Eoghain Ryan, co-founder of Housebuild.ie. Image: Andrew Downes
The siblings behind online education hub iRevise have worked with CoderDojo’s James Whelton and Altocloud’s Joe Smyth to create a new tech hub for home builds.
The sibling team behind online education platform iRevise has launched a new tech venture with help from some big names in Irish tech.
Eoghain and Ailish Ryan have teamed up with engineer Kevin McDonagh to create Housebuild.ie, a new digital hub for home builds and improvements. The platform, which went live in February, gives homeowners access to construction professionals, products and services.
It has been developed over four and a half years at a cost of about €950,000, including financial investment of €450,000.
The tech stack was built with James Whelton, the founder of CoderDojo, and Joe Smyth, co-founder of the Galway-based SaaS company Altocloud that was acquired by Genesys.
Whelton and Smyth are also members of Housebuild.ie’s board of directors. The start-up is headquartered in Salthill, Co Galway, and currently employs 15 people.
Users can log on to the site to search for tradespeople in their area. They can also buy from the platform’s product partners, which include EZ Living Furniture and Tile Merchant. A construction hub allows users to access information on planning regulations and energy efficiency, and the platform’s design hub has interior design tips and resources.
Housebuild.ie said that more than 2,000 professionals nationwide have signed up to the site, including bricklayers, plumbers, carpenters, surveyors, engineers and architects.
Co-founder Eoghain Ryan said the platform was “badly needed”.
“There is no comparable site in Ireland or the UK like Housebuild.ie, offering everything you can possibly think of in one single online ecosystem. We have everything you need for home builds, improvements and decor. From tradespeople you can rate and review, to furniture, fixtures, fittings and simple how-to guides designed to take the fear out of any project — it’s all there,” he commented.
The Ryans also run Ryan and Associates, an engineering consultancy specialising in fire safety. The siblings launched a free mobile app for building regulations aimed at construction professionals in 2015. This app will now be merged with Housebuild.ie.
For now, professionals can sign up to Housebuild.ie for free. But McDonagh, who is managing director of the business, said the team is planning to introduce a subscription charge when it grows. It is also eyeing expansion into the UK and US markets.
“The plan is to expand into the UK later this year with the launch of Housebuild.co.uk. From there, we hope to have the Housebuild platform live in the US by 2024,” said Ryan.
