Sometimes, you need to know more. These FAQs should cover some of your queries, if you don’t see what you are looking for, click the button below:

  • The full fee is payable to secure your booking for the 2 hour consultation, Return consultation or Furniture Layout Package.

    50% deposit is required to secure your booking for the Reconfigure, Extension, Detail Design or Room By Room Packages. The balance is due 2-3 days before the initial consultation. You will be asked to pay the full amount of the fee at booking stage if your appointment is less than 1 week from enquiry.

    50% deposit is required for the Planning Permission Package. The balance is due before the application is lodged.

    I will email you an invoice with bank account details so that you can make a bank transfer. And I will follow up with a confirmation email to let you know that the payment has been received.

    Unfortunately, I cannot take cheques.

  • The packages include travel costs within 10km of the office in Blackrock. Within 20km of the office there is an additional charge of €120 (excl VAT).

    If you live outside of this area, please contact me with an outline of your requirements and I will be happy to quote for visiting your home.

    Alternatively, some of the services can be carried out online.

  • Please understand that when you forget or cancel your appointment without giving enough notice, I miss the opportunity to fill that appointment time, and clients on my waiting list miss the opportunity to receive services.

    To respect my time and yours I ask that you give AT LEAST 48 hours notice if you need to change or cancel your consultation.

    Depending on the service, you will have paid in full or paid a 50% of the overall fee as a deposit at booking stage.

    • If you rebook with more than 48 hours, your deposit will carry over to your new consultation date.

    • If you cancel with more than 48 hours prior to your appointment, I will refund this fee.

    • If you do not give more than 48 hours notice, the deposit fee can not be refunded.

    My bookings are confirmed 48 hours in advance because I know how easy it is to forget an appointment. On occasion the reminder may not reach you. Please be aware you must also make your own record of your appointment booking.

  • In order for me to understand your design and service requirements, I have compiled a form that gives me all the relevant information to make sure you have selected the most fitting package. It also gives me an insight into what will be required of me during the initial consultation. So please send me as much information as possible, so that I can prepare before our meeting.

  • All initial consultations for Reconfigure or Extension packages, and all 2 hour consultations take place at 9am on week days.

    I would be happy to carry out these consultations at 9am on a Saturday if required. An additional fee of €195 (incl VAT) will apply for this service.

  • Thats OK, I’m happy to give you a call to go through the services. If you fill out the form on the Contact page and give me as much detail as you can about your project, I will call you to give you my recommendation.

Booking Queries:

  • As part of your booking confirmation I will send you a “Welcome Pack” which will outline what to expect and what to have prepared before the initial home visit. This will include preparing notes, list of priorities or Pinterest boards to make sure we cover everything that is important to you.

    If you have any drawings of your home, please send them to me before the consultation for review. I will also take a measured survey or check dimensions while I am in your home.

    I will also send you the invoice for the selected service. Please ensure that the correct amount is paid in advance of the initial meeting.

  • I have set myself up as a paperless office, so any drawings/ documents will be emailed to you as a PDF, which you can print if you wish.

    Planning applications will need to be lodged in hard copy (6 copes of each drawing), so a printing fee will be applied to your invoice at lodgement stage. I will provide a receipt from the printshop for your records. You can also choose to include a set for your own records at this point.

  • On occasion, I take on small projects if I have capacity to do so. At the moment I am not taking on full projects.

    The packages I provide are designed in a way that will guide you through completing the project yourself.

    The drawings provided are sufficient to seek a Contractor’s estimate or a Cost Plan from a Quantity Surveyor.

  • Yes! Depending on the size of your property this can be achieved through the Room By Room Transformation package. If you are looking to redesign more than 3 rooms or if you need help with project management. I can provide a fee proposal, provided I have capacity to take the project on. The fee will reflect the scope of works required.

    Please fill out the contact form to give me your brief.

  • I work very closely with my clients throughout the design process.

    It is very important that you are happy with the final drawings. So I offer one round of revisions within the Detail Design and Room by Room packages. If you would like to make further changes throughout the process, this will incur an additional cost, usually an hourly rate. I will discuss this with you in advance and we can agree a price before any works begin.

    The drawings presented to you in the Reconfigure and Extension Packages are based on the brief you give during the initial consultation. If you would like a to make revisions or merge elements of the options presented, I can do so for an additional charge. Feel free to contact me and I will give you a quote.

  • A digital gift card will be emailed to you. Please check your spam and email me if you dont receive it with 48 hours of submitting your request.

    All Gift Cards purchased are Non Refundable.

    All Gift Cards must be redeemed within 5 years of the date of issue.

