Architect/Engineer Services Re New Build

mr_edge_to_you

Hi,

maybe this belongs in the Arch Tech forum but I'll try it here first.

We are in the process of arranging our mortgage for our new build. The lender requires an Architect/Engineers 6 Point Letter and Architect/Engineers professional indemnity cover. A relation designed our house as a nixer however to engage the required services we have to go through the firm he/she works with. The costs just seem outrageous! Both myself and my fiancee were in shock at the costs. They will also be required to sign off on the various stage completions in order for us to draw down the next stage payment.

I'm just wondering if there are any architect/engineers in the meath area (or anywhere really!) who would be interested in this work! If so please contact me via PM. No one works for free but I'm not prepared to be fleeced!

I'd also appreciate any advice the rest of you may have in relation to this? How did you deal with this particular aspect of your project?

Thanks in advance!
Edge.

TommyT

Sadly I cant recommend anyone in your area, but you should think long and hard about any architect/engineer that you employ. Get reccommendations from friends, family etc and if you see a house that you like dont be afraid to ask the owners questions, most home owners will be more than happy to oblige. Use your local councils on line planning system to look at plans and get names of architechts/engineers as well.
We made the mistake of using an engineer that the estate agent recommended. It has cost us about €7k and 6 months wasted. We have now found an architect that we are happy with and have learned from our mistake. Hopefully we will get planning this time round.

parka

So Planning has been obtained and you want some one to oversee the works and sign off on the payment certs?

The Banks Home

Engineer, €1,500. . .

Thank you and look forward to your reply

Mr & Mrs Self-Build

Learned a lot, a lot to learn!!

• 5000 sq ft dormer house
• Velux's
• 3000 sq ft down stairs including 420 sq ft attached Garage.
• Oil heating/Rads
• Insulation and windows first priority

mr_edge_to_you

Thanks guys!

Got quoted a few prices from 1500 to 2000. The one for 1500 was recommended from an engineer friend, also impressed me the most. Happy days!

sinnerboy

At €100/ hour this provides for 15 hours of service . i.e. enough time to look after the sign offs for legal/bank - but little else

From reading your other posts it appears that you have

a 2100 ft2 house
7 qoutes ( I assume from your planning permission drawings ) - lowest at €127/ft2 for builders finish eg no kitchen/fitted furniture . What about floor finishes and decorations . And external works ? . How are the electrics priced

So builders finish cost €266,700.00 . Typical Architects fee is 10% - from concept to finished building broken into 3 roughly equal parts

1/3 - to planning
1/3 - to selection of builder ( after much additional detailed construction specification and drawings are produced and issued for pricing )
1/3 - from start of works completion of works

€7k fee was not so hairy actually for this 3rd part . It looks like ( unless I am mistaken ) the 2nd part was skipped .

Ask the following questions now

Who will examine the 7 tenders you received and recommend a selection that is based on a detailed examination of them and not simply looking at the lowest bottom lines ?
What contract will you use ?
Who will administer it . Who will mediate if you and the builder have a mis understanding - who will advise if unforeseen circumstances arise during the build
Who will provide you with detailed M+E layouts ( do you have enough power points - are they where you want them to be ? )
When stage payments are authorized who will check works progress vs programe of works
Who will "keep you in check" to make decisions , based on your budget in time throughout the works not to delay the works
Who will you enter in your commencemnt notice as the person who designed the works in accordance with building regulations
Who will carry out DEAP calculations to demonstrate for you that the building complies with Part L 2008 - Conservation of Energy . And from that exercise advise of the various specification options to you . (They may vary from the specifications offered in the €127/ft2 tender )
Who will provide structural calculations
Who will issue an Architects Opinion on compliance with Building Regulations
Who will issue an Architects Opinion on compliance with Planning Permission

I suspect you may be posting many many queries to this forum during the works .....

My guess is that you are comparing a €7k full service offered by your nixer friends practice against a much reduced service


.

sydthebeat

The Banks Home wrote: »

Engineer, €1,500. . .

Thank you and look forward to your reply

Mr & Mrs Self-Build

Learned a lot, a lot to learn!!

• 5000 sq ft dormer house
• Velux's
• 3000 sq ft down stairs including 420 sq ft attached Garage.
• Oil heating/Rads
• Insulation and windows first priority

you will need to install renewable energy technologies that can output 4650 kwhr in heating or 1860 kwhr in electricity, in order to comply with building regs....

before you get prices etc, you need to get a provisional BER prepared from the plans and specification to ensure your build complys with TGD L 2008....

Carlow52

there is a raft of useful info here already, what follows is offered as complimentary:

The material specification and detailed installation instructions pertaining thereto are very important, particularly if u specify product A and it turns out not to be available in a reasonable time frame, or the builder 'prefers' to use product B.
The other issue here is that in using product B, the builder may not in fact be installing or even using it as per the manufacturer's spec.

Monthly site visits may not pick up on these sort of issues.

