Kieran McCarthy: New home build mistakes and how to avoid them

You need to know your budget. If it is something like you would build then you need to do some homework into what friends and family have paid for their new home (and when) and include all the fees and finishes

Kieran McCarthy: "As people started consulting with architects new houses (and significant extensions) became better designed and house plans became more space efficient. Gone were the wasted double height spaces and the box bedrooms in favour of well-considered designs and well-appointed spaces."

Hi Kieran,

What is the biggest mistake you see people making when building a new home?
Regards,

Rachel , Dun Laoghaire

Hi Rachel,

This question took me aback a bit. There are a couple of things to look at for this query, but they are heavily related.

As my business, KMC Homes is more than 20 years in existence now we are fairly established so thankfully the phone usually rings on a
Monday morning with some new enquiries. These inquiries are always interesting. It’s exciting to hear of people’s plans for their new homes and new beginnings.

In truth, quite a small percentage of these new enquiries will likely translate into a potential new project for us because most enquiries fall short on one of two metrics. Let me explain.

House size and room ratios

Firstly... size. I’m amazed we still get enquiries for a new four-bed house of 3,000 square feet. If you don’t see what’s wrong here it’s that the size of the house is way out of kilter with the bedroom requirement. Generally, this is as a result of the couple speaking to someone who has built a similar-sized home in the past.

But when I dig deeper, it usually transpires that the existing house in fact has a lot of wasted space. Huge hallways, staircases, landings, double height space, meandering
corridors and yet some of the other rooms are too small or poorly designed in terms of light and spatial flow.

The reason for this is generally that this house was built in an era before good design was prevalent in the new home building industry. You see, in the past most new homes were designed by engineers and drafts-people. No disrespect to engineers (I am one myself) or indeed draftspeople, but they don’t make the best house plan designers.

At the time we had a smaller supply of good architects and in Ireland many of those worked more in the commercial sector or were the preserve of the wealthy.

This changed after the Celtic Tiger crash when these architects were struggling for work so many moved across to the one-off house market where there were still some green shoots.

The result was that new houses (and significant extensions) became better designed and house plans became more space efficient. Gone were the wasted double height spaces and the box bedrooms in favour of well-considered designs and well-appointed spaces.

Now a typical four-bed house can range from 2,200-2,400 sq feet.

Budgets and planning

The next mistake we hear a lot is that people often begin a new home design journey with no clear budget in mind.

Let’s face it, when you start a project there is a fixed budget. You maybe just don’t know what it is, perhaps because it’s not the most fun way to start a project. It’s a combination of what monies you have access to (savings and mortgage) and how much of this fund you are willing to invest in your new home.

Of course if you want to explore an unfettered design (which can be thrilling!) then there is no real need for a budget. Just tell the architect your wish list and let their
artistic licence take it from there. This might be exciting but it will only lead to wasted time and money.

To start on the right foot you need to know your budget. You need to do some homework into what friends and family have paid for their new home (and when) and include all the fees and finishes.

Is it something like what you would build, remembering that every house is different so they will cost a different amount to build?

Budget adjustments

Having a reasonable budget will allow you start on a firm footing. It may need to be adjusted at the start of a project or indeed for one reason or another as a project progresses for but at least there is a line in the sand for all to see.

You will of course need regular cost updates from a quantity surveyor to keep this on track.

Finishing touches

Finally, once your project hits site and you are out of the ground, most costs are now visible and your project cost has been de-risked to a large extent. Well, de-risked in terms of what is beyond your control. There is of course the myriad finishes and client choices to speak of (kitchen and floor finishes are a prime example).

Again I would strongly advise having budgets for these. Otherwise, how long is a piece of string!

Send us your home build queries

Kieran McCarthy: "Good planning can help ensure that a new house doesn't have a lot of wasted space such as huge hallways, staircases, landings, double height space, meandering corridors, while other rooms are too small or poorly designed in terms of light and spatial flow."

• Kieran McCarthy is a building engineer, and director of KMC Homes, who specialise in designing and building luxury homes in Cork. He also presents the RTÉ TV show ‘Heat My Home’, showcasing deep retrofits in Irish homes;
• kmchomes.ie
• More info, home-building tips, and advice on @kierankmc
• Follow Kieran on the ‘Built Around You’ Youtube channel