First steps

Well, I’ve been and gorn and done it. Handed over a this-is-definitely-it handful of filthy lucre (as opposed to the I’m-definitely-interested-but-could-still-change-my-mind, much smaller, handful of the stuff),  signed on the dotted line and agreed all the agreements. So: I am now officially a member of Sustainable Projects Ireland Ltd, and will definitely be building my very own eco-house. Woohoo!

Pretty village green

Main street

I had another look at my site – beside a stream, plenty of space for a west/south facing facade and garden, and not cheek-by-jowl with my neighbours. Pretty perfect. It’s hard to imagine it from pictures or a map, but it really is beautiful and it feels like a good site.  Already I’m getting ideas about what to plant, never mind what to build!

My plot – on far side of stream (currently a ditch)

View of the whole site as you enter from the main street
My plot is at the squished, red ‘X’, left of centre

In celebration I went off to one of the many nearby towns (there’s a lot of exploring to do of the surrounding area), Nenagh, and bagged myself a really top lunch in Country Choice.  Very good indeed, if somewhat over-the-odds, price-wise. And very excellent coffee, which bodes well.

Of course all this will take time. Storage has been rented, boxes bought, and so we’re currently clutter-clearing (ugh!) and touching up the house ready to put it on the market, hopefully next week.  In the meantime I’ll be meeting the other members of the project and deciding how to contribute my obligatory 100 hours per annum, and generally getting involved. And once I’ve picked an architect we can start designing the house which is the really exciting bit.

I’m steadfastly ignoring the doomsayers (and the part of me that says “What! Are you absolutely mad, woman?!”) and being resolutely optimistic, assuming that yes, the house will sell. It will of course take longer than it would have a year ago, and will undoubtedly fetch a good bit less, but life goes on and I just have to assume that that’s true for other people too. What’s life for, if not for taking chances, after all. But yes, fingers are very much crossed. : )

Photos by Simon

All change…

I’m moving!

After nearly thirty years of being a blow-in Dub, I’m becoming a blow-in culchie instead.

I’ve always wanted to design and build an eco-friendly house, I’ve long wanted to be involved in community horticulture and outreach, I love the idea of a community where skill swapping is a realistic possibility—and much, much more.

So where can I do all this?

Cloughjordan Eco Village, a new project in North Tipperary which is quite simply FAB.

It’s on a beautiful site to start with

I’ve been thinking about it for a while since a friend and client told me about it, and yesterday I put the first deposit on a site. Yes, really!

The next step is to get the house in Dublin up for sale (yes I know, but the estate agent was optimistic, and it is a great house) and start organising it all.

I’m so excited!

More info on the project, and the hows and whys of it all, coming soon – and for better or worse I’ll be writing here about the trials and tribulations of getting it up and running. Woohoo!

So watch this space. :)

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