The more complex the design and choice of materials, the more important these issues become: achieving airtightness with binder twine and fertilizer bags is one thing: achieving it with modern, expensive, high performance materials is another.

Rather than focus on the cost of the service in isolation u should be very clear on what is needed and then get quotes for that service.

People nearly never baulk at the cost of golf lessons.....:)
HTH

sinnerboy

UK market research shows that kitchens and bathrooms are ripped out and replaced on average every 15 years

The shiny beautiful things you see in the showroom and will with a rush of blood to head pay dearly for - will most likely be skipped well within your time in the building . When you are "tired" of them . Usually for no other reason .

What will you spend on your kitchen / bathrooms / floor finishes / flat screen TV / ..... fees + build quality?

MrLNB

sydthebeat wrote: »

you will need to install renewable energy technologies that can output 4650 kwhr in heating or 1860 kwhr in electricity, in order to comply with building regs....

before you get prices etc, you need to get a provisional BER prepared from the plans and specification to ensure your build complys with TGD L 2008....

Can i ask, who regulates this?

I just received planning a few months ago, and no-where has anyone mentioned it to me, nor is it in any of the conditions of granting planning.

To be honest, I have read it and on the Co Co website, but I have also read a lot of junk to.

I understand that If i go to sell or maybe rent i might come across a problem.
I am pritty much the type of person who goes by the book, but I will put my first euro on whats important. (either way, UFH I have gave up on, and the Geo/air to heat etc. . . is all none tried and tested in my eyes, no-one knows how good these will have been until 15-20 yrs from now) plus the outlay is heavy.

but its always amused me that I have read where people say this is a must. but I ask who regulates this to make sure i have done as you stated.

Mr Lnb,

topcatcbr

SEI Set this up in Ireland following an EU directive and Irish SI666. Building Control have been tasked with enforcement. It is in your own interest to comply with this.

Much of the spin on this has been negative. But i feel a lot of the knockers are missing the point. This subject has been discussed to death here before and an extensive thread has been devoted to this so I'm not going to expand to much. I think it is better to know as much as possible before you build than after as changing things at this stage can be far more costly.

It can be compared to buying a Low e bulb. It may cost more initially but will more than pay for itself over the lifetime of the bulb.

Read SI 666 & Make up your own mind.

icbarros

Mr LNB,
It's the Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government that regulates this.

Part "L" of Building Regulations recommends the minimum level of renewable technologies for new dwellings:
• 10 kWh/m2/annum contributing to energy use for domestic hot water heating, space heating or cooling, or
• 4 kWh/m2/annum of electrical energy, or
• a combination of these which would have equivalent effect.

And yes, you must comply with Building Regulations when building your house, even if the Council didn't mention that during the Planning process.

Happy building!

muffler

Just to add that Planning Regulations and Building Regulations are 2 completely different animals so dont expect a grant of planning permission to contain any reference to the Building Regs.

icbarros

muffler is absolutely right.

parka

sinnerboy wrote: »

Ask the following questions now

Who will examine the 7 tenders you received and recommend a selection that is based on a detailed examination of them and not simply looking at the lowest bottom lines ?
What contract will you use ?
Who will administer it . Who will mediate if you and the builder have a mis understanding - who will advise if unforeseen circumstances arise during the build
Who will provide you with detailed M+E layouts ( do you have enough power points - are they where you want them to be ? )
When stage payments are authorized who will check works progress vs programe of works
Who will "keep you in check" to make decisions , based on your budget in time throughout the works not to delay the works
Who will you enter in your commencemnt notice as the person who designed the works in accordance with building regulations
Who will carry out DEAP calculations to demonstrate for you that the building complies with Part L 2008 - Conservation of Energy . And from that exercise advise of the various specification options to you . (They may vary from the specifications offered in the €127/ft2 tender )
Who will provide structural calculations
Who will issue an Architects Opinion on compliance with Building Regulations
Who will issue an Architects Opinion on compliance with Planning Permission

I suspect you may be posting many many queries to this forum during the works .....

My guess is that you are comparing a €7k full service offered by your nixer friends practice against a much reduced service


.

Very concise list.

MrLNB

icbarros wrote: »

Mr LNB,
It's the Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government that regulates this.

Part "L" of Building Regulations recommends the minimum level of renewable technologies for new dwellings:
• 10 kWh/m2/annum contributing to energy use for domestic hot water heating, space heating or cooling, or
• 4 kWh/m2/annum of electrical energy, or
• a combination of these which would have equivalent effect.

And yes, you must comply with Building Regulations when building your house, even if the Council didn't mention that during the Planning process.

Happy building!

Thanks for this. But like a lot of things I went through so far to get planning, there is no doubt that the general public think that this is all a load of bull.
each to their own, but i will do what it takes to have an efficient home, with tried and tested methods at a price that I am comfortable with. I have no intentions of building a house by the book, as in some cases the standards are so poor and in others like the above are too far.

Id really like to think that a Dept could actually regulate something. . .Imagine :rolleyes: