Designing your electrical plan isn’t just about picking lights - it’s about how your home actually works every day. In this episode (our fiftieth!), we break down the lighting, sockets, switches and electrical decisions that happen during the first fix and second fix stages of your renovation. This is the second of a two-part episode on creating your M&E plan - we covered the mechanical plan in our previous episode.

💡 What we cover in this episode:

• Lighting basics: lumens, kelvins and how to create a plan
• Creating layered lighting - general, task and soft mood lighting
• Choosing adjustable spotlights, LED strips, and avoiding mixed light tones
• Where to place sockets, switches and other controls
• Planning for charging points, vacuum routes and future flexibility
• Data points, Wi-Fi planning and avoiding dead zones (especially in older Irish homes)
• First fix vs second fix - when you need to make your key electrical decisions

👉 If you’re planning a renovation, this episode will help you avoid harsh lighting, missing sockets and costly changes later.

Follow the podcast on Instagram @ripitup_podcast_official, or follow us - Jenny is @workerscottage and Kate is @victorianrathmines

Early in your renovation, you need to lock down your M&E plan - mechanical and electrical. In this we deep dive into the dirty business of mechanical plans - waste pipes, connection points, pumps, heating, toilets, showers, drainage, and more. The decisions you make here will have a big impact later in your renovation, and there are some important things you should know.

We will be covering electrical plans (including Jenny's favourite topic - lighting!) next week.

Key Topics in This Episode:

• Why plumbing, drainage and heating plans must be decided early in a renovation.
• Toilets, waste pipes and the impact of pipe routes on layout and design.
• Boxing off waste pipes.
• Hidden vs visible toilet cisterns.
• Macerators (e.g. Saniflo).
• Common bathroom planning mistakes.
• Boilers, water tanks, combi-boilers, and other hot water systems.
• How gravity affects water flow.
• Radiators, zoning and smart heating decisions to be aware of.
• Pumps, drainage challenges and avoiding costly issues later.
• BTU calculator for checking radiator requirements.
• Pipe to pipe distance between radiators.
• Temperature knobs on radiators.
• Sump pump if your drain pipes are low compared to the water table.

Follow the podcast on Instagram @ripitup_podcast_official, or follow us - Jenny is @workerscottage and Kate is @victorianrathmines

Planning permission in Ireland is a minefield, and we have had a different experience with each renovation we have done. It's not a straightforward process with guaranteed outcomes, but in this episode we give your our best tips plus lessons learned from our own encounters (positive and less positive!) with local planning authorities.

Who this episode is for:

• Homeowners planning a renovation or extension
• Anyone unsure if they need planning permission
• Renovators who want fewer delays and surprises

As a rule of thumb, assume planning permission is required unless you know your project is exempt. Permission is usually needed in Ireland if your renovation:

• Is new or over 40m²
• Changes the use of a building
• Materially alters the exterior
• Is in a protected or sensitive area

We unpack what “material change” actually means - and where homeowners most often go wrong.

How the planning process works

We walk through the full planning journey, including:

• Pre-planning (when it’s worth doing)
• Preparing and submitting an application
• Public consultation and submissions
• Planner assessment and Further Information requests
• Decisions, appeals, and what happens after permission is granted

How long does it really take?

Typical timelines discussed:

• Straightforward application: ~3–4 months
• With Further Information: ~5–8 months
• With appeal: ~9–15+ months

Follow the podcast on Instagram @ripitup_podcast_official, or follow us - Jenny is @workerscottage and Kate is @victorianrathmines

Welcome back to a brand new season of Rip It Up! Every renovation teaches you something, but it's only after you've lived through the dust, the delays, and the decisions - and then done it all again! - that the real lessons appear. This season, we're revisiting our biggest renovation topics, with the benefit of more hard-earned hindsight. Process, planning, lighting, kitchens, bathroom, windows, what worked, what didn't, and what we'd never do the same way again. This is what we wish we knew then.

This first episode of our new series, we're going back to the start and discussing the renovation process. What are the phases? What's the sequence of events? What's happening and what the hell is coming next?!

Follow the podcast on Instagram @ripitup_podcast_official, or follow us - Jenny is @workerscottage and Kate is @victorianrathmines

Today we're joined by Dr Laura Lenihan (@drlauragp), the skincare guru who somehow bought AND renovated her home in Galway, grew a skincare business, and built a clinic on-site, all while raising three small children with her husband - basically superhuman right?! She joins us to tell us about her home renovation, working from home, and to share some brilliant skincare tips too.

Check out Dr Laura’s range of top skincare at https://phare.store/

Skincare items mentioned:

• AlphaRet Overnight Cream.
• Metacell Renewal B3 by Skinceuticals.
• Alto Defence Serum by Skinbetter Science.
• Nail brand newly available at Phare - Manucurist.
• Dr Laura’s “Core Four” - an antioxidant and an SPF in the morning; a retinoid and an exfoliating acid at night.

