CSO figures show that more people are opting to extend their home than to build a new one, says chartered engineer and builder Damien McKay.

He says planning application statistics for the first quarter of 2011 show that over 1,630 people have been granted permission for an extension, compared to less than 1,280 permissions for a new home.

“For about 15 years and over the boom years, it was the other way round with applications for new homes often being twice as high.”

But the figures for the last 12 months from April 2010 show this trend has now completely reversed, says McKay, who specialises in self-build and extensions.

McKay says the perceived costs of building or extending a home can be very off-putting, but if handled the right way, they can be done within a tight budget.

The cost of building an extension can overrun by €50,000 or more, he says.

“Changing the design or specification during the construction stage can increase costs by 30 per cent alone.”

McKay will mentor people building their own homes: this includes nine hours of face-to-face meetings, 18 hours of telephone consultations and resources such as his guide to an energy efficient home, creating a building contract, a formal agreement for appointment of an architect, project planner, budget planner etc. and so on.

He is also is planning a two-day workshop in Dublin in October. See dmk.ie