What better time to get those house projects done?
AS we face into several weeks or more of semi self-isolation what better time than to get that room redesigned, that decking put in or that extension built.
We all live incredibly busy lives. We are time poor, even if the bank balance is in a healthy state.
At the same time we have a list of jobs to be done. Often we can do them, but for the bigger, trickier jobs you need to hire a professional; someone skilled and with experience at solving these problems for you.
For not too much money you can make a dramatic improvement to a room or rooms in your house.
Building a dream home is something that requires a lot of time and planning and if you are just about ready to get started, you are in luck, because, as with tradespeople, there is no shortage of expert builders in Co Wexford.
WHEN it comes to building a new home or renovating an existing one the overall cost, obviously, is something that has to be factored into the equation for most people in terms of the scale of work they wish to get completed.
However, nowadays there are a lot of grants available for specific aspects of new build and renovation work being carried out on domestic homes.
With that in mind it’s important that people do their homework and carrying out a little bit of research into this area prior to the work commencing could end up saving you a lot of money in the long term.
It’s always worth noting too that money saved on building costs through access to grant support can be channelled into other aspects of the build later on.
There are many different types of grants available in Ireland now with some of them including: Home Renovation Incentive; Housing Adaptation Grant for people with disabilities; Housing Aid for older people scheme; Mobility Aids grant scheme; Local authority home improvement loans and the Better Energy Homes scheme.
These are just some of the grants available and obviously certain criteria applies in each case, however, it’s worth investigating whether or not you qualify for grant assistance on your project.
For example if your project is replacing windows in your existing home to help make it more energy efficient you might qualify for a Home Repair Assistance Grant.
Home energy grants are also available for various aspects of energy saving work being carried out on your existing home or as part of your new build.
To apply for such grants you will need to decide what energy upgrades best suit your home, employ a registered technical advisor and a registered contractor then apply for the grant.
Through the Home Renovation Incentive, homeowners, landlords and local authority tenants can claim a tax credit on the costs of improving their residential property.
The aim of the Housing Aid for Older People scheme is to enable older people to remain in their own homes for as long as possible.
It’s worth contacting the local authority about possible grant aid it might have available especially in the area of home improvement works.
The Better Energy Home scheme provides grants to help increase energy efficiency in homes including support for insulation.
While the cost of building or renovating can be quite daunting a little work examining what grants are available could lead to great savings and that can only be good news.