Suburban Family House
It would seem that there is a growing consensus among policy makers and developers that design is a waste of money: that architectural variation and spatial complexity are cost drivers to be eliminated, and that standardised house types plus ‘Modern methods of Construction’ (MMS) will deliver units more cheaply. Yet SCSI ( Society of Chartered Surveyors of Ireland) data indicates that a standardised new 3‑bed semi‑detached house of about 115 m² still carries a construction cost of roughly +- €2,000/m² ex‑VAT, before land, professional fees and wider scheme infrastructure are added.
Against this background, the 210m2 detached house described on these panels, almost 2 times the floor area of that standard 3‑bed semi, and finished to a much higher standard, has been been delivered for about €2,250/m² ex‑VAT, again excluding professional fees, site purchase and abnormal site works.
Comparable architect‑designed one‑off houses of similar size currently cost in the region of €3000 - 3,500/m² ex‑VAT. So, while this project may sit slightly higher than the minimal rate, it sits well below the upper end, while achieving an A2 BER with a carefully detailed timber‑frame envelope, high insulation and airtightness, and an efficient heat‑pump‑based heating system. It should be noted that was made possible by working with an exceptional and value orientated main contractor.
In other words, a well designed 210 m² suburban dwelling is being built at €2,250/m², compared with a cookie cutter 3‑bed semi at around €2,000/m² (for a much smaller unit), and well below the €3,500/m² often cited for comparable ‘bespoke’ houses.
Crucially, nothing about the construction logic of this house is inherently unrepeatable. It is the strong conviction of this practice that the same disciplined approach to fabric, orientation, section, daylight, material choice, ventilation and services that underpins a 210 m², A2 rated, timber‑frame dwelling at €2,250/m² could be scaled and adapted to developer led typologies – terraces, semis and apartments – without defaulting to a minimal permissible spatial quality. We are convinced that given the opportunity, we could do an awful lot with €2000/m2.
What distinguishes this project is not indulgence, but the intentional use of design to extract more environmental and spatial value from each square metre. We describe the project in a dry numbers focussed fashion because it is to the policy makers and developers we wish to speak to: because we can, and should, offer people more than a “unit”.
The techniques demonstrated here are fully applicable at scale and could inform developer housing as readily as one‑off projects, so that whether a dwelling is detached or semi‑detached it can still be a beautiful, well‑proportioned, low‑energy and affordable home rather than a minimally compliant product. This project establishes that design quality is not an excess.
