Rip It Up: The Renovations Podcast

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