How To Get Maximum Value From Your Architect

If Your Architect isn't Thinking About All Of These Things (And Many More) Then They Aren't Acting In Your Best Interest.

If You Want To Make The (Notoriously Perilous) Home Extension Or Renovation Journey Worthwhile And Maximise The Benefits To Your New Home Life, Then Make Sure Your Architect Is Thinking About All Of These Things.

There Are Many Other Factors To Consider, But Following Are Some Things You Mightn't Have Thought Too Much About. These Relate To The Full Life Of The Investment, Not Just The Pretty Finished Home.

Designing Healthy Homes

Quality Of Life

Design For Productivity At Home

Improved Productivity

Design For Low Construction Costs

Lower Construction Costs

Lower Life-cycle Costs

Higher Market Value

1 Quality of Life, Well-Being & Health

Your New Home Must Be A Place You Just Love To Be, And Hardly Want To Leave. Not Too Much To Ask For When You're Spending This Type Of Money?

As Architects, This Is Our Ultimate Goal. To Help Make A Home You Love Living In, Working In and Growing In. Both Science And Life Experience Tells Us A Great Home Life Increases Happiness, Health, And General Well-Being.

 

Pride, Comfort, Happiness, Safety, Even Your Mood, Might Sound Like Intangible Benefits, But Over Time They Are Closely Related To Good Physical and Mental Health. And Ultimately Have Cost Savings That Amount Over Time.

A Better Quality Of Life, Well-being & Health Leads To A Happier & Healthier You. And The Place You Spend It In Is So Important.

How Do We Do This?

        • Designing for strong air and light quality in your spaces - Providing fresh air and appropriate light levels will reduce glare and eye strain.

        • A well-equipped space with the appropriate ventilation system, light levels, thermal and sound insulating materials keep you, your eyes, ears, and body warm and healthy.

        • Physical safety - We design safe spaces that minimise falling, tripping, and slipping.

        • We design spaces for equal access among users. Whether spaces are to accommodate persons with mental or physical disabilities or for ageing people, anticipating and designing features for easy adaptability and flexibility will improve user comfort, safety, and liveability while also saving on costly renovations down the road.

Straffan3

This Family Loved Their Garden And The Calming Feeling Grass, Trees & Nature Could Bring. So The Design Needed To Create A Home With An Almost Seamless Flow From The Inside To The Outside.

2 Improved Productivity, Functionality & Efficiency

We Add Value & Save You Money By Improving Productivity, Functionality & Efficiency In Your Home.

 

Ceardean Architects Will Work With You To Create Layouts & Workflows In A More Optimised And Logical Manner. We Listen and Learn About You, Your Behaviours, Likes & Dislikes, And Combine This With Our Vast Home Design Experience.

A Personalised Layout Will Help Make Things More Efficient For You, Creating More Time and Relaxation To Focus On Other More Important Activities Like Time With Family, Friends & Hobbies.

 

Improved Productivity, Functionality & Efficiency In The Home Simply Leads To More Time Doing The Things You Love

 

Some Ways We Can Do This

      • By Understanding How You Use Your Kitchen, We Design Space More Efficiently. We Reduce Distances Between Where You Spend Most Time. We Create Layouts That Accommodate More Storage If That's What You Need.

      • If Laundry Takes Up A lot Of Time, We Find The Best Place For The Utility And Reduce Travel Between Machines, and Create Easily Accessed Storage.

      • If You're A Morning Person, We Might Suggest Locating Your Bedroom On The East To Greet The Sun. Same Goes For The Kitchen. You might Find You Will Wake Even Earlier To The Sunrise And Get Even More Done.

      • We Can Work To Carve Out Useful Space In Areas Previously Forgotten. Additional Storage Without Increasing Size Of The Home Is A Great Value Exercise. Who Wants To Pay To Heat Unused Space!

      • Attic Conversions Are Fast Becoming The Cost-Effective Solution For Many Older Homes And We Have Turned Many Cold Forgotten Roof Spaces Into Stunning Large Warm Bedrooms, Or Quiet High Productivity Home Offices.

      • A Team Of Full Time Home-workers, The Home Office Space Is Something Very Close To Our Hearts. We Know The Tips (Keep The Space Flexible), Tricks & Design Concepts (Sound Insulation!)
        To Fit Excellent Working Spaces Into Existing Homes or Gardens.

Get Designing

Our Very Popular Briefing Design Pack Has Been Created Just For This

 

To Explore What Is (And Isn't Possible) With Your Existing Or Planned Home. Without Charging You Typical High Design Fees.

We've Done Hundreds Of These Now. So Many Clients Are Delighted With Getting Professional Advice, From RIAI Registered Architects, Realistic Sketches, Costings & Much More At Such A Low Cost.

We Charge Just 750euro (plus VAT) For This Design Pack To Get The Creative Juices Flowing And An Opportunity To See Your Home In Ways You Would Never Have Imagined.

architect designed kitchen, living & dining room
architect-drawing-functional-space-design

3 Lower Construction Costs

Your Architect Can Design Around A Budget, And Even Save More With Some Clever Thinking

 

We Help Design Homes With Affordability In Mind. Good Building Is Not Cheap, But Good Design Can Keep The Cost Down.

