“You don’t want a design for something you can’t afford…” Hiring a professional like an architect or quantity surveyor is about “spending money to save money.” Before you speak to a bulder, an architect (or designer) should be the first port of call.
- A scaled drawing:
Having scaled drawings prepared sets you in the right direction from the outset and clarifies ideas. - What you would like priced:
Ideally, you should reach a firm specification of what you’re looking for, before you look for pricing. - Budget expectations:
How much do you have to spend? A builder will advise what you can expect to achieve for that amount of money.
Money well spent – A drawing means you have something to present to builders to ensure you are comparing like with like. Pricing can differ greatly if not priced off the same construction details, even when works may seem straight forward.
Confidence – By starting with the right preparatory steps you will have greater confidence in the whole process, not just at the pricing stage.
Quantity Surveyor – Once you have drawings consider engaging a Quantity Surveyor to price the planned works. Then you will know the market price and can more comfortably engage a builder based on your relationship with them and their availability, rather than price alone. It is also valuable to have for a loan application should you need to speak with the bank.
Engineer – When undertaking an extension or attic conversion an engineer will be required to sign off on works during the build. You also may need to engage an engineer before works to initiate bank funding of the project.
We are happy to recommend an Architect, Quantity Surveyor and Engineer so do get in touch.
Further reading:
Article: A Complete Guide To Home Renovation Costs
Building Standards: Loft Conversion & Energy Efficiency, Renovation
Irish Times: Nine ways to stop your renovation costs going through the roof