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| Architects Services in Ireland |
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Making a decision to build your own house is not something you do every day. No doubt you will have read various books and magazines to give you an insight into dealing with an architect.
A major factor in deciding to employ a professional to oversee the build is the associated costs, which vary depending on area and project complexity?
In costing the build you also have to allow additional funds for ancillaries such as carpets, furniture and exterior landscaping. Add in solicitors fees and you will quickly find that next years holiday money has disappeared.
So why take an additional expense of employing an architect and does he provide value for money?
The Architects Services
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Firstly an explanation of the services normally available via an architect to build a residential home are as follows:
1…Produce a design study only.
2…Produce a design study and draw up the plans for submission to local
authority.
3…Produce a design study, draw up and submit plans, and tender plans
to the builders.
4…Design study, draw and submit plans, tender to builders and oversee
the build.
The design study is really a sounding bed for determining if both you and the architect have a like minded approach to the new house, and whether he can incorporate some of your principal ideas into a working drawing.
The plan is a detailed document with technical specifications relating to the design of the house, from foundation to roof. It usually evolves from a successful design study, and is rarely produced without some form of prior study. The tendering of the plan to various builders then allows each firm to submit a quote to build the house. Once the build begins, the architect can also act as build co0ordinator so that the house is built under his supervision.
Once again your overriding concern will be the costs of the service and an assurance that you are getting value for money. It is true that employing a professional is expensive and you need to decide from the outset just how much involvement you wish him to have. While an architect is always happier to see you employ him on a full-time basis, the initial contact will lay the ground rules and allow you to determine how much to avail of the services on offer, subject to your budget constraints.
The Design Study
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Following your initial meeting, the first job for the architect is to visit the site with you and sound out your initial ideas. On site he can quickly assess your intentions and match that to the site conditions. In many cases if the site is simply a rectangular plot with no distinguishing features, then he may simply take note of surrounding houses so that he can suggest plans in line with the local developments. Perhaps it is virgin ground, with no houses in the immediate vicinity, which allows for more scope.
Back in the office he will look at the type and style of house you propose and begin the design study. You will need to provide him with some basic details, house or bungalow, exterior style, no of bedrooms, suggested orientation of the house in relation to the road and son on. These give the architect enough guidelines to begin the plan design for you. Hopefully he will be interested enough in your project to ask all the pertinent questions.
You should always ask him to provide you with a timescale for the study, so that you can plan ahead if need be. While this may not suit his working methods, it does mean that you do not have to continually chase for the results. Of course the delivery date can be missed for a variety of reasons, but having a timescale in place does concentrate the mind and provides a visible indication of how well the architect is handling your case.
Drawing the Plans
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Drawing the plans is the only stage that actually requires a competent architect or designer. The local authority will require a detailed specification of how the house is constructed and technical plans are the best way to convey this information to them.
These plans will not differ much from the original design study drawings already agreed, but they do elaborate on the initial sketches and present an exact level of detail, of interest to both planning authority and builder alike. The formal plan will convey the foundation structure, external wall composition, insulation specifications and roof type, to name a few.
The local authority will want to ensure that the external house appearance is acceptable in a visual sense, so the plans will make reference to items such as roof type and colour, brick type and colour, rendered finish colour, roof pitch and so on.
Where details are unknown or still to be decided, the architect can sometimes indicate this on the plan with a succinct ‘detail to be agreed with the planning authority’. This allows the plans to continue to take shape in cases where some of the smaller details have not being finalised. A copy of the plans will be given to you, and a further copy of the plans is sent off with the planning application and appropriate.
Tendering to Builders
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The architect will have built up regular contact with various builders during the course of his work. Once the planning approval is given the process of tendering the work begins. The architect will take a standard contract adapt it to suit your particular dwelling. The contract contains all necessary building regulations that will ensure the quality of the work. Irish standards are based throughout and British standards are automatically where no Irish standards exist.
The tender will talk in detail about blockwork, brickwork, joinery, glazing, roof structure, internal walls, plastering and coving, lintel and doors etc. Each section of the tender lays down quantities and methods of application where appropriate, so that the builder is presented with all the facts in black and white. The tender, together with the plan, forms the blueprint for the construction of the new house.
