QI live in a period listed house in south county Dublin. The bay window needs to be refurbished/replaced and I wonder are there any grants available?
A Unfortunately there are now very limited sources of financial assistance for the owners of protected structures. The former conservation grants scheme administered by the local authority was a very important source of funding, involving a relatively straightforward application process, targeted specifically at conservative repairs to protected structures. This mitigated to some extent the higher costs usually associated with specialist skills, and the onerous obligations on owners of protected structures in caring for these buildings for the common good.
However, this scheme ended with Government cutbacks and although a similar scheme, the “Built Heritage Jobs Leverage Scheme”, operated this year it has also been cut despite strong evidence of the benefits to the economy and in sustaining the specialist construction and craft skills vital for properly maintaining protected structures.
Other heritage-related grants exist but eligibility depends on the significance of the property from a heritage perspective. The Irish Georgian Society offers grants for repairs to historic buildings but the fund is very limited and favours structures of highly significant architectural merit especially those most at risk.
Another scheme operated by Revenue under section 482 of the Taxes Consolidation Act allows tax relief on expenditure for repairs to approved buildings and gardens but this also favours more historically significant properties and there are special conditions on allowing public access so it is not for everyone. Some other non heritage related grants may be of interest.
The Home Renovation Incentive also operated by Revenue basically allows the applicant to reclaim the VAT component of the cost of certain repairs and improvements which are subject to the VAT rate of 13.5 per cent provided the applicant and the contractor are fully tax compliant.
Depending on personal circumstances you may qualify for the Housing Aid for Older Persons Scheme which offers financial assistance for essential repairs enabling senior citizens to stay in their homes for longer. Whether or not grant assistance is involved note that conservative repairs are preferable to replacement and planning consent may be required for this work. Further advice may be obtained from the local authority conservation officer.
Liam Mulligan is a chartered building surveyor
Q I have a problem with damp in a wooden cabin. The cabin is double glazed and insulated. However, the concrete base on which it sits is not quite big enough and I have what I think is a rising damp problem in the two back corners of the cabin. It appears that the damp proof membrane has stripped away under the building and cannot be replaced as it is not possible to get under the building. Can you help with any advice?
A This is situation is not unfamiliar to me and I have experienced these problems with similar buildings which originate from two distinct faults. The first problem may arise from the building sitting upon a 4” x 2” timber sole plate laid directly onto your concrete slab that projects beyond the end walls without space for driving rain to run away. This is exacerbated by the lack of guttering despite the overhanging roof.
The floor structure usually consists of light timbers laid without a damp proof course (DPC) onto the slab with polystyrene insulation between and tongue and groove floor boards over. The lack of DPC or a vapour barrier allows capillary creep, driven rain and condensate water to soak the timbers and cause high levels of humidity in the building itself; in one case I saw this caused an outbreak of wet rot in untreated flooring.
The wall timbers are treated to prevent such rot but the finger joints at the corners are prone to the capillary leakage which I noticed in your pictures again exacerbated by driven rain and the poorly fitted guttering. The solutions in most cases are to lift the building by about 25mm corner by corner and insert plastic “folding” packers regularly under the sole plate to break the capillary path and allow air to flow below the floor. This sounds radical, however, these buildings are flexible and being comparatively light are easily raised using an appropriate lever and fulcrum.
Additional packs will be required below the flimsy floor “joists” at adequate centres to prevent sagging. If rot has set in then the floor may need to be replaced; if so better insulation and vapour control should be considered.
Gutters and downpipes should be adjusted to better remove excess water. Corner external joints should be filled with a proprietary waterproof flexible sealer. Make sure this is a paint grade product and the joints are well cleaned out before being inserted. Treat walls and especially the timber ends afterwards with a compatible decorative preservative. A good joiner should be able to carry out this work in two days and depending on the extent of timbers to be replaced the cost might not exceed €1,000. If in doubt, you should consult your local building surveyor.
Fergus Merriman is a chartered building surveyor and a member of the SCSI Building Surveying Professional Group
Q Our son lives in an apartment in Dublin. Recently we have noticed condensation between the glass of an outer double glazed window. It appears the seal of the unit is broken. We approached the management company to repair the unit. It states that it is our responsibility to repair the unit. I am of the opinion that all exterior repair work has to be done by the management company. Is this correct? Your opinion as to how the unit would be replaced would be appreciated.
A The legal document or lease between the lessor, lessee and the owner’s management company outlines the rights and obligations of all the parties. Accordingly there is no definite or correct answer but in most cases that I have encountered the owner of the apartment is responsible for the windows while the management company is responsible for the external walls and the roof. If this proves to be the case with your management company, then your son, as the owner, has to replace the window. If you do not have a balcony under the window and you are not on the ground floor it will be an expensive process as you will need a lift hire. I accept this is probably not what you wanted to hear. Kersten Mehl is a chartered surveyor and a member of the SCSI Properties and Facilities Management Professional Group
Send your queries to propertyquestions@irishtimes.com or to Property Clinic, The Irish Times, 24-28 Tara Street, Dublin 2. This column is a readers’ service. Advice given is general and individual advice should always be sought
