Q.
What does a 2 hour House Consultation involve?
A 2 hour consultation is your opportunity to seek my advice, as an architect, on whatever work you are planning to do to your home. I think of a consultation as having 3 parts: Firstly, I sit down and talk to you to establish what are your issues in terms of Space, Light & Storage and to agree how best I can help you. Secondly, I look over the house – or relevant parts of the house – with you,and begin the process of generating ideas for the work you are planning. Where relevant, this will include taking measurements and preparing scaled sketches. Thirdly, I talk through the options with you and help you decide which solution is best for you. I equip you with as much information and contacts as I can to enable you to execute the work. I write notes over the course of the consultation so that you receive a full report at the end of the 2 hours. My aim is to help you get your project off to the best possible start.
Q.
What type of house design issues can you help me with?
People consult me at all stages of their house projects, including before, during and after building work. I can help you with a wide range of issues including
- Making better use of the existing Space in your home.
- Improving natural Light in your home.
- Providing better Storage in your home.
- Re-configuring your existing space to better suit your needs.
- How best to extend your home.
- Tackling problem rooms, including solving that room that has always defeated you.
- Kitchen design and planning.
- Furniture selection and room layouts.
- Interior finishes.
- Reviewing plans already drawn up prior to seeking planning permission or commencing on site.
- Adapting your home to your changing life stages including your first home, your first baby, small children, teenagers, grown up children and retirement.
Q.
What qualifications and experience do you have?
I graduated with an honours Diploma in Architecture from DIT, Bolton Street, in 1988, subsequently gaining experience in offices in Dublin, Limerick & Seville. I ran my own practice, Byrne Wall Architects, with Michael Wall, until 2001, specialising in private residential work including house renovations, extensions and reinventions. Since 2005, I have worked exclusively as a House Consultant, seeking to bring my expertise to as wide a range of people as possible. In addition to my previous professional experience, recent years have seen me take on many projects to meet my own family’s changing needs, including renovating a Victorian apartment, building a new family home and most recently extending that home to accommodate the teenage years. So I know the pain and the joy of doing work to your home. And I am happy to share with you the full range of these experiences and of the knowledge that I have gained, and continue to gain. Because life – and our needs! – keeps changing.
Q.
What do you charge?
I charge:
- €300 for a 2 hour House Consultation in the Dublin city area.
- €180 for a 1 hour House Consultation in the Dublin city area.
- €250 for a 2 hour online consultation.
- For 2nd and subsequent consultations, I offer a 10% discount.
- For consultations outside Dublin city, I charge an additional amount to take account of the extra travel time involved plus petrol.
Q.
Do you offer follow up consultations?
I am always delighted to return for a follow-up consultation at any stage of your building project and offer a 10% reduction on the relevant fee.
Q.
I only need about one hour’s advice, can you help me?
I am happy to arrange a 1 hour consultation where you feel this is adequate at a charge of €180 in the Dublin city area.
Q.
Do you work outside of Dublin?
I am keen to bring my expertise to as wide a range of people as possible and am always delighted to travel to other areas. Depending on where you live, I will prepare a tailored quotation to take account of the extra travel time and petrol costs involved.
Q.
Do you have an online service?
Where a consultation outside Dublin is prohibitive due to distance or cost, I am happy to offer an online version of my service. In this instance, I will ask you to prepare a comprehensive statement of your needs as well as an information pack to include measurements and photos.
Q.
Do you take on projects?
I do not take on projects at present. I offer an advice based service only. This allow me to be completely objective when offering opinions. But, where relevant, I will point you towards the best people to help you see your project through, including architects, engineers and surveyors.
Q.
Can you advise on costs?
I do not give detailed advice on costs but I will make sure that you have enough information to get “ballpark” quotes from the people who will carry out the work.
