This article is based on a readers question about managing the architect budget was published in the Irish Examiner in September, 2025.
Q. Hi Kieran. I have a burning question for you, something that has always puzzled me; What do architects design houses way outside their clients budget only for builders to break the news later on?
Suzanne
Co. Laois
A. Hi Suzanne
Like a politician or indeed, presidential candidate once said, I’m glad you asked me that question. I can certainly appreciate how looking at the end to end construction process from the outside, it looks like it doesn’t really serve the end user particularly well, particularly when you indeed consider that most new homes, when they are initially designed, are above their clients budgets, why indeed does this happen and what is the solution?
My pet grief with the construction industry is that it is very silo driven. What I mean by that is that you have a myriad of trades and professionals who are all experts in their own disciplines but their brief starts and stops there. A plumber is only interested in plumbing, a blocklayer in masonry, an engineer in structure & building regulations and an architect in spatial design and planning permission.
If you think about famous architects and renowned architecture, you don’t ever imagine that it was hampered by someone with a clipboard and a spreadsheet shaking their head and getting the red marker out. Architecture is all about imagination, blue sky thinking, possibility, art. The reason you employ architects is to come up with ideas that you fail to see. That’s what they bring to the table. Blue sky thinking. Unfettered design.
To be fair, I am sure that when you engage with an architect, this is how you imagine your new home’s beginnings. A beautifully designed house emerges from the ether, ready to embrace you and elevate your home life. But then you wake up from your slumber in a cold sweat with the realisation that at some stage you are going to need to write some big cheques to pay for this building. Now we need the guy with the clipboard, and fast!
The reality is that you needed the guy with the clipboard (a quantity surveyor) at the start. I remember speaking to a client once about marketing. We were designing a new website for my building company, KMC Homes. I asked her if I should use the term dream homes in our new site. She said no. ‘You don’t build dream homes, no one can afford dream homes. You build ideal homes, dream homes that are affordable. So, how do we do it?
For years my company was just a building company in Cork, we were contacted by architects when they had a house designed and it had received planning permission. We were asked to quote for the finish home and it was often only then that the clients discovered, to their dismay, how much it would cost to build out this committed design. I always felt this could have been managed better but that the solution was a completely different approach.
I always felt that the homebuilding industry needed to be reorganised to deliver on the fair expectations of the would-be home-owner. A new home should be designed, by an architect, to your budget and built on time on budget with no hidden extras. To deliver on this promise I reorganised my company. We began to offer Design & Build whereby we designed houses as well as building them.
To learn more about this process I travelled to New Zealand where this approach is very popular. I met many design and build company directors and founders and was impressed this approach works and delivers beautiful homes for homeowners across New Zealand (and indeed Australia, US and Canada)
Firstly we spend some time with new clients to arrive at a realistic blend of client brief and budget. This is an often overlooked but crucial first step (start as you mean to continue). We engage an architect to design a new home and even at this stage the first design draft is usually over budget. When it arrives (to me only) it usually needs a little ‘nip and tuck’ to get it into the budget zone. It is only then that we show the ‘first design’ to our clients.
There is generally a series of iterations before this design is signed off on by clients. At this stage we engage a quantity surveyor (the guy with the clip board!) to carry out a detailed estimate. This involves input from an engineer on structure, a series of key subcontractors on elements such as plumbing electrical roof trusses windows etc and of course trades people to advise on buildability. This detailed cost plan will ensure clients are happy with the budget and the allowances for tiles, floors, kitchens etc. Once this is signed off it is only then that we lodge for planning permission. There is certainly much more work in designing a new home this way but it guarantees results and everyone gets to sleep soundly. Now when the planners give the green light you can be assured you can afford to build out your Ideal Home.
Kieran McCarthy is a building engineer and director of KMC Homes bespoke A-Rated new home builder, serving Cork and Limerick. He is also presenter of a new RTE tv show showcasing deep retrofits in Irish homes due out shortly.
Follow Kieran on instagram @kierankmc for more home building information, tips and Q&A advice.
You can also follow Kieran on the Built Around You Youtube channel
