Interior Design Vs Interior Architecture
Extension/Remodel|Renovation
13/08/2023

Interior Design Vs Interior Architecture

There’s a big difference between interior design and interior architecture. Both are fascinating areas to work in as they combine creative design and practical planning that can be stimulating and rewarding. But what is the difference exactly?

Interior Design Vs Interior Architecture

Interior Design is about building an atmosphere and tone in an already-built space. This is achieved through colour choices and selecting appropriate fixtures and decorations to create a space based on a theme. The theme will depend on the designer and the occupant’s wishes and can range from historic design concepts such as art deco, or modern ideas such as minimalism or other methods.

Interior architecture is more about the structure and redesigning an interior space. This is about creating concepts incorporating sustainable materials to remodel the space around the occupant’s behaviours and needs. It starts with listening to the homeowners’ needs. What do they want? How do they use their space? The interior design architectcreates an idea that utilises the space around the occupant’s needs. There can be lots of back and forth in this phase as the occupant is presented with ideas and has time to consider them, come back with their own thoughts and finalise an idea that best fits their lives. The final design will also incorporate specific materials to maximise light and passive heating.

What We Provide

We are both house designers and builders, a one-stop shop providing you with everything you need to remodel or extend your home. Our interior design architects can re-imagine your space around your needs. We have interior designers who can assist you in choosing quality fixtures, fittings and centrepieces. We can help you create a space with the right colours and finishes to inspire specific feelings. For example, to create a sense of open space in the kitchen or bringing a greater feeling of calm and quiet in the bedroom. We work with our clients to help them build their dream home. Even older buildings can be re-imagined in surprising and innovative ways. We help you break traditional Irish homes’ confines, opening them up for new possibilities—all while using the latest materials to maximise natural light and reduce your energy bills.

Join Our Team

Our team is growing. We’re always on the lookout for the best talent. If you are an interior design architect or designer and care deeply about providing quality work, we’d love to meet you.

Extension/Remodel|Renovation
29/05/2020

Bedroom Remodelling

Bedroom remodelling is an essential aspect of a home renovation project. Your bedroom is your sanctuary. It’s where, and how, you wind down after a long day. It’s where you go to read, to repose, to recharge. We’ve seen it enough times to know that it’s no exaggeration to say that having a home designed around who you are will profoundly improve your life. That potential is there for the taking in every space in your home, from the utility room to the kitchen — and not least of all in your bedroom. Your bedroom is the environment you wake up to each morning. It sets the tone for the rest of your day, day after day, week after week. Your bedroom sets the tone for your life. As such, we treat it with the level of care it deserves. It’s important to us that your bedroom supports you, accommodating and encourages the things that give you energy, inspiration and joy. 

Bedroom Remodelling Is About You4 Bedroom Remodel Ideas To Incorporate Into Your Home

At Sigma Homes, when we think about remodelling and extending a home, we are constantly asking ourselves how this will improve our client’s quality of life. What we excel at (and are genuinely passionate about) is delivering the perfect space uniquely tailored for each of our clients. When we first sit down with you, we listen. We learn about what you’re looking for, what is going on with your space that you would like to be different, what is working for you, what is not. How would you like to feel in your new home? Listening to you, we learn about your style preferences. Sometimes after our clients describe their needs they add, “but I’m no expert”. That’s simply not true. Even if they don’t know the jargon or specific terms for a decor style or finish, they always know what they like and what they don’t.

Our Process Sets Us Apart

Before we begin any physical work, an important part of our process is to understand your style preferences and reflect those back to you in a complete concept. To refine the design, we listen to your feedback. What elements reflect your needs? What parts, if any, don’t quite hit the mark for what you’re after? By the end of this process, we will have helped you create a seamless, complete concept based borne from your preferences and lifestyle. A bespoke space created especially to let you relax, sink back, and sigh a deep breath of relief.

If you’re planning for a home or bedroom remodelling project, give us a call today on 021 436 5866

Extension/Remodel|Renovation
30/04/2020

Build Management

Build management is a critical piece of the puzzle when it comes to efficiently and effectively building, extending or renovating your home. We started Sigma Homes because there were many problems in the industry that we wanted to solve. Looking critically at the industry, we sought to understand why builds so often went so wrong. Why exactly did the majority of construction and renovation projects end up having major mistakes, delays and disruptions? Why was construction typically so stressful for the customer? While there are many reasons, one of the critical aspects we identified was build management. On paper, a build seems deceptively straightforward. But the reality is far from it. It’s very easy to look at the plans and think, “we just need these traders and these suppliers, and then we’ll get the job done”.  Many experienced industry professionals have also made this assumption on their own home projects. But very often they discover the reality is a lot more complicated than that.

Cutting Costs

We all want to get the best quality work for the best price. For those managing their own build, this might mean sourcing different traders and suppliers for various tasks. A dozen quotes from different builders, another dozen from plumbers, electricians, plasterers, fitters for the kitchen, etc. Because you’re getting the best price by shopping around, it can feel like you’re saving money. But this unlikely to be the case. It’s easy to get a date from traders and suppliers in the planning stages. But each one is an individual operating in their own best interest. They may say they’ll be available today, but that doesn’t mean they’ll be available in six months when you need them. Attempts to cut costs by finding the best person for each job often results in added stress and unforeseen delays which end up costing far more time and money later down the line when one trader is waiting on another before they can proceed.

Good Build Management Is About Trust

Most builders and traders are overbooked. They know that even without delays on other projects, the project will likely run on longer than the customer would like or expect. While the reasons for this may be understandable from the perspective of a trader trying to make ends meet, for the customer, the result is delays, obfuscations, miscommunications and a breakdown of trust. A typical builder jumps between multiple projects. This often happens without clarity and focus. It often results in mistakes and miscommunications, adding to delays, and the feeling that this builder is not the trustworthy person you had met initially. And it’s stressful when you feel stuck in a relationship with someone you can’t trust.

Build Management: The One Stop Shopbuilding management

Sourcing different, independent experts to work on a single project means you’re almost guaranteed to have delays and miscommunications. At Sigma Homes, we are committed to putting our relationship with our clients first. We saw that effective build management was critical to exceeding their expectations. In order to orchestrate everything smoothly and remove the stress from our clients, we knew we had to be a unified team. Our architects, builders, plumbers, plasterers, electricians and fitters work together as one coordinated unit. We plan our activities as a team to ensure that you get the home of your dreams delivered to you, our client, on-time — and to the very highest quality. 

If you’d like to discuss your project with our team, feel free to call us today on 021 2348 095.

Extension/Remodel|Renovation
19/09/2018

Incorporating Technology Into Your New Look Home

Incorporating Technology Into Your New Look Home When renovating or adding an extension to your home, you are provided with the opportunity to have a home that meets all of your requirements and is specific to your needs. The opportunities to incorporate technology into your home are endless and doing so can make your life so more convenient, easier and ultimately stress-free. Technology is finding new ways to bring homes to life into the digital age. Technology for your home is smarter than ever before. It is not just for show it can be handy and very useful. The newest technologies can save you time effort and money. There are so many different brands, gadgets, devices, and apps to consider as well as so many elements in the home that could be outfitted.

Many people are unaware of the importance and capabilities of home technology. The appeal of your life made simpler by a fingertip of a piece of technology is hard to comprehend but it is certainly true. These devices and applications can be used for purposes relating to entertainment, lighting, security systems, heating and cooling systems, cooking appliances and lots more. There are so much tech products that can be installed to reflect your personality and aid your lifestyle. Technology doesn’t have to sacrifice style in most cases it adds to the style of your home.

Whether you’re a tech genius or not tech savvy when it comes to gadgets, devices, and apps, there is something to suit everyone and their needs. If you are not tech savvy, you can manage all of your home devices in the one place which is very convenient. By simply learning how to operate the one interface you can tap into the different devices throughout your home to your specifications.

Incorporating Technology Into Your New Look Home

High tech appliances, gadgets devices and apps can do so much for you as a homeowner. Tech options for your home can be discussed with your designer and builder when you are in the planning stage of your new custom home. If you are considering a home renovation or extension then talk to sigma homes and see how to make your project tech-friendly and a home you will fall in love with. Call us now on 021-4365866 or book a consultation at https://sigmahomes.ie/get-a-quote/

Extension/Remodel|Renovation
22/08/2018

Should I Extend Or Renovate My Home?

Whether you’ve been in your home for decades or only a few years, there will come a time when you’ll think about making a change. Wanting a change can be down to a number of reasons. For example, your family could have grown and you need more space, your children have left home and you have more space to yourself, you could also be considering future-proofing your home for when you become much older or maybe you just fancy a change and want to create something fresh and new.Should I Extend Or Renovate My Home?

Doing up your home can be a tough decision and a prominent question that comes into people’s minds when deciding on a change is “should I extend or renovate my home?”.  When you’re considering any plans, you should set goals of what you would like from your change and also think years ahead of time to consider the needs of you and your family in that time.

