Extension/Remodel Archives | Sigma Homes | House Design & Builders Cork

Extension/Remodel

01/06/2021

We’re as Committed as You Are

Extending or renovating your home is already such a huge commitment, it shouldn’t feel like a battle with your builder. When you’re working with a builder who is already difficult to reach during the build or remodelling, it’s often an exercise in frustration to have them back to fix the job. Often, as far as they’re concerned, the moment they receive payment their work is over and done with. The trust you place with a builder is serious. Unfortunately, it is the norm for builders to see their work as a mere transaction with a customer. There’s often a lack of respect for the trust you place in them. There’s often a lack of concern for their responsibility and little care for the stress such a big undertaking can create in their client’s life.

We’re as Committed as You Are

From the first day that we work with you, we are thinking about things from your perspective. We will do whatever is necessary to reduce stress and disruption. Our commitment to our clients is about respect. We are committed to reducing disruptions that often occur during the build, and the many hours when you have builders in your home. It’s there when you have issues that can occur after we leave. It’s there when you have fixtures, fittings and finishes which can have their own faults and problems. For us, the day of the handover is not the end of our relationship with our client.

A Commitment to Client Satisfaction

We know how it feels to have to chase after someone when you have an issue. This shouldn’t happen. We have a team dedicated to supporting you after the handover. Whether you’re at the beginning of your experience or years into it, we’re always just a phone call away if you need anything. We offer a 10-year warranty on every extension and renovation we perform. If there’s anything you need, you won’t have to chase. Your needs will not be an afterthought. With one conversation, a full-time team member will be on the case. They will take responsibility for your problem and ensure that your issues are quickly addressed. And as with everything else we do, when we find an issue, an oversight, or an error on our part, we will find what went wrong and try to seek out a solution so that it never happens again.

Extension/Remodel

31/03/2021

Create a Space You’ll Love For Life

Did you ever have that experience when you were younger, where you’d look at people further on in years and think, “I’ll never do that!” And then, lo and behold, the years pass, you change, and you find yourself fascinated by thing your younger self would have rolled their eyes at?

A bit of gardening, anyone?

We’re all different, with our own unique qualities, but we’re also human. So as we move through time, we tend to develop different interests and needs. Some of our interests may change or grow, and the people in our lives change and grow, too. Some changes are more predictable than others; When you’re forty you may prefer more nights in than late nights out. When you’re sixty you’re more likely to choose a rock garden over rock climbing. And so, if you’re planning a long-term renovation or remodel, it makes sense to consider how your needs will change in different life stages.

Asking the right questions

Once you start down that path of inquiry, the questions can start flowing. How do you envision your needs next year? Will you want, or need, a home office or separate workspace? You may have spent more time around the house lately. Does the experience have you wishing for a separate space of your own? Where could you be in ten, twenty or thirty years from now? Do you love where you live or do you dream of being elsewhere in the future? Is the next home renovation one you’re intending to last a lifetime? What kind of surrounding space might ‘Future You’ enjoy — one that requires minimal maintenance, or one that allows you to keep your fingers nimble and green?

What about your loved ones? Where will they be? In what life stage will they be? Will you need space for some of them to visit, or stay? There is also the question of building technology. How self-sufficient would you like your future home to be? Would you prefer a space that gains much of its heat and light passively from the sun?

Finding clarity can sometimes feel overwhelming

So many questions can arise during the early stages of a new build or remodel. Many questions may feel unanswerable, and that can sometimes bring a sense of uncertainty. The feedback we have received from our clients is that having a team of building professionals helped tremendously. We help you find clarity and create a dream home that serves you now and in the future. If you’d like further clarity, give us a call on 021 4365 866.

Extension/Remodel

08/03/2021

Opening Up in Lockdown

Helping our clients open up their homes during lockdown has been a truly positive experience. We’ve all struggled in one way or another over the past year. We’ve all had to find ways to occupy our minds, to connect with friends and family and, as much as we can, stay connected with the wider community. Some have been less fortunate than others. And all we can do is be thankful for the small blessings we have had. One of the genuinely nice things we’ve been able to experience is the chance to make our client’s lives better. Helping them to open up their home spaces, extending or customising to meet their needs.