Efficient Floor Plans, Simple Design & Cost-effective Material Selection Are Just Some Ways to Reduce Construction.

Ceardean Architects Also Review Construction Cost And Performance Information About Wall, Floor and Roof Types. We Strive To Design Homes That Carefully Consider Cost Yet Still Provide Good Performance.

We Help Get Your Ideas Down On Paper And Flesh Out The Full Plan Before Construction. Changes During Construction Are Where Costs Creep Up, Fast.

This Also Means Covering All Building Regulations In The Design, So No Costly Changes Are Instructed By Building Control Or Planning Authorities.

    • Tip: A Complete Set Of Fully Coordinated Drawings Help The Builder Give An Accurate Estimate. They Will Lean On The Higher Price Otherwise To Cover Unknowns. Understanding The True Cost Beforehand Is A Great Way To Decide Whether You Move Forward Or Find Areas For Savings. I.e. No Surprises.

construction-cost-reduction-good-planning

4 Lower LIFECYCLE COSTS

Poor Design Can Cost In Many Ways

Did you know that the upfront design and construction cost of a project actually only account for about 25% of the total life-cycle cost of a project?

Reducing the upfront cost is good, but finding ways to reduce the remaining 75% could yield the largest amount of savings for you in the end.

Over the useful life of a house, the upfront capital cost is quite little when compared to the operation and maintenance cost. By working closely with the design team, you’ll be able to make educated decisions about the kinds of materials and equipment to use—things that really save money over time. Choosing efficient and cost-effective materials will save you money month after month, adding up to huge savings over time.

Smart Material, Equipment & Fixture Selection leads to Lower Utility Bills & Maintenance Costs

In addition, we offer a project management service to ensure the house is built to meet the drawing requirements and follow leading industry standards & regulations. Ensuring the home adequately sealed to minimise air leakage and has appropriate levels of insulation and meets other performance criteria helps lower long-term costs.

Confirming flashing/roofing details are properly constructed helps minimise the potential for water infiltration and other potential issues that could arise years later that could destroy your interiors.

  • Effective Project Management leads to Lower Operating Costs & Minimised Risk of Poor Construction

home-energy-saving

5 HIGHER MARKET VALUE, HIGHER RESALE VALUE. A BETTER INVESTMENT

Keep Your Eye On The House Value

A well-designed house has a higher market value, and is a better investment than most traditional homes. When an architect has improved the functionality and visual appeal of the home the property value generally increases.

Good Design leads to Higher Market Value & Better Investment

For these reasons and the reasons mentioned throughout this article, we can add tremendous value to your project. The question should not be “How much does an architect cost”, it should be “How much can an architect save me, and what would my return on investment be?”

Good design may have its price, but it pays for itself over the building’s lifetime.

Ceardean have helped and been with my business every step of the way. Without them we wouldn't be where we are today. If you want attention to detail, out of the box designs and friendly service they are the crowd to go with. Couldn't recommend them more.

ARCTIC STONE LOGO

Caolan Cullen

Owner - Arctic Stone - Award Winning Ice Cream

We approached Derek at Ceardean as we often passed his office with his sign outside and liked his style from the website. We initially contracted for a few design ideas and quickly realised he understood well what we wanted and went with him for the whole project. Ceardean were fantastic from start to end. When our planning was declined initially they helped us through the appeal process with an Bord pleanala and after delivering very clear documents the planning was approved. Throughout the project the project management was great at keeping the project on track and on budget. We would definitely recommend

Deirdre

Domestic Extension & Refurb Client

Worked with Ceardean on the design of One Society. No project is without challenges but have to say we worked closely with Ceardean to ensure our vision was reached. They have a solid team behind them.

cafe dublin 1

Will

One Society Coffee Shop

We chose Ceardean to design and look after the renovations on our new home. It was the best decision we made. Derek came up with a fabulous design which was exactly what we were looking for. He and his team helped us through the whole process from design, planning permission, tenders and project managed the build for us. The result was the perfect home for us. I would highly recommend Ceardean after our experience.

Eithne

Domestic Extension Client

Myself and my partner Paddy have nothing but great things to say about Ceardean Architects. Derek was professional, thorough, so responsive and his attention to detail was second to none. He has provided us with much-needed help and assistance and I cannot recommend their services enough. 10 out of 10 🙂

Hayley

House Extension/refurb

These are just some examples of ways we add value to your home.

The most appealing reason why people work with us is the design thinking we bring.

 

But by providing the less glamorous services such as optimising layouts, advising on materials & equipment, preparing detailed drawings and providing proper project oversight;

We increase the amount of real money that goes back into your pocket during the construction and lifetime of your project.

If you want to chat further about an exciting project in mind, provide some project details in the form below.

We Always Get Back By Phone Quickly And, If Nothing Else, Offer Some Real Advice And Suggestions On What You Can Do!

Always Happy To Help.

Scroll to Top
Call Now Button