Follow the podcast on Instagram @ripitup_podcast_official, or follow us - Jenny is @workerscottage and Kate is @victorianrathmines

Sorted for Christmas - you're welcome! 

• Thomas Lynham Ceramics
• Orla Walsh Artist
• Ciara O’Neill Art
• Martina’s Palette
• Tina Reid Art
• Luke Reidy Art
• Button Studio
• Intelligent Tea
• Jimmy Lawlor
• Wrapped in Kindness
• Aoife McLaughlin
• Ardmore Pottery
• Jerpoint Glass
• Motly Designs
• George Casey Catering (also does cooking classes)
• Kids Books - Tales for Tadpoles
• Seven Oak
• Steele
• Snugi Knitwear
• Little Rolla Kids Suitcase
• Adare Grocer - Hampers
• Gosson & Gartla kids clothes
• Cowshed Design
• Andrew Caslin Photography
• Beneath the Ash
• Hardpressed Xmas Cards
• Gaiety School of Acting Vouchers
• Lir 
• Pale Yellow Palette - decorations
• Slated
• Primrose and Fern Earrings
• Sayers Studio Art
• Catriona Curtin Art
• Irish Hide Designs
• Foxford
• Amurelle
• Somas
• Cloonkeen
• La Bougie
• Treaty City Brewery
• Mortons Supermarket
• Rosalins
• April and the Bear
• Industry & Co
• The Designist
• Jaqi
• Fallon & Byrne (great hampers)
• Sheridans Galway (also do a cheese club)
• Bow Baby
• Cogs
• Barn

Follow the podcast on Instagram @ripitup_podcast_official, or follow us - Jenny is @workerscottage and Kate is @victorianrathmines

This is the second of two episodes that we recorded with the SEAI's Housewarming podcast. In this episode, we talk to Steven Farrell from the SEAI about the new Traditional Homes Pilot Scheme. This is for you if you are doing up a period home and have maybe found it difficult to navigate the currently available grants because your home is listed or has conservation restrictions. Visit SEAI.ie to find out more about this pilot scheme.

Follow the podcast on Instagram @ripitup_podcast_official, or follow us - Jenny is @workerscottage and Kate is @victorianrathmines

In between full episodes we will be fielding listener questions about their renovations. So if you have a burning question send us a voice-note on Instagram at @ripitup_podcast_official or via email to [email protected].

Items mentioned:

• Poly-velvet
• Velour
• Boucle
• Microfibre
• Aniline leather
• Dr Beckmanns
•  Textured herringbone 

Follow the podcast on Instagram @ripitup_podcast_official, or follow us - Jenny is @workerscottage and Kate is @victorianrathmines

This week we’re diving into dining - from compact kitchen nooks to dramatic dining rooms, we'll go through design, layouts, materials, and lighting to help you create a dining room that is both beautiful and practical for everyday living.

Editor's note: We were short on time today and are talking super fast to fit everything in - we understand if you need to play this episode at half speed, sorry! ;)

Items mentioned:

• We both have a tulip-style dining table (Eero Saarinen style) 
• Ghost chairs - Philippe Starck style
• Carver chairs with arms that can double up as bedroom chairs
• Bench seating with hinged lid (preferred over drawers)
• Slope the back of the seat 5-7 degrees
• Poly-velvet fabric is ideal for easy-to-clean upholstery
• Bar stools should be 65-70cm maximum (assuming standard countertop height of 90 - 95cm)
• Solid wood tables - seal well with oil - we love Ethnicraft wood tables
• The Interior Design Handbook by Frida Ramstedt has great dining measurements
• Dr. Beckmann’s (fabric cleaner)

Jenny's dining dimensions:

• 90cm diameter round table
• 175 x 185cm bench seating

Follow the podcast on Instagram @ripitup_podcast_official, or follow us - Jenny is @workerscottage and Kate is @victorianrathmines

In between full episodes we will be fielding listener questions about their renovations. So if you have a burning question send us a voice-note on Instagram at @ripitup_podcast_official or via email to [email protected].

Items mentioned:

• Ikea curtain fabrics
  • Hilja - Kate’s original
  • Stockholm - new and improved
• Wundaweb - iron-on hemming tape
• Net curtain wire + hooks
• Tension rods for cafe curtains
• Glass film suppliers:
  • Coatek
  • Glassfilm.eu
• Link to Kate’s cafe curtain tutorial

Follow the podcast on Instagram @ripitup_podcast_official, or follow us - Jenny is @workerscottage and Kate is @victorianrathmines