Cork architect and new build

anpaw

Hello,

We are at the early stages of applying for planning on a site in rural Cork. Currently live in Cork city (€1500 rent pm) and have contacted 8 city based architects. We are not in a position of self build or to manage the build closely, as (1) It's an hour commute to site (2) Have 2 children! (3) Not in a position to take time off work, and I cannot take a (relaxed!) phone call on weekdays.

Budget is €360k, which is a mortgage of around €1400/month for next 20 years.

House details are not finalised but we're looking at;

- Part bungalow, part two story
- Garage/Car port
- 180sq. m approx
- UF heating
- Heat pump or air to water, solar panels, stove, etc
- Two bathrooms with showers, no en suite
- Good quality finish e.g. some timber cladding, well insulated, attractive shaped windows, parquet flooring, etc

Of the 8 architects I contacted, 5 gave me a quote based on a more detailed brief. €14k ex vat was cheapest (Stage 1-4). The other quotes were in the €20-28k ex vat bracket.

As a green newbie with a desire to build a quality family home for the rest of our lives at a manageable mortgage, I am asking;

(i) Are our figures realistic?

(ii) How much would an engineer cost to apply for planning/detailed drawings/certify?

(ii) Are we mad paying those architect fees?! They seem very high. yes we want a well designed house, but it is a lot of money to gather. Would getting arch for plannings/drawings (approx €10k) and give them to a building contractor with their engineer signing off work? Our shortlist for architects is down to 2, both of whom quoted for stage 1+2 only and very coy on total price.

(iii) Should we opt out of BCAR14 and thus save approx €3k?


Thanks in advance for any advice, I really need it!

tonytoc11

Did they give you a breakdown of the stages? You're still going to need to hire a structural engineer to design and monitor the structural services, unless the architect firms have an in-house engineer.

Dudda

Check if the bank require BCAR. I think I heard some do for a mortgage.

fits

Those figures sound realistic to me. We built a similar house. Two bathrooms etc. you could get an engineer to do construction drawings and save money that way. The basic design is most important bit for architect to do.

BryanF

1. Excluding design/supervision, connections, council, probably landscaping/boundary, subject to site conditions, and contingency
2. Less than an architect
2a. Those fees reflect the current work load, insurance cover -edit-

2.b do not make it the builders responsibility to certify building regulation compliance
3. A good arch builder team should be keeping/ complying with all building regulations - whether you choose to comply with Builing control regs is up to you.

staples7

Im not telling you your business but there are 'full package' builders out there. i.e go to them with no planning or drawings and their team will do this process for you. You will still need your own engineer.

Currently have a few friends that are going through this & are v pleased. PM me if you want more details. Also in Cork.

suefox

Hi anpaw,

My husband and I are also looking for an architect in Cork for a renovation of our bungalow. Can I just ask you, when you say you got quotes from 8 architects, did you need to pay a consultancy fee to get each of those quotes?

For the architects that I have contacted so far it seems that they won't look at the house / offer an estimate quote until they've done a site visit which could be up to 600 euro. I just think that's mad as surely you need to meet a few and get a few quotes to see who is the best fit for your project?!

Any insights would be much appreciated!

Cheers!

anpaw

Hey suefox,

I met about 8 architects over the summer. I didn't pay any "consultation" fees and any architect that asked for them was discounted. All 8 were very generous with their time (at last an hour long meeting) and our shortlist was whittled down to 2. We met both again! Then we chose our favourite and he visited our site and got the ball rolling. only about a month later did he ask for a deposit. I was very happy with all of them and our chosen architect and if you want more information or contact details, then PM me.