5 Things to expect when building a new home

Choosing to create a home that is tailored to your needs and preferences and can often enable you to get more added value for your project.  We look into the 5 things to expect when building a new home.

1.      The Site

Views

Many people plan their site around a view. If you are fortunate to have great views available, study them carefully. Imagine them through all of the seasons. A great summer view may not look as good in winter or vice versa.

Sun and orientation

The sun can be a great friend or an enemy, depending on how you use it. You’ll generally want to orient your house so the wall containing the most windows faces as close to south as possible.

Good orientation can help reduce or almost eliminate the need for heating, resulting in low energy bills and improved comfort.

2.      Design – Quality

Your architect is the person you’re trusting to design your dream home. You’ll be investing a lot of money in the project, and you need to be able to feel you can approach them about anything. A good Architect adds value by listening carefully, capturing your brief and turning it into something that exceeds what you had in mind. 

Before you even begin approaching architects, you need to have a brief in place. You don’t need to have a list of everything you want to be set in stone, but an idea on the following would be useful to steer your architect in the right direction:

• number of bedrooms

• number of bathrooms

• Architectural styles you like

A well-designed house has a higher market value, resale value, and is a better investment than a poorly designed home. An architect has the unique ability to improve the functionality, efficiency, and visual appeal of the home with careful design. In many cases at no additional cost and the property values increase.

Choosing a RIBA Chartered Architect such as Paul McAlister Architects will also give you peace of mind. We comply with strict criteria covering insurance, health and safety and quality management systems. We are known for our all-round design experience, business knowledge and track-record of delivering results in construction projects.

3.      Sustainability – Energy Efficient comfortable homes

Energy-efficient homes are being designed and built more often throughout the UK and Ireland.

You may have come across the term ‘Passivhaus’ when researching energy-efficient home building methods. Passivhaus is not a design style. It is a set of guidelines and principles, it’s not about buying lots of fancy renewable energy gadgets, it’s about changing the way we approach construction.

Regardless of the construction method you choose, it is important to complement your construction with low airtightness and super-high insulation. The more airtight your construction the more heat your home can retain and the less heating your building will need.

Through our Passive House experience at Paul McAlister Architects, we have the ability to design high-performance building fabric, thus, reducing the heating load of your building, with very little additional costs to the build. To date, we have built and fully certified four Passive houses.

4.      Costs

You need to be aware of the factors that may cause your build costs to increase, such as:

• Location: land prices and labour costs will vary across the country.

• Size: the bigger the house, the more expensive it will be to build (although careful design can help achieve some economies of scale).

• Plan, shape and layout: the simplest and most cost-effective floor plan is square!

• The number of storeys: multiple storeys make better use of the land and can reduce foundation and roof costs per msq.

• Specification: if you want premium products, expect your build costs to rise.

At Paul McAlister Architects we can take your ideas and budget to help you decide on what option suits you best. As a very rough guide, depending on the above factors, we would usually estimate a build cost of between £100-£150 per sq/ft.

However, getting your figures right is an essential part of any building project. To assist us with this we would recommend appointing a Quantity Surveyor (QS).

A Quantity surveyor would take a package of design or construction drawings and produce an accurate cost estimate.  This will give you a solid starting point for your budget.

You can then take this information and make informed decisions, removing any guesswork before going on-site with a builder.

5.      Statutory Bodies & Site Services

The main statutory approvals required for building a house are Planning Permission and Building Regulation Approval. 

Planning permission

Planning Permission is a vital part of any new build and while achieving planning permission can be time-consuming, it is useful to not only understand what the process involves, but also have a clear indication of what your local council planning department is likely to approve.

Regardless of whether your project is small or large, it always helps to have someone familiar with the local council planning system. Paul McAlister Architects are in contact with the planning officer throughout the process, ensuring that they have everything needed and that minor issues can be resolved along the way. Finding a good architect who knows the local planning system could help save you the stress and cost of a planning rejection.

Building Regulations

Prior to on-site work commencing you will have to consult with your local Council to ensure that your proposals comply with the Building Regulations. 

A full plan submission would be complied by your Architect detailing the technical proposals including all plans, structural calculations and SAP/DEAP calculations would be submitted to the local council for approval.

Services

Water - The consent of the Water Agency may be needed for your plumbing and drainage proposals should you require to connect to their infrastructure in any way. If you wish to build an extension or garage over an existing sewer or drain, you will need the consent of the Ireland Water Agency.

Septic System - You will need the consent of the Water Management Unit of the Environment Agency if you propose to install a septic tank or to discharge effluent to a waterway or tidal waters.

Other Services

If your proposal will need the provision of gas, electricity or telephone services, you should notify the appropriate service as soon as possible. Including if any of the noted infrastructures require relocation or temporary disruption.