Opening Up in Lockdown

For most of us, the lockdown has brought with it an unavoidable sense of cabin fever. The lockdown has also been worse for some of us; being stuck in your home can put you face to face with its architectural problems. When our spaces don’t serve us, with low ceilings and close walls, the world can feel that bit smaller and duller. We’ve all undeniably felt first-hand just how much our environment affects our mood, our health and even our relationships. And while nobody has it in their power to wipe away the world’s woes, in our own small way we have been happy to, at least, help some families and home-owners open out from their confines. It makes a world of a difference to step into a warm, fresh space, to stretch out your arms and soak in more sunlight. When your home space is built from the ground-up to support you, the effect overflows into other areas of your life.

We’ve seen the wider community following along in some of the incredible transformations we’ve been able to share. And some of our clients, too, have kindly shared their experience with the wider community, offering a little glimpse into their homes and their personal lives.

Let’s Look Forward to the Future

One of the keys to a happy life is to always have something to look forward to. For many, this hasn’t been the easiest thing to do with many of our usual outlets and ways of expressing ourselves being cut off completely. But let’s look to the future, and start making 2021 something to enjoy.

Would You Like to Work With Us?

When you add an extension and remodel your home, you have a wonderful opportunity to make your home serve you better. To work with your psychology, your routine, and your lifestyle. And it’s also a chance for you to express your own personal style and taste. Before we begin a build, we’ll help focus your ideas through the lens of our understanding of architectural design. Share with us your ideas and we will help you turn them into something even better than you expected. Give us a call on 021 4365 866 and let’s discuss your plans.

Extension/Remodel

01/02/2021

Our Team Is Changing the Industry

At the end of each year, we think back and reflect on our successes. And as always, it’s down to our incredible team. There are no ifs or buts about it, our team is changing the industry. We are proud to work alongside some of Ireland’s most conscientious, diligent, and skilled industry professionals. They truly are a dream team who make all the struggles and hard work so rewarding.

Dream Homes Built by a Dream Team

Every person on our team plays such a crucial part of our work. It starts with the first phone call and meeting. From there, our team creates great designs, builds a 3D model to allow our clients to experience their home and make adjustments before we get to work. Our quantity surveyor (thank you, Ian), builds a specification with precise costing. Our Planning Permission expert (thank you, Gráinne) handles the planning application and helps prevent unnecessary issues or delays. David, our Contracts Manager, gathers the finalised plans and prepares with our site team (Edgar, Fergal, Kevin, Colin and their crews).

The Proof is in the Pudding

Nobody can fake excellence. The proof of our team’s work is in the pudding. They create beautiful, elegant, well-constructed architecture, executed on schedule, within budget, and all using modern remodelling principles and materials. Every. Single. Team member plays a crucial role — they know that small things are not small. It’s the small things that make or break a complicated process. Every member of our team understood this — that’s why we asked them to join us in the first place. And minute after minute, hour after hour, they work diligently to ensure that every fine detail goes smoothly and according to plan.

Changing the Industry

One of the greatest stresses you can experience in your life is building or renovating a new home. We believed it didn’t have to be that way. Leading by example, we worked hard to create streamlined procedures and processes — and showed what is possible when you truly care about the client and the work. Our team took ownership of responsibility and lifted the burden of stress off the shoulders of our clients. Every year we have strived to improve; This year was no different. Looking back and observing the industry today, we believe that our team has succeeded in elevating the standard in every aspect of our work. We hope that our team’s success will inspire the competition to step up to the plate and help us change the industry for good.

Extension/Remodel

07/01/2021

Simplify the Complex

When you simplify a complex system you end up with something elegant. Think of a leaf, a cactus or a rose; It’s both simple and complex, and that makes it elegant. For us humans, it takes a lot of work to make things elegant. It’s what we do at Sigma Homes — and we do it well. From our designs to our building procedures, we make things work seamlessly.

