5 tips for American clients looking to buy a holiday home in Ireland

1. The West Coast of Ireland has some of the most beautiful coastal scenery imaginable and there are often plots of land available to buy at relatively low cost however if the land does not have an existing residential house or even ruin of a house if may prove impossible to build one. Planning laws often require a local need - which means the planning authority will only allow someone to build a house who has lived in the area for a period of time and works in the area or has a strong family connection to the area and is moving to be closer to family.

2. As Ireland is a small country trades people are willing to travel between counties and materials can be shipped to any location. When we are engaged to run project for an overseas client we use our team of master craftsmen from all the counties of Ireland and we source materials for Ireland and all of Europe. As such is is easier and more cost effective to choose from a supplier in Ireland as many of the import duties are already paid for by the importer.

3. Engage your designer early and make use of the service where by we will visit a house to access the cost of renovation and then you can accurately compare the cost of purchase and remodel.

4. Water pressure and access to constant hot water is expected in all American homes however in Ireland it is vital to fit a pump to the achieve the same water pressure and the heating systems are refitted and updated in all our projects to reach the expected standards. When purchasing a house in Ireland it is always important to ask what is the source of home heating as there are 3 standard options, Solar with a heat pump, Gas or Oil. Your designer will need to know this information to create an accurate design.

5. Take into account regional airports when choosing a home, it can be very easy to fly from Dublin to Kerry or Cork or even Donegal and it makes the trip to see your new home much faster and more comfortable.