You will receive a copy of the tender to confirm that any special requirements are recorded therein. It is important that all sections of the tender are read and understood. Don’t be afraid to ask questions if a particular section appears to contradict your wishes. Even if the builder has being informed to the contrary, it is good practice to alter the tender now in order to prevent mistakes occurring later.
Overseeing the Build
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The final and most important piece of the puzzle requires the architect to project manage the build. In effect, he is acting as general foreman, with responsibility for ensuring that the house is built in accordance with both the tender and in line with building regulations.
In his professional capacity he will liase with the builder to solve any problems that occur on site, and also deal with discrepancies between the printed plan and the actual construction of the house.
Site visits by the architect will be one of the major forms of project control, so you should agree in advance how often they will occur.With difficult or awkward plots, there may be more site assessment and control required at the beginning. Over time this will even out to perhaps 1 or 2 visits per week, as the build moves from first to second stage. The foundation stage is critical and is the basis upon which the entire structure is supported, so doubtless the architect will be keen to keep a close eye on proceedings early on, until the final concrete screed is poured and the blockwork can commence.
Having a professional handle the site checks for you does not prelude you from undertaking your own additional checks as you see fit.If you step on site and find that a window appears in the wrong place, or perhaps the driveway has being plotted along a different route than at first agreed, then now is the time to draw attention to it.
Although the architect is responsible for ensuring that the build conforms to the plan as much as possible, deviations can and will occur. A quick consultation between the client, architect and builder is advisable early on to deal with minor alterations to the plan. Any significant changes to the plan would require planning approval, but in truth your main concern here would be whether or not the builder would agree to come back at a later date to finish the job, if new approval was sought.
Once the house is complete and all services connected, the builder will request the final payment. However, it would be standard practice for the architect to retain a percentage of this, which is only released once a snagging list has being completed to the clients satisfaction, usually within 6 months from the completion date. This gives the builder an added incentive to complete the additional work before he receives the remaining payment.
Conclusion
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Using an architect is an option that may not be available to all and it is fair to say that architects in general operate at the higher end of the market. While many people require their help for particular parts of the process (eg the drawing of the plans) a full managed service as covered in the previous transcript involves considerable expense, not always available to those on a strict budget. For those in the market for a new house who are prepared to allocate the necessary fees, let us consider what they get for their money.
Firstly an architect can design a one-off house for you, within your suggested budget, and spend time mixing and matching ideas with you to enable you to get the house you want, within reason. You are benefiting from both his professional qualifications and real world experience in designing a house that is architecturally correct and also encompasses any special design features you desire.
Secondly, all registered architects must carry professional indemnity insurance. This would cover claims made against the firm in cases where there are structural or other problems identified with the house after completion. This insurance provides a similar level of protection to that provided by builders registered with Home Bond.
Indeed, most lenders today are less willing to offer loan advances oif the builder is not affiliated to Home Bond, but this condition is usually waived if a registered architect oversees the project.
The architect accrues a great deal of knowledge about local working methods and practices, and is ideally placed to tender the right project to the right builder. This takes away from the ‘hassle’ factor about whom to entrust the job to, and how good they are at fulfilling your wishes.
Of equal importance is the fact that the tender document prepared by the architect will stipulate a fixed price contract, which covers you against increases in either labour or materials during the course of the build. The builder will be less likely to ask for additional money as he also wishes to safeguard his reputation with the architect to ensure future business comes his way.
This scenario is unlikely where a private contract is drawn up between you and a builder; it is fair to say that in most cases here the builder will find some excuse to request additional money during the project.
Finally, the ability of the architect to project manage the build from start to finish is of enormous benefit to many, who simply do not have the time or inclination to get their fingers dirty. Leaving the architect to chase builders and keep the project on schedule allows you to concentrate on smaller issues, such as fitting out the house and choosing what bathroom suite you would like installed.
With the ability to keep in touch via phone, fax and e-mail you can, via the architect, control the build from anywhere in the world. That’s the modern age of technology today.
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The above article is courtesy of House and Home, Ireland's favourite interiors magazine which also publishes 'Build Your Own House and Home', the annual 300 page reference to building a home in Ireland
http://www.houseandhome.ie
Subscribe now to House and Home;
http://www.houseandhome.ie/subscription.asp
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