Category: General (Page 19 of 28)

3 Reasons You May Need an Architect if You are Selling Your House

May 2, 2014 / barros / 1 Comment

If you are planning to sell your house you will soon realise there are a number of legal documents that are required to complete the sale. Some documents you probably never heard about and others you may have overlooked until today.

We are seeing more and more solicitors undergoing a strict assessment regarding the required documentation and they are likely to recommend their clients to move away from the purchase if the documents are not in order.

These are the typical issues that may cause you enough headache:

1 – Your house does not comply with the grant of Planning Permission, or you have carried out work (ie.: an extension) that does not qualify as “Exempted Development“.

2 – You do not have an Opinion on Compliance with Planning Permission.

3 – You do not have an Opinion on Compliance with Building Regulations.

The solution:

1 – Any house built in Ireland after the 1st October 1964 requires planning permission. You should apply for Retention of the unauthorized development as soon as possible. Arrange for your Architect to visit the house, do a survey and prepare the Planning Application. The length of time it takes to get planning permission is affected by the completeness of the application and by whether or not there is an appeal. Generally, a valid application will be dealt with by a planning authority within 12 weeks, from the date the application is made to the final granting of permission.

It is very important to ensure the planning permission is in order before the proposed sale. Otherwise the potential purchaser may pull out of the transaction at a very late stage, when s/he discovers the problem.

You can also find the Planning Applications Fees for Co. Wexford here.

2 and 3 -Opinions on Compliance are important legal document that certify the building is in accordance with the planning permission granted and Building Regulations. They represent an essential element of conveyancing documentation and as such Architects adopt a significant liability in relation to the opinion they give.

RIAI Architects are advised to use the standard forms prepared by RIAI. You should ask your Architect to prepare these documents but please note that RIAI advises their members to exercise extreme caution and avoid offering opinions on Building Regulations when they were not the original Architect for the building or development.

Please contact us today if you need us to help you with any of the issues above.

Helping the Homeless in 2014 – Simon Open Door

April 16, 2014 / barros / 5 Comments

This year will be the fifth year that Isabel gives her time for free to the Simon Communities of Ireland.

The Simon Communities of Ireland work with people who experience homelessness and housing exclusion in Ireland. Simon has a vision of society where no one is homeless. All people who are homeless, or at risk of facing homelessness, are given every opportunity to realise their potential to live fulfilled lives in appropriate homes of their own.

The annual Simon Open Door event takes place over Saturday and Sunday, 10th and 11th May 2014. Members of the public can now book a consultation with a RIAI Registered Architect by signing up at www.simonopendoor.ie. The donation of €50.00 will go directly to the Simon Community of Ireland as all Architects are giving their time and expertise for free.

The Simon Communities of Ireland operate in a totally transparent manner. They confirm that there are no salary top up’s, pension top up’s or bonus payments and all Simon Communities produce annual audited accounts.

This year with rising levels of homelessness across the country, Simon more than ever needs support.

Monies raised through the Simon Open Door campaign will go directly to assist some of the most vulnerable people in our society, those without a place to call home.

2014 is the 10th anniversary of the RIAI Simon Open Door initiative. Over the past 10 years, almost €300,000 has been raised for the Simon Communities of Ireland, and over 5000 meetings between architects and members of the public were held.

Anyone can sign up and, in return for a €50 donation, sit down with a registered architect and get ideas for house extensions, new builds, office fit-outs, renovations, etc. From new builds to small extensions or houses that are not functional, the Architect has the most appropriate training and experience to help you with your building project.

You can sign up for an appointment with Isabel Barros Architects on Saturday 10th May directly here, or with other registered Architects at www.simonopendoor.ie. If for some reason these dates do not suit you, please book a time anyway and leave a note asking to have a different date.

Read Testimonials about the Simon Open Door.

Join Simon Open Door page in Facebook.

The Secret Guide to Deal with Architects – Take 5

January 10, 2014 / barros / 1 Comment

We are back with our 5th secret tip about how to deal with an Architect.

If you have just landed here do not miss our previous tips:

5. Be Honest

Be honest with your Architect, you do not need to tell a lower budget than what you really have. Architects will make the best they can with the budget you have. If you have a realistic budget (see Take 4) and you decide to reduce this so the Architect “does not spend it all”, you are fooling yourself and this is likely to have a pretty big impact on the overall design of your project.

Hot tip: Architects do not spend your money, you are the one spending the money for your own interest, your Architect will only guide you through the best way of spending this money. Architects are not builders and their estimates are often just that – an estimate. If you are really concerned about not overspending you should engage the services of a Quantity Surveyor as early as possible.

Go to Take 6 – Build Trust

Start from Take 1 – Stages