The most elegant designs take a lot of work. The greatest renovation or remodel work, the one that makes everything look easy, is very, very hard to pull off. There is great complexity in creating a brand new home that exceeds expectations. It’s not just about quality and style, but also about the intelligent use of space and light, not to mention good sound-dampening and thermal insulation. Complications can arise when creating a home because you have multiple pieces in the puzzle. In any build, we work across multiple disciplines, with multiple individuals working on a multi-layered timeline where each piece of the puzzle depends on everything being set properly in place. We have worked hard to make this whole process as elegant as possible. By doing so, it’s possible for us to deliver results that radiate an indefinable sense of quality.

It’s the Small Things That Matter

We have spent years thinking about the small things because we know that it’s the small things that get you. Here is an example of your typical building situation: Say you were planning a kitchen renovation and decided to hire contractors yourself. You arrange a build date, and everything looks good to go. But something came up to halt the entire operation. Problems often start with a small thing. Say the pipework wasn’t laid correctly before the concrete got poured. A relatively small thing, but the delays cascade. It might take another week or more until the pipework is fixed in the correct place, and the concrete can’t be poured until that’s resolved. When you have complications added to an already-complex process, one error or oversight inevitably cascades. Before you know it, you’re delayed by months with no end in sight. This is the typical problem of the industry, and one of the reasons why we created Sigma Homes.

Simplify the Complex: Bringing Vertical Integration to Building

Some things are complex. We have no way to make creating a superb home into an easy process. But what we have succeeded in doing through years of study and research, is to identify and eliminate all unnecessary or avoidable complications. We take the fractured nature of a typical build and bring it all in-house using modern design principles such as Vertical Integration. Vertical Integration is a design concept that is all about bringing as much as you can under one roof. so that everyone is on the same page and communicating with one another effectively. Compare this to when you hire an architect on your own. They might produce an astounding design, but will they be thinking about the availability or workability of the materials he’s proposing for the build? When you hire an electrician or plumber or builder, how much thought will they give to the overall project? How much awareness will they have of the other tradespeople’s needs? The reality is, in these situations communication is almost always a factor that causes delays and expensive oversights. Contractors are more likely to be concerned about getting in new clients than they are about taking care of their existing ones. They probably have their own way of doing things which work fine when they do things alone. But often those ways are more habitual than well-considered, and they result in conflict with other individual tradespeople’s processes. What we have achieved with Sigma Homes is simplicity in the process of the build. Vertical integration. Everyone needed is on on the same team, singing from the same hymn sheet.

What We Bring to the Table

The typical problems that plague the building industry are simply unlikely to happen with Sigma Homes. That plumber in the earlier example? We’re unlikely to have that issue. The whole team has worked together to create a clear process and system with the big picture in mind. We work to prevent the types of delays and mistakes that are typical in the building industry. We know that most quality issues are down to a lack of pre-planning or oversight. So we have processes that are founded on planning and supervision. When something causes a delay, we work on making sure that error never happens again. That takes effort. That takes work. Simplifying these processes is very very hard, and that’s why we’re the only ones doing it. Each team member checks over the previous team member’s work, and everyone is used to working with one another as a team. And honestly, that’s a big part of why we love our job. Together we strive for excellence. We hold each other accountable to the big picture so that we can all improve and grow. And at the end of each project, we have the privilege of seeing our client’s faces as they view the results of our efforts. A beautiful, quality home which we have delivered for them, on time and within budget.

If you’d like to know more about how we can help you, call us today on 021 4365 866

Extension/Remodel

29/10/2020

Considering a Remodel?

If you’re considering some remodel work, you might be startled by some of the possibilities available to you when you’re working with a builder who is using modern design principles and methodologies. This is our livelihood, so you’d think it’s normal for us. But it’s still a moment of excitement and anticipation for us on handover day. Remodelling the old confines into bright, open, warm spaces that make you feel like you’re stepping into a zen garden. On handover day, we get to present the finished space to the homeowners. The best is when some members of the family are seeing the space for the first time since work began; You get to witness their faces light up when they see the old building completely transformed.

Feel the Design Come Alive From The Moment You Step Inside

Using modern remodelling principles, you’re no longer confined to what you’d expect from an Irish home. You have an opportunity to break beyond your expectations. Design is essential for us. We love to tie-in the great things about the old with the spectacular things about the new. Home extension and remodelling work are usually about adding another room — which is fantastic. Or adding more space — which is great…but it can be all that and much more.

When Considering a Remodel, It Can Be More Than Just Space…

Because it’s not just about having more space, it’s about being able to plan out that space so that its angles, contours and surfaces give you a visceral a sense of openness. A perfectly good, spacious house or bedroom can still end up feeling somewhat claustrophobic. With poor lighting, low ceilings, narrow hallways, spaces can seem to shrink. Once you start adding in gear, clothes, ornaments and toys, perhaps without well-thought-out storage, it can starts to look like an ‘object orphanage’ — a place where things go when they don’t have a place to call their own. The solution isn’t just to add more space, though that will help tremendously. To truly break free of the dreaded clutter, it helps to bring modern design principles to bear on the problem. When you hire the right architect, you can have the exact same space but with a very different feeling. Rooms in your house can feel brighter, more open, more liberating. Everything in your home will have its place. With excellent design, it will feel like coming home.

Extension/Remodel

08/11/2019

Does Your Extension Need Planning Permission?

Will you need extension planning permission for your home? While all builds must stick to building regulations, not every home extension will need planning permission. Be careful not to take planning lightly. Newly built extensions have been ordered demolished having failed to meet planning regulations. You do not want this to occur in your situation, so take your time to familiarise yourself with the requirements.

Home Extension Planning Permission

Most extensions smaller than forty square metres and under three metres in height are probably exempt from planning permission. But there are some situations where this is not the case. If for any reason you have doubt (and you should take special care if you do), you can get a Section 5 Declaration Form from Cork City Council. In the Planning and Development Act, 2000, Section 5 declaration states:

5.—(1) If any question arises as to what, in any particular case, is or is not development or is or is not exempted development within the meaning of this Act, any person may, on payment of the prescribed fee, request in writing from the relevant planning authority a declaration on that question, and that person shall provide to the planning authority any information necessary to enable the authority to make its decision on the matter.

In other words, if you’re unsure if your plan is within regulations you need to declare this. Otherwise, you may risk serious issues later on down the line. Here is the Section 5 Declaration Form available from Cork City Council. There is a fee of €80 for the processing of this form. If you’d rather avoid this fee, you can contact us today for some professional advice.

Extension Planning Permission: Ensure You Meet Fire Regulations

Once you are sure you’re compliant and you have planning permission (if required), you may need to go through the building control process by filing a commencement notice. Building Control Regulations require that you file structural work (including insulation) for home extensions. There are a few exceptions, including whether or not you need a Fire Safety Certificate (FSC), or if the works are exempt from building regulations, or you do not require planning permission.

At Sigma Homes, we aim to simplify all aspects of building an extension. We can handle almost everything, including the planning application if needed — so that you can rest assured that you don’t run into any unwanted situations. If you would like more information or advice on your own project, feel free to contact us today on 021 4365 866

Extension/Remodel

13/06/2019

Move Or Renovate? How to Decide

While buying a new home can be exciting, when possible, it’s often more cost-effective to do a full home renovation. Moving has hidden costs of time and money, and selling an existing home raises the issue of hefty fees and taxes. So is it wiser to move or renovate? It all depends on what makes the most sense for you and your needs. Here are a few pros and cons to help you decide which direction makes the most sense for you.

One of the biggest reasons to move rather than renovate an existing home is the fact that you can pick a new location. This can mean a smaller or larger home, or a different neighbourhood, close to schools or amenities — closer or further away from town, depending on your preference.

Move or Renovate? The Disadvantages of Moving

While you can usually find a home that ticks some of the boxes. You’re unlikely to have a layout that’s just right for you. If you do find a space that suits your needs, it’s rare to find one in an ideal area. Buying a home and moving is time-consuming and stressful. Between searching, viewing, applying for the mortgage, closing on the new home, trying to sell your existing home, etc., it can all end up being a huge hassle. To make it all worthwhile, there have to be really good reasons to leave your existing home and location.

The Advantage of Home Renovation with Sigma Homes

With Sigma Homes, you can plan a renovate to meet your exact specifications. Renovation lets you choose how everything is laid out to suit your needs and tastes. If you love your existing location, you don’t have to move. Home renovation lets you stay where you are while avoiding the costs of moving and selling your home.

