware), we’re still slowing populating them with stuff like games and puzzles and doll clothes and blocks. Clara keeps asking when we’re going to “fill them with snacks.” I’m not entirely sure where she got the idea, but I’m not entirely convinced it’s a bad one…


White Ikea cabinetry built ins used to store kids games and toys in bonus room


So that’s the story of our narrow little niche that’s now serving up a ton of functional concealed & open storage for us. And it’s pretty great to have a whole new view when we walk down the hall.


View into a bonus room playroom from hallway with white wainscoting and continuous wood flooring


Especially since this was the view back when we bought this house…


Dated laundry room closet at end of a hall with bifold doors, dark cabinets, carpet, and mismatched old washer and dryer


… with this unfinished space hiding behind it.


Unfinished attic storage room with exposed studs and curtained windows


Ah progress. As for the rest of the room, we’re going to keep plugging along, and once we get it feeling a little more finished we’ll drop by with some wider room shots. Maybe we should just fill the whole thing with snacks. Just kidding. Kind of.


How to add DIY white floating shelves that are thin and white Ikea cabinets to make a window niche look custom


P.S. You can check out all of our current house’s updated before & after pics and see all of our paint colors & where we got things


The post Adding Built-Ins & White Floating Shelves Around A Window Niche appeared first on Young House Love.

Construction projects worth €5.6bn started in 2015

The value of new construction projects in Ireland surged 68pc last year as activity in the sector continued to pick up.



According to a new report from Construction Information Services (CIS) which measures activity in the property sector, builders broke ground on 2,213 new projects worth €5.6bn during 2015. That is a huge increase on 2014’s 1,437 projects.




But the number of new homes being built is far below the levels needed to ease the housing crisis, with less than half the number of new homes needed being built at present.




The report, which excludes projects such as one-off housing or fire safety certificate work, tries to quantify big ticket projects around the country.




Perhaps unsurprisingly the Dublin area dominates.




The CIS data shows the city and its surrounding area accounted for an estimated 53pc of all projects. That percentage fell slightly though year-on-year, in a sign that the recovery is starting to be felt beyond the city.




In 2014, 56pc of new projects were being carried out in Dublin. Its dominance continues in the value of new projects for which planning permission is being sought, but again, the proportion is lower than this time last year. About 54pc of the value of all projects that received planning approval were located in Dublin during 2015 – down from 63pc in 2014.




The CIS noted that this change “can partly be explained by the Project Cherrywood application, so when total number of projects are looked at, this statistical skew can be seen”.




US investment giant Hines submitted plans for a €2.5bn development at Cherrywood in west Dublin.




The figures show that residential development jumped 150pc during the previous 12 months, with projects worth €1.5bn on site now. But construction is still far behind what is needed in the country to ease the housing crisis.




The data shows that 4,706 houses went “on-site in 2014 and in 2015, house building increased to over 11,000”. Most analysts estimate the country needs about 25,000 new homes every year to meet demand. But even the new projects are moving forward slowly. Many going on site this year are doing so on a phased basis only and are not all coming on stream immediately, the CIS said.




The crisis shows no sign of improving. “It is anticipated that approximately 12,000 units will be built in 2016, which is less than half of that required to meet normal demand,” the CIS said.



The post Construction projects worth €5.6bn started in 2015 appeared first on MyHome.ie Advice & Blog.

Tuesday, March 22, 2016

Irish people in mortgage arrears suffer suicidal thoughts

Irish people in mortgage arrears are suffering from severe depression and almost a quarter have made plans to end their own life.


That’s according to a new survey carried out by a clinical psychologist on behalf of the Irish Mortgage Holders Association.


Their Director David Hall, said the survey – conducted on almost 500 Irish people in debt – should “act as a wake-up call” to the government.


The highlighted specifics of the findings are as follows:



  • 44% said they felt depressed either all of the time or most of the time

  • 31% have had suicidal thoughts in the last four weeks

  • 22% had active plans to kill themselves

  • 45% of people indicated harmful levels of alcohol use


He’s urging anyone feeling depressed to reach out and get professional help:


“We will, over the next number of years, witness first hand the mental health turmoil that has been to individuals and to families as a direct result of prioritising banks and ignoring those on the front line dealing with this debt issue with banks, and I think we’re going to see significant difficulty,” he said.