An extension is suitable for a growing family or perhaps to cater to an elderly relative moving into your home. If you want to entertain guests by having them stay over occasionally, having extra rooms will come in handy. With all extensions, you need to apply for planning permission. If you get planning permission to extend, it is best to do so instead of moving home. Financially it makes more sense because the cost of buying a new house far outweigh the cost of building an extension onto your current home. They also they add great financial value to your home should you think about selling in the future. Another reason why an extension is perfect for your home is if you want a bigger, more spacious home. Extensions allow for flexibility for example if you happen to want to convert space into something for a particular use like an office or a relaxation room whether that is now or in the future.

Should I Extend Or Renovate My Home? - Image 2

A renovation is perfect for improving the functionality of your home. Some people rush to the conclusion that they need an extension however it can be sensible to look more closely at what you already have and how improvements can be made. It’s important to think about what can be achieved within the property you already have. Cleverly reconfiguring existing space, adding some beautiful furniture, appliances and well-designed storage space will deal with excess clutter doing wonders for your home. Sometimes even knocking down some walls can have a profound impact upon the overall space and appearance of your home.

Deciding whether to extend or renovate your home is a dilemma faced by many but whichever one you decide on doing will be an exciting venture that will change your home for the better. To book a consultation for an extension or remodel in 2019, visit us online today at https://sigmahomes.ie/get-a-quote/ or call us on 021-4365866.

Extension/Remodel|Renovation
01/01/1970

How We’ve Never Missed a Handover Deadline

If we had to name the Irish building industry’s biggest problem, it is this: delays. 

The industry has plenty of problems, but delays are among the biggest frustrations for homeowners waiting on their new builds and renovations. Delays mean another winter cramped in your in-laws’ house. Delays mean mounting costs as your budget is stretched thin. Your builder seemed so trustworthy when you first met, but your heart sinks as they break one promise after another. What’s a measurable indicator of a broken promise?

Delays.

When we first started, we realised very early that tracking our deadlines would help us measure whether we were keeping our promises. We wanted to change the industry, and become Cork’s #1 design and build team. That took a lot of work and a lot of time. We had to improve our processes continually. We needed to ensure that we could provide outstanding service to our clients and always deliver on time and on budget. 

It’s about attitude

Delays have many causes. But a lot of it has to do with attitude. Too many Irish builders don’t take enough pride in their work. Many builders adopt the typical attitude of their peers, which borders on contempt for you, the client. It’s “acceptable” amongst builders to leave their clients high and dry for many months past the promised deadline. And it’s common for builders to disappear for weeks to start on another project. They do it, knowing it’ll mean they run late on your renovation, And they know they’ll probably break their promises with the other client, too. If it were a relationship, we’d call it cheating. 

It’s about process

We’ve learned that delays are also a symptom of dysfunctional businesses and dysfunctional teams. Dysfunctional teams lead to bad practices and inefficient processes. Almost all build teams in Ireland work within a traditional model. They don’t look to improve their process. They do what has always been done. They build the same brick-and-mortar structures that have hardly changed in generations. They do not integrate other core parts of the build into their team. And so there are no standardised procedures between the architect, the builders, the plumbers and electricians, the insulators and plasterers and window fitters.

Mismanagement causes miscommunication. And miscommunication causes delays.

Picture this. You’ve planned for a guest bathroom. It was designed meticulously to allow enough space for storage as well as a shower. The architect indicated exactly where the drainage should be placed- as even a few inches off would mean the layout wasn’t possible. The plumber followed the plan. But later, while another contractor came in to quote for work, they accidentally moved the pipework. Shortly after, someone came in to pour cement. Now, that badly placed drainage system is stuck in place. Just one mistake means you either forego your original plans for the bathroom and settle for a room with an awkward layout, no shower and a poorly placed toilet…or waste days undoing the error.

Whenever there’s a problem, we hold it in our minds that there may be a better way. That way, if things go wrong as a result of inefficient processes, we are very unlikely to blame someone. Instead, we examine our process. What did we collectively miss? What measures can we put in place to account for human error? It makes for better teamwork. It improves our efficiency. And by replacing blaming with training, we ensure our future projects meet deadlines.

We’re always improving

Consistently delivering on dream home designs means consistently working on our process. Every Friday, the entire team knows we will hand over a new build to one of our clients. In the weeks preceding, the whole team works together. At each stage of the project, we are checking to see if we’re on track. If we found a potential issue in our process, we work to fix it. We ensure that everything looks incredible – and as planned.

We’ve been doing this now for years. It’s always a big day. It’s always exciting. And we have always been on time.

Visit Us at

Unit A4, Donnybrook Commercial Centre
Douglas, Cork

Contact Us

E: info@sigmahomes.ie
P: 021 4365866

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