Our Process

1. Initial consultation with Irebuild

After you first contact us, we will arrange to meet with you to assess your land and/or property. During this meeting we will talk about your vision and expectations, as well budgets and timelines. 

We will also assess how much of your estate can be reused, recycled, and reclaimed. 

We charge for this. However, we sometimes waver this fee for charitable organisations and projects.

2. Project design

During this stage we will work with you to develop a comprehensive plan. This will be based on our “circular building” process that involves three elements: building, environment and people. We give our clients the freedom to pick and choose which of these they wish to incorporate:

Building

  • Supporting you with any planning applications and negotiations with your local council
  • Reviewing any architectural and structural plans. In particular, our expertise will enable you to foresee and resolve engineering and costing problems
  • Reviewing your budget and timeline
  • Identifying what existing materials can be reclaimed, recycled and reused
  • Sourcing sustainable, low-impact materials and building techniques
  • Commissioning a geotechnical report so that we can see what materials can be sourced from your land (for example, cob building)

Environment

  • Planning how you can help to offset the carbon footprint of your project. Find out more.
  • Finding ways that we can make your property energy-efficient and self-sufficient (for example, intelligent insulation; solar energy; greener energy solutions, etc). Though we often advise putting on a jumper as your first port of call when things get chilly

People

  • Planning community outreach, apprenticeships and charitable giving. Find out more.

3. Collaborative construction

Once your project plans have been finalised, Irebuild can start construction.

Our team manages all aspects of the building process. Whilst we have a core team, we also work with trusted subcontractors and suppliers. 

We will work closely with you throughout the project. You will be given access to budget spreadsheets and detailed timelines so that you know what is happening at each stage.

Our clients are also invited to learn more about the building process and achieve national qualifications in construction alongside our apprentices.

Any changes or add-ons that you are considering will also be thoroughly evaluated and discussed – especially as these can result in additional costs in time, labour and materials. Our top priority is to make sure that you stay on budget and on time. We also want to ensure that you do not exceed the ceiling price of your property.

4. Embodied energy

We calculate the total amount of carbon that is produced by the construction phase of your project (ie. the embodied energy). This includes diesel emissions and materials.

Once your project has been finished and the calculations have been finalised, you will be given a full project report.

5. Aftercare

Once the project has been signed off, we will give you a comprehensive Operations and Maintenance (OM) manual. This will contain all of your project documents, warranties, operation manuals, and site plans.