“We have seen, sadly, five of our clients who have taken their own lives over the last number of years, and that, we believe, is only a handful of some of the others who have taken their own lives around the country due to financial difficulties.”


The post Irish people in mortgage arrears suffer suicidal thoughts appeared first on MyHome.ie Advice & Blog.

Monday, March 21, 2016

Moo Cow Monday ~ A Rancher's Love

With calving season in full swing, there have been many articles in the media about the harm done to calves when assessing them and ear tagging them after their birth.
Some have even stated that a rancher is in the business strictly for the income.

Today, I feel the need to rebuke them.

If you follow us at all, whether it be here or social media, you know we have a love for our family, our lifestyle, our world and our animals.
You also know Flower Boy is an Animal Whisperer!

It does not matter where or when he steps into the pasture, the cattle come running!
He often spends hours in one pasture playing with the calves.
He talks to them, pets them, and secures a real bond with them.
This is also the reason our momma cows are so tame and allow us to tag their babies easily.

When the babies are tagged, Flower Boy never turns his back on them.
He always makes up with them and shows them love.

I watch him apologize to each calf tagged.




If a calf happens to get separated from it's momma during tagging, Flower Boy is quick to seek out momma and direct her calf back to her.


He will stand among the herd, watching, to make sure momma knows he did not hurt her baby.

The tagging is necessary for identification of the pairs.
The calves are tagged with the same number ear tag as their momma's.
The left ear is tagged on heifer calves and the right ear is tagged on bull calves.
The tagging does not hurt the calf.
It is much like piercing our ears.
Yes, it stings for a bit, but it does not hurt the calf.

For the past two years, every time we tag a calf, I am reminded of a saying that has been thrown around the cattle industry.
It goes something like this...
"We've been tagging before tagging was cool."

While we have the calf held for tagging, the calf is assessed for health, sex, and approximate weight.
All is written in a log book kept in the feed truck.
We attempt to make the assessment and tagging within the first 24 hours of birth.

This doesn't always happen, as the mommas like to hide their babies.
Therefore, we may spend a few days searching out the calf.
This is a sign of a good momma.

We do have a few mommas that get pretty protective of their babies.
Those calves don't get tagged until all the cattle are brought in for working.
At this time, the calves will get a round of preventive shots, mommas will get wormed and assessed.
After the working, the cattle will be moved to summer pasture.

Ranchers aren't just in the business for the income.
Many dollars are spent on herd health, feed, hay, equipment and general operation of the ranch.
The income line isn't always high.

There is just something about the miracle of  life when you watch the birth of a calf.
Time spent just you and your rancher, under the open sky in the middle of a pasture, along side a herd of cattle.
When you are there, you know what you do is worth while and has meaning.

You feel a deep pull to your heart and gut when you read or hear others give a negative opinion of what you do.

It is the love for the cattle and what we do that keep us going.

XOXO,
Rancher Girl
 

Friday, March 18, 2016

Friday Fashion and Favorites

frog-hill-design

Friday is here!  YEA.  Thanks for the sweet comments on my recent Life Lately post.  Hearing from you all makes my day and I love feeling like this is a safe place to share a peek into my life.  The good and the hormonal. ;)  Speaking of sharing, I have some fun favorites for you […]


The post Friday Fashion and Favorites appeared first on The Sunny Side Up Blog.

Thursday, March 17, 2016

Life Lately

head-to-school

Is it Wednesday already!?  Thursday by the time you all read this.  What a week!  I keep thinking I’m going to have a slower week where I can “catch up” but I’m finally learning that no such week exists!  At least in the stage of life I’m currently in with my kids.  I was remembering […]


The post Life Lately appeared first on The Sunny Side Up Blog.

Monday, March 14, 2016

One in three favour a return to the polls

One in three people would opt for a new General Election given the chance, according to the results of a survey from MyHome.ie.


The study found that just 22% of people were satisfied with the results – while 78% said they were unhappy with the outcome of the general election.


When asked about what kind of new government they would want to see, 35% of the 1,600 people surveyed picked a new election while 26% opted for a Fine Gael/Fianna Fail coalition.


The option of a coalition between Fine Gael and smaller parties came in third at 18% while a minority Fianna Fail government supported by Fine Gael was the least popular at just 5%.


And it looks like there’s mixed news for Taoiseach and Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny.


Almost half of the people surveyed said that the Fine Gael leader should step down straight away, with a further 34% admitting they feel he should step aside in the next year or so.


