Your property questions answered.

Why is Affordable Housing Scheme coming to an end?

Q I have heard a rumour that Dublin City Council is ending its Affordable Housing scheme? Is there any truth in that?

AWell a month is long time in property. When we got your email at the beginning of this month we put it to Dublin City Council who told us that there were no plans to end the scheme. Yet things have changed more than a little in that short time and the Council has, this week, announced that it is suspending the Affordable Housing scheme.

The reason given is that the scheme has proved so popular with hard-pressed first-time buyers that the back log of applicants is now huge.

About 500 units (a mix of houses and apartments) are made available each year and many applicants have waited on the list for more than three years before they are made an offer.

The current plan is to suspend this housing list for eight months, so no new applications will be taken during that time.

The Council will spend some of that time going through the list, inputting it into a computer (astonishingly, it's currently a paper system) and contacting applicants to see if they are still interested. There is still some time to apply before the eight-month shut down - but you will need to get the application must be in before the April 21st deadline.

However, as there is considerable paperwork to get through you might find it challenging to get it all together in that time.

In the meantime, start saving hard for a good deposit - as a first time buyer, that is going to be increasingly important as the credit crunch bites. The scheme is reopening in December 31st.

Other local authorities are still accepting applicants for their schemes, would you consider going on a waiting list outside the Dublin City catchment area?

Can I put a garden on my extension?

QIn my home in Holland I had a small roof garden. Now I live in an artisan dwelling in Dublin and all the back yards in my street have been built over to provide a larger kitchen and bathroom. Could I put a roof garden on my flat roofed extension (2m x 4m) or is it something that is just not done here?

I haven't seen any.

AWell there are roof gardens - though they're not too common - but it's not, as you know, as simple as putting a couple of potted plants and deck chair on the kitchen roof. For a start you need planning permission for a roof garden - and if you live in such close proximity to your neighbours, there is a chance they might complain that they would feel too overlooked.

Then you need to consider the load-bearing capability of your kitchen roof - it is unlikely that it was constructed to carry the weight of people and plants and will need to be reinforced. You'll need to get a survey done of the structure.

Access is another question. How do you propose to get out there? If it's from the back of the house, you will need to replace a rear upstairs window with a door. All that being said, roof gardens make great sense in houses such as yours where there is little outdoor space and, if you are prepared to do it properly, it is likely to be a great addition to your home, both in terms of your lifestyle and the resale value.

Your questions Send your queries to Property questions, The Irish Times, The Irish Times Building, 24-28 Tara Street, Dublin 2 or mail propertyquestions@irish-times.ie. Unfortunately it is not possible to respond to all questions. The above is a representative sample of queries received. This column is a readers' service and is not intended to replace professional advice. No individual correspondence will be entered into.