  • Archaus retains the copyright of all drawings, designs and documents produced. I do not release CAD files but you will receive the existing and proposed drawings in PDF format. Archaus grants their clients a license to use the specific design prepared for a specific project / site only.

  • No. Opinions on Compliance can only be provided if Archaus is engaged to carry out full architectural services.

    I would recommend that you ask the builder or engineer that you engage to include this within their service.

  • During the design presentation I will advise whether you will need the input of a Structural Engineer or other professionals to help to deliver the scheme.

    As a general rule, you will need one if there is any alteration to the structure of the house.

General Queries:

  • The initial home visit takes up to one hour, depending on the size of the area you are looking for help with. This visit begins with a chat about your brief and to establish your requirements.

    Then I will ask you to give me a tour around the rooms you would like to focus on.

    I will then take a measured survey of those areas, while you have a cup of tea.

    I will do a re-cap with you before I leave and answer any questions you have.

  • There are two types of surveys that can apply to your project:

    • The first is a measured survey. This is where I will measure your internal space with a tape or laser measurer and record the dimensions, which I will later use to draw your “Existing Floor Plan”. Once I have these, I can work on the “proposed” designs. I will take photos and some heights for reference. This survey is perfect for internal re-configurations or interior design services.

    • The second is a commissioned survey, that is an additional service provided by a third party (I can provide a list of consultants). This survey is more in depth, and mostly focuses on the exterior of the house and the surrounding site. The surveyor will use a device to take dimensions and spot levels (important on a sloped site). This survey is vital for a planning application of a house on a large or difficult site, as it will also include heights of the house.

  • To provide a more budget friendly design solution, I have scaled my fee depending on the size of the space you would like me to survey and redesign. This is based on the existing floor area of the space you would like to alter.

    S - For homes with an existing area of up to 55 sqm. This is perfect for apartments or ground floor of a small house.

    M - For homes with an existing area of up to up to 90 sqm. Great for the redesign of the ground floor of a medium sized house or the ground and first floor of a small house.

    L - For homes with an existing area of up to 120 sqm. This package applies to most standard semi detached homes.

    XL - For homes with an existing area of 120 sqm and above

    If you are unsure about which areas apply to you or for homes of 120 sqm and above please contact me with details for pricing.

  • Yes!

    The drawings presented to you as part of the package are based on the brief you give during the initial consultation. If you would like me to make revisions or merge elements of the options presented, I can do so for an additional charge. Feel free to contact me and I will give you a quote.

    If it is a very small revision I can provide a revision at no additional cost. Contact me and I will advise you further.

  • Unfortunately not. The drawings provided represent the design stage of the project.

    The Local Authorities have a list of required drawings and documents that are required to lodge a valid application for planning permission.

    My Planning Permission Package is available if you do need to lodge an application.

  • The design presentation typically takes one hour. You will be sent a Teams link for the agreed date. I will present you with the designs and explain the layout options and reasons why I believe these are the most appropriate given your brief. There will be time at the end to answer any questions that you may have.

  • Your design presentation drawings will be emailed to you directly after the meeting.

    You will receive and email with your drawings in PDF format, the 3D model presentation and any other mood boards or recommendations as appropriate for your package.

Reconfigure + Extension Package Questions:

  • To book a 2 hour consultation, please fill out the Contact form and indicate a date that suits you for the consultation.

    • I will email you to confirm the date or suggest others if necessary. You will be sent an Invoice for payment, a Welcome Pack to read and a New Client questionnaire to fill out prior to our visit.

    • Once your invoice has been paid, your appointment will be confirmed.

    • I will visit your home on the agreed morning.

    • I will spend 30 mins getting to know your space and your brief/ concerns that you would like to have addressed.

    • Then l will get set up my laptop in a quiet space in your home, where I will work through a solution for your specific problem. This usually takes one hour. You can relax with a cup of tea while this part is going on.

    • The final 30 minutes will be spent going through a presentation. This presentation will look different for each client, as it will be tailored to your specific questions/ brief given on the day. For some this may include some sketch drawings, for others this may be finishes schedule or a furniture shopping list.

    • There will be time at the end for a few questions.

    • At the end of the consultation I will email the PDF document to you.

    • The full fee is required up front to secure your booking.

    • Please review our cancellation policy in the FAQ section carefully.

  • The drawings I prepare during the consultation are sketch CAD drawings, that will include some key dimensions. Although they are “hardline” drawings they are still sketches used to communicate the layout of the spaces and furniture. These are not technical drawings.

  • Some examples of what the 2 Hour Consultation may be used for are listed 2 hour consultation Service page.

    However this service is so versatile that I know it can cover queries or design requirements that I haven’t thought of yet! So, feel free to contact me to check if this service can cover your specific needs or queries.

2 Hour Consultation Questions: