Room to Improve - Grants 😱

I'm an Engineer.

From an initial inspection that photo, I see 2 possible serious defects.

1 The rear projecting section appears to have a deflection to the ridge. Certainly needs looking at.

2 it appears that there is a tile missing on top side of main chimney.

Both could be serious defects or not but would need investigation internally.

Still Derelict is seriously pushing things.

Yes, the roof would probably have stayed intact for another 50 years. But the issue is they had to cut a big hole in one side of it and attach the new extension to it, then ask a engineer to sign off on the whole thing against 2023 standards.

Again, it's far more likely the roof genuinely was defective than a concerted fraud by the clients, architect, engineer and QS. If the grant scheme is ridiculous, fair enough, but it's the professional's job to get the best deal for his client and the repeated claim that it was a fraud is absolutely bananas.

Roof was replaced most likely for aesthetic reasons ,old roof would have looked **** with new extension.

Exactly. Accusing someone of fraud without a criminal conviction is defamatory I would think.

Because it was. There was one Camera shot taken of the house after the roof had been 'condemned'. All that was left was a few external walls and the chimney. If the roof was that bad, surely the couple would not have bought the house. Like, surely they had an engineer check it out before they purchased it.

My cousin has applied for this vacant homes grant. He bought a house which belonged to a couple who have both died in the recent past. He had to wait 2 years after the second person died to start the renovations. He certainly did not move into it. I will ask him how he is getting on with the grant application.

Looks like they found a loophole whereby they left a few walls standing so that they could claim it was a "renovation" and hence get the grants. .

The day has finally come where I read about Nadine Coyle lying about her age on popstars like it's some sort of historically significant event.

But in other councils around the country, applicants / potential applicants are told most definitely they cannot get the grant if they do that. So why the double standards?

You want transcripts of a meeting between someone and the council?

Ask anyone who has asked the council can they get the grant just by keeping a few walls of an existing house (like the fine house sold in Cashel for 303k in 2022 ) ....and if people elsewhere in the country could get €99,000 that easily, everyone would be at it.

The grant is for Refurbishment of vacant and derelict dwellings. What do you not understand about that?

You need to submit a quote for the planned works in the application, you don't just get approved because the house is vacant.

Interestingly a house doesn't have to be on the derelict sites register, which i'd have thought, but can be certified as such by a qualified professional, which is handy if you have a qualified professional engaged to do the work!

This happens with the councils every day in all walks of life.

It’s nearly impossible to get a van/jeep taxed commercially in some counties without jumping through serious hoops while in other counties all you have to do is fill in the forms and there’s no questions asked.

The council fees for new builds vary wildly from county to county too. In Offaly it’s around €3k, I’ve heard of fees if €20-€30k in other counties.

It’s surely highly likely the same applies to grant applications in different counties. It may not be fair but neither are the other examples of differences I just mentioned but that’s just the way it is.

Surveys miss major defects all the time.

There are multiple advice web pages telling you what to do if it happens, they are there because it does happen. Surveyors will not damage a house to do a survey therefore some issues can remain hidden.

survey misses defect in house - Google Search

How do you know they aren't?

As somebody else said it maybe that another professional on the extension would not sign off on it. There are roofs in perfectly happy existence that would not pass muster under current regs. Add an extension or cut a dormer into it and everything must pass certification. Multiple possibilities before the conspiracy lads in the black coats arrive.😀

I wish I had a limited budget like that!