Getting an architect

If you know what you want and are not open to other ideas, you may be ok just getting a builder. Even then you need an Engineer to certify works etc and never go with the builders suggested Engineer. You want your Engineer to be looking out for you, not let the builder cut corners.

Most people think they know what they want and how it should look but are usually stunned with what an architect can come up with so get a design professional and let the builder do the building.

Please note that Chartered Building Surveyors are not Chartered Quantity Surveyors. These are very different professions. Both are Protected Titles in accordance with the Building Control Act 2007.

Chartered Building Surveyors do not carry out “Quantity calculations / budget analysis” in accordance with the advice provided to you. These functions are carried out by Chartered Quantity Surveyors.

Protection of the title 'Building Surveyor' was introduced in the Building Control Act 2007. The use of the title is restricted to suitably qualified persons who have been included on a statutory register. If you work in Ireland as a Building Surveyor it is legally required that you be registered.

In accordance with the Building Control Act 2007 the State appointed 3 Professional Bodies in Ireland to provide a Statutory Register of Design Certifiers, and a Statutory Register of Assigned Certifiers.

The Design Certifiers are certified by the State to Design Buildings, and also certify the Design of Buildings.

The Assigned Certifiers are Certified by the State to certify the construction of Buildings from commencement to completion and to also provide Certification of the complete works to be in compliance with the Building Regulations for the Building Control Manager System ( BCMS).

All Design Certifiers and Assigned Certifiers are provided with a unique registration number which enables them to access the BCMS in relation to the Certification of Buildings.

The 3 Professional Bodies licences by the State to provide these Registers are as Follows:-

1. The Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland. (SCSI)
2. Engineers Ireland
3. The Royal Institute of Architets of Ireland. (RIAI)

To be Registered on the State Register as a Design Certifier, the Applicants had to provide 10 years of acceptable Design of Buildings.

To be Registered on the State Register as an Assigned Certifier the applicants had to provide 10 years of Certification of Buildings.

Many Building Surveyors are both State Registered Design Certifiers and State Registered Assigned Certifiers, and are very qualified to design and certify Buildings.

All Surveyors must comply with the Code of Conduct of the SCSI, and must provide sufficient Professional Indemnity Insurance.

You can find a State Registered Design Certifiers and State Registered Assigned Certifiers on the following link.

(Only choose ‘Building Surveyor’ and choose your location and it will give you a list in your location.)

https://scsi.ie/the-register/check-the-register/

Getting an architect is a good idea but actually managing to get one to do a fairly small job like this in any sort of reasonable timeframe might be difficult in the current environment.

Design is certainly not what surveyors specialise in, however there is lots of training in design and architecture as C.Eastwood points out (and the lecturers I had for those classes were architects). Likewise, architects can certainly review and assess building defects, undertake surveys (to a degree), however it's not what they specialise in.

Training, experience and expertise of different parts of the construction industry are undertaken to various degrees by the different professions. The degree to which you want or need your professional to have that level of training, experience and expertise determines which professional you should go with.

I'm a surveyor who has designed new builds, extensions and renovations. But I've always made it clear to clients that I am not an architect, and if they want that next level of expert and specialised design, they should engage an architect. But I'm not someone with no training or experience in design either who is just trying his hand at it or claiming to be something he's not.

So you could go with a surveyor to design your works if you wanted, just make sure they're experienced in design, ask to see previous projects, discuss what you're looking for etc.

This is the Point, which was very obvious from my replies.

Statutory Registered Design Certifiers in accordance with the Building Control Act 2007 are qualified and are entitled to design Buildings, and are entitled to register their Drawings /Designs in the BCMS, regardless whether they are (a) Building Surveyors / Chartered Building Surveyors (b) Chartered Civil Engineers or (c) Architects.

I needed to point out this Correct Information to the OP, because other information was given to the OP.

I will not be replying any further to this thread.

This is the 4 year course Eastwood referred to.

Quote:

Is a graduate from this course with suitable experience qualified to design and oversee the the op's project?

Yes, I know the answer was in the piece I quoted, it was more a rhetorical question.

I thought perhaps it was a false claim.

Thanks for that very detailed explanation.

Our experience:

Extension 1 1997 - not long in the country - simple single storey extension one end of bungalow. We used an architect and what turned out to be a nightmare builder. Architect's initial design was well over spec and got pared down considerably. Her chief role during the build was to terrorise him into action, stop him cutting corners, and finally remove him from the job. Grateful she was there to support us through all that.

Extensions 2&3 2007 - single storey plus two-storey extension on hillside. Since we knew pretty much what we wanted design-wise we used an architectural technician (ie not an architect) to draw up the plans, employed a very good builder, and hired a structural engineer who was absolutely worth his weight in gold and did the certification. A quantity surveyer - not employed directly by us - was also involved somewhere along the line. The process worked well and we were very happy with the result.

Just posting to demonstrate there are different and equally valid ways of approaching an extension build depending on your needs.

Her chief role during the build was to terrorise him into action, stop him cutting corners, and finally remove him from the job.

Just if the OP is still reading, worth noting that most architects don't manage the build as standard, it's an additional service at (substantial) additional cost.

Best idea is if any of your neighbours have done similar work, go and ask them what they did.