A typical downside to home renovation is that it requires a period of time with mess and activity around the home. For example, a major kitchen renovation could leave you without a place to prepare food for days, or even weeks as tends to be the case when dealing with various contractors. Typically (though not with us), you have to deal with various contractors and no matter how much vetting and planning you do, you tend to run into hiccups which can cost time and additional expense not planned in your original budget. With Sigma Homes, we aim to take the stress out of renovation. We can manage the entire build, and our team of experts take care of everything ‘in house’. We are used to working together with the aim of getting the job done to the highest quality and with the least amount of disruption to you. By minimising costs and build time while increasing build quality, home renovation can be made relatively pain-free. Especially when compared with the time and expense of moving.

If you’re unsure whether to move or if a home renovation can offer you the changes you’re after, we would be happy to examine your existing home, listen to your ideas, then present to you a plan based on your existing structure. To find out more, please call us today on 021-2348095

Extension/Remodel

15/05/2019

5 Tips Before You Remodel Your Kitchen

The advantage of doing your kitchen remodelling with Sigma Homes is that we can help you reduce build cost and time while avoiding many of the common pitfalls. Still, if you decide to go it alone, here are a few important kitchen remodelling tips.

1. Don’t Underestimate Your Budget

Of all the kitchen remodelling tips, this is number one. It’s common for people to start a build or remodel with the best of intentions, but no matter how frugal you are, without experience managing a build, there are simply too many factors that can be overlooked or just go wrong. We’ve had clients come to us frustrated after spending way beyond their intended budget before realising they were better off seeking help. If you’re going it alone, it’s not uncommon to pay 40% more than you originally planned. Things do go wrong, there are things you will overlook, and when you’re doing it yourself you’re the one who foots the bill. (This is one of the issues you can avoid entirely by going with Sigma Homes).

2. Don’t Underestimate the Time Involved

When you factor in the design, the build, the inevitable issues that arise, not to mention the appliances, fixtures, managing different contractors, getting them back to fix a bad installation, etc., you are often talking about extended periods of time. Sourcing great, reliable contractors is a job in itself. When you are managing the kitchen remodel with separate contractors, it can be an ordeal getting them to show up in good time, and come back when they’re needed. We have worked with clients whose home became a building site as they waited for unreliable contractors to finish the job they had barely started.

3. Make Sure You Have a Solid Plan

Kitchen remodelling is a big investment in time and money. To get it done in good time, you’ll want to ensure that you have the various contractors in and out in the right order to minimise disruptions. In addition to the kitchen, you may find that there is disruption in other areas of your home too. Also, remember to have a plan for food preparation as there may be times when this is unavailable to you.

Once your contractors get to work, you don’t want to chop and change as you go. This can lead to serious delays and additional expense. It’s vital that you have a clear plan in advance so that you increase the speed of your build while minimising cost and disruption.

4. Don’t Overlook Your Infrastructure

When ordering new appliances and fixtures, it’s easy to forget about the plumbing and electrics. Consult with an electrician and a plumber to ensure that you have adequate access (and capacity) for your water, gas and electricity. This is especially important for older homes which may have outdated systems that are incapable of handling an increased load.

5. Call Us For Advice and More Kitchen Remodelling Tips

If you’re looking for guidance, feel free to call us. At Sigma Homes, we’ve seen the many issues that can plague kitchen renovation projects. We aim to solve these problems, giving our clients a superior quality build, on time and with zero stress. We will help you plan, producing an architecturally designed, high-quality renovation plan for your kitchen. Because we manage the entire project with our own contractors, we can ensure that everything is completed on time and on budget.

When you arrange a free consultation, we’ll call by, take a look at your kitchen space and offer you some kitchen remodelling tips. There’s no pressure and no obligation. Give us a call today on 021-2348095

Extension/Remodel

14/12/2018

Building Ireland Magazine – Sigma Homes

We were thrilled to be featured in Building Ireland magazine, and even more happy to make the front cover. See what they had to say about us and read the full story below to find out what makes Sigma Homes so different to our competitors and why everyone is talking about us in Cork.

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