Small house extension and work - where to start

Spaco

Hi folks

Been reading lots of the threads and stickys and have to say, some really great ideas. But I'm looking for where to start on a plan?
Have a small 2 up, 2 down terraced house, have some ideas and no idea who / what to look for? Should i be starting with an architect to sit down and draw up plans or get a builder in to talk about costs????

Any help would be welcome in relation to these things or costs.

Thanks
P

sinnerboy

If you have a spare morning or afternoon head down to Dublin City Council and go to the planning desk

Explain to the nice ( they are actually ) counter staff that you would like to inspect a few recent applications in your neighbourhood for ideas .

Also try to see if a name (or names) of architect recurs .

Poor Uncle Tom

I suggest you work out exactly what extra space you need, then you need to sit down with an Architect/AT and work out the best solution for providing this extra space, either by rearranging what you have or extending new, or even a mixture of both. Obviously cost will be a factor, if you have a budget from the start your Architect/AT should know which route to advise you on and which to stay away from.

janmc

sinnerboy wrote: »

If you have a spare morning or afternoon head down to Dublin City Council and go to the planning desk

Or check online here. If it is a terraced house, it is always worth checking out what others did with their footprint.

Have a chat with an architect anyway, any I know will do a free consultation these days, and sometimes re-organising the space you already have can be as beneficial as the actual extension. Good luck!

Edited to say - I just realised you didn't specify where you are, but most county councils let you search online and view previous applications. If your area doesn't, it's still worth dropping down to their offices and taking a look.

r-i-tect

sinnerboy wrote: »

Also try to see if a name (or names) of architect recurs .

A few years ago a CAD techie in the office did 12 house extensions on his street. This involved cut, paste and mirror commands. Clever guy.
Well nearly, he hit a hurdle when two of the houses had a slight angle on them and he didn't bother to survey them. Doh.

A good clients brief should always be the starting point

Spaco

Thanks for all the advice. Gives me plenty of food for thought....
I'm in Harolds Cross and there have been a few houses in the area getting building work done. Must check up the planning office, never even thought of that.
P

janmc

If you're in the group of houses off Mt Drummond, one thing to be aware of is that the house layouts change a good bit from street to street. For example, Fitzgerald Street house layouts are completely different to Ashworth/Drummond Place - the houses are about a metre narrower but also a metre longer, which can make a huge difference on such a small plan. It's worth making sure that what you're looking at for inspiration is achievable in your own house.

There are loads of architects living there! I know of 4, and I'm sure there are plenty more. :pac: If you know any of your neighbours who have had extensions built, ask if you can take a look, what builders they used etc etc.

Mellor

sinnerboy wrote: »

Also try to see if a name (or names) of architect recurs .

May not be a good thing, there is a particular "architect" (he actual uses a fictional orginisation on this drawings and documents) that appears a lot in my area. Mostly houses and extensions. A layperson might mistake the fact that people go to him a lot as some sort of positive review. In this case it certainly isn't, and likely purely down to the fact that he us cheap because the drawings are done very quickly.

janmc wrote: »

Edited to say - I just realised you didn't specify where you are, but most county councils let you search online and view previous applications.

He did, you just had to look carefully.

Location: Harolds X

Spaco

Thanks for the heads up janmc. Was actually looking at a house on one of those streets. Had a really nice layout to the kitchen and even created a dining area (a luxury in a small space). But didn't realise there was that much difference in the house layouts.....