Minister for Health Leo Varadkar was the runaway favourite to succeed the Mayo man as party leader, getting 45% of the vote.


Minister for Agriculture Simon Coveney came in second at 16%, while Minister for Justice Frances Fitzgerald was third on 14%.


Managing director of MyHome.ie Angela Keegan said it was interesting that the public identified health and housing as key priorities for the new government.


She added: “For many years we have been highlighting the supply problem in housing and calling on the government to address it as a matter of urgency.


“The issue has now reached crisis proportions and the new government really needs to act swiftly if more time is not to be lost.


“Several organisations have called for a senior Minister of Housing, Planning and Construction to be appointed and we would support such a move.”


The post One in three favour a return to the polls appeared first on MyHome.ie Advice & Blog.

Friday, March 11, 2016

Rent payments: Should they be calculated when applying for a mortgage?

Anyone looking to buy a home at present will be all to aware how difficult it is.


Firstly, there’s the task of finding something suitable to your needs – something that is not always easy given the fact that demand still far exceeds supply.


That’s a situation unlikely to get much better in the not-too-distant future either with the latest figures from the Housing Agency showing that many areas of the country were behind on the target set for 80,000 new builds to be built nationally by 2018.


Dublin and Galway both lagged behind but also did the commuter counties of Wicklow, Meath, Kildare and Louth.


Even when you do find that ‘dream home’ though, you still have to pay for it and that has been made that bit more difficult by the Central Bank’s lending rules.


A 10% or 20% deposit is quite a substantial sum of money and with interest rates on the floor, saving for one is all the harder.


Even if you do manage to come up with a deposit, you still have to meet the bank’s criteria to be approved for a loan.


One of the many sticklers in the mortgage application process nowadays is that people with a track record of paying rent do not have this taken into account when applying for a home loan.


In a lot of cases people are actually saving money each month by buying a property rather than renting but this is not accounted for.


Could that be set to change though? The Construction Industry Federation feel it should.


This week they called for rent payments to be taken into account in the mortgage application process and warned that developers were reluctant to build if mortgages are not available for buyers.


Director General of the Construction Industry Federation, Tom Parlon, has said the Central Bank should give credit to people who have a track-record of renting, to make it easier for them to get a mortgage.


He said: “The typical first time buyer now, the typical people getting married now are older, because they haven’t been buying for the last number of years.


“So the chances are they have been renting for a period, they could be paying €1600 a month, that is €19,000 a year and they have a track record of that.


“Their actual mortgage would actually be less than that in a lot of situations.”



  • Do you agree with the CIF?

  • Should rent payments be taken into account in the mortgage process?

  • Are you looking to buy and feel you could have cheaper monthly repayments on a mortgage than by renting?


Have your say below…


The post Rent payments: Should they be calculated when applying for a mortgage? appeared first on MyHome.ie Advice & Blog.

Thursday, March 10, 2016

European Central Bank cuts main interest rate to 0%

The European Central Bank has cut its main interest rate from 0.05% to 0% – the first cut since September 2014 – in an effort to boost sagging euro zone economy.


The first cut in over 18 months will see those on tracker mortgages benefit from reduced payments on their monthly bills.


The bank has also cut its deposit rate deeper into negative territory, cutting it to -0.4% from -0.3%.


The ECB also said that it would increase its bond buying programme from €60 billion a month to €80 billion a month.


The bank also said it would launch a new series of four targeted longer-term refinancing operations (TLTRO), each with a maturity of four years


ECB President Mario Draghi will hold a press conference later this afternoon.


The post European Central Bank cuts main interest rate to 0% appeared first on MyHome.ie Advice & Blog.

design dilemma - coordinating kitchen island and breakfast nook lights

After last week's design dilemma discussion on pendant lights in a kitchen many of you asked me to do a post on how to coordinate pendant lights with the chandelier you hang over the table in your breakfast nook.  Making design decisions can be tough and it's often hard to visualize how something will look before it's installed.  You want the lighting to flow but not be overly matchy-matchy, and with so many options out there finding a winning combination can be kind of intimidating.  So today I'm sharing a few thoughts on the subject, some simple ideas to help you make confident lighting selections in your kitchen.

First lets's start by looking at some examples of kitchen lighting done really well.  Let's dissect what makes these examples work.   

I'm pretty much in love with every detail of this kitchen, but the lighting specifically adds a nice touch of modern glamour to a traditional white kitchen.   I think it's a good idea to figure out what will be the main lighting attraction in your kitchen and open dining area.  Basically, who is going to be the lead actor and who is going to take on a supporting role?  Everyone is important to the play, but not everyone is a star, you know?  In this example below, the white shades are supporting actors and the chandy is the Oscar winner.   I mean I realize they can both be winners, but you get what I'm saying right?  The pendants blend in with the white cabinets, yet the gold marries them to the chandy.  The style of the pendants fits in line with the sleek modern glamorous look, but they don't compete with the structural beauty of the chandy hanging over the table.  It's almost like they're pointing you over to that gorgeous beacon of gold light.  (I know I'm crazy; roll with it.) 

how to coordinate lighting in your kitchen - island and breakfast nook combinations
 via Home Adore - Dunbar-Southlands House by Terris Lightfoot Contracting
Here the pendants and chandy play off of eachother both in the polished chrome finish and the round shape.   But here again the chandy is the main attraction, and what keeps things interesting is that the lighting over the table brings in another layer - the white fabric shades which also relate back to the white cabinets. 

how to coordinate lighting in your kitchen - island and breakfast nook combinations
Chango & Co 
Now here's an example where the pendants are the main attraction and the chandy is kind of taking a back seat.  The lighting flows in color and style, but what keeps things interesting is the different shapes and bulk.  The pendants are much heavier, bulkier than the chandy.  If the chandy met the same bulkiness as the pendants there would be too much visual competition.  As is the pendants stand out and the lighting flows really nicely.  

how to coordinate lighting in your kitchen - island and breakfast nook combinations
HGTV  - Sarah Richardson 
I like this next example because it shows that you don't have to marry styles in order for things to coordinate.  The pendants are glass and the chandy is metal, but they work well together because the color of the chain matches.  Also notice the flush mount over the sink tieing the black and white color palette together just perfectly.
how to coordinate lighting in your kitchen - island and breakfast nook combinations
 Designer - Carla Aston - Photographer - Tori Aston 
So to sum up here a few tips for coordinating your kitchen lighting: 
1.  Choose a main player - chandy or pendants - and work from there. 
Once your main player is selected: 
2.  Marry one or two things  - whether it's the metal finish, the overall style or shape - find a couple of common elements.  You want something about your lighting to match.  You just don't want everything to match. 
3.  Vary the other elements.  So if you have the same shape and finish, mix metal with glass, or glass with a fabric shade.  Find something that offers a little something different than your main player does.  

To give you a few examples, here are few combinations I like. 

So notice in the rustic, traditional combo the pendant is square and the chandy is round; but the wood and iron marries them.  In the sleek, industrial combo both have a round shape and are dark in color, but the pendant is glass.  The cool, modern mix is the most different match up, but the modern style and dark elements tie them together. 
how to coordinate lighting in your kitchen - island and breakfast nook combinations
rustic traditional (pendant/chandy), sleek industrial (pendant/chandy), cool modern (pendant/chandy)
Here again in the traditional, classic combo the round shape and nickel finish marry them, but the fabric shade with the glass shade of the pendant keep them different enough to make the combination interesting.  The modern, glam combo has gold and glass in common, but the different shapes keeps them from being too matchy-matchy.  The casual, elegant combo is an interesting mix with two really different styles, but the dark metal shade of the pendant coordinates with the black iron of the chandy allowing it to take center stage but brining in a more casual vibe.
how to coordinate lighting in your kitchen - island and breakfast nook combinations
traditonal classic (pendant/chandy),  modern glam (pendant/chandy), casual elegant (pendant, chandy)
I'm no expert, but hopefully this helped you to figure things out and gave you some ideas for coordinating lighting in your kitchen.  It's not an exact science and really just depends on what you like and the overall style your going for in your home.   Below you'll see how one simple glass ball pendant could easily coordinate with two different chandys depending on the overall design style you want to achieve.   With the wood bead and and iron option you create a modern farmhouse feel, yet with the rectangular glass and iron option you get a sleek, industrial, casual vibe.  Both work, just depends on the overall look you're wanting to create in your home.
coordinating lighting in your kitchen and breakfast nook
pendant, wood bead iron, rectangular glass 
What are your thoughts on coordinating lighting in your kitchen and open dining areas?  Any favorite combinations?

If you have a design dilemma you'd like to submit -  email me here - Carmel@ourfifthhouse.com