HOW TO HIRE · TRADES & CONSTRUCTION

How to hire an architect in Ireland
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

An architect in Ireland costs €3,500–€20,000 per project, typically around €8,000. Here is how to check that in a minute, what to ask before you book, and what you must be handed when the job is done.

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THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring an architect in five steps

  1. Are you on the Construction Industry Register Ireland, and what is your number?A number you can look up yourself before you agree a price — project management and — project management and oversight during construction.
  2. Will I get a Certificate of Compliance on Completion, and when?On the day the work is finished and tested, not posted on later — what does this service include? — this service includes the design and planning of your project, as well as oversight during construction.
  3. How does project complexity change the price?Fine work is checked more often, and checking takes time. — ask before the quote rather than after.
  4. How does architect's experience change the price?The better known the provider, the less they need to discount. — ask before the quote rather than after.
  5. How does custom designs change the price?A simple job follows a routine; a complex one does not. — ask before the quote rather than after.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

Construction Industry Register Ireland (CIRI)

CIRI is a VOLUNTARY register today. The Regulation of Providers of Building Works and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2022 was signed on 5 July 2022 and S.I. 429/2022 commenced parts of it on 29 August 2022; the Construction Industry Federation was appointed registration body on 16 January 2023. Registration is NOT yet mandatory: the divisions regulations had not been drafted as of a May 2025 Dáil answer, and CIRI itself projects mandatory registration from 2027. So being absent from CIRI breaks no law in 2026 — and being on it is still the only independent check of a builder that exists here.

Search the Construction Industry Register Ireland for the name or the registration number before you agree a price. ciri.ie →

a Certificate of Compliance on Completion

Issued by the assigned certifier and the builder, where the work needed a commencement notice on completion, before the building is occupied. It matters because it is lodged on the statutory register and is what a buyer's solicitor looks for; work done without one surfaces on sale.

Agree before the work starts that you will be handed a certificate of compliance on completion, and keep it with the house papers.

Insurance

Expect public liability and, for anything structural, professional indemnity from whoever designed it. From a company, ask for the insurer, the limit and the VAT number, and ask who actually attends: the team that turns up may be employed, subcontracted or both, and only one of those is supervised by the firm you are paying.

Ask to see the current certificate of insurance — the insurer's name, the limit and the date it runs to.

Trader or private seller

Under the Consumer Rights Act 2022 a trader must tell you they are a trader, and your consumer rights — work carried out with reasonable skill and care, and a cooling-off period on a contract agreed in your home or online — apply to traders and not to private sellers. On Locufy the trader status is shown on the profile.

Look for the trader badge on the Locufy profile, and ask anyone else for it in writing before you agree a price.

VAT

VAT at 23%, the standard rate Revenue publishes for this service. Ask whether the price you were given includes it. A trader under the €42,500 registration threshold does not charge it; one over it must, and must show it separately.

Ask whether the figure you were given includes it, and for the VAT number if they are registered — Revenue publishes the rate for this service. revenue.ie →

“Are you on the Construction Industry Register Ireland, and what is your number?”

A good answer: A number you can look up yourself before you agree a price — project management and — project management and oversight during construction.

“Will I get a Certificate of Compliance on Completion, and when?”

A good answer: On the day the work is finished and tested, not posted on later — what does this service include? — this service includes the design and planning of your project, as well as oversight during construction.

“How does project complexity change the price?”

A good answer: Fine work is checked more often, and checking takes time. — ask before the quote rather than after.

“How does architect's experience change the price?”

A good answer: The better known the provider, the less they need to discount. — ask before the quote rather than after.

“How does custom designs change the price?”

A good answer: A simple job follows a routine; a complex one does not. — ask before the quote rather than after.

“What is not included?”

A good answer: Urban Design — developing plans for public spaces, streets, and communities to enhance livability and sustainability — get the exclusions named in the quote, because a architect job is priced on what was agreed and not on what was assumed.

“Who insures you, and what is the policy number?”

A good answer: Expect public liability and, for anything structural, professional indemnity from whoever designed it — landscape Architecture — planning outdoor spaces that harmonise with the surrounding environment and meet client specifications.

Getting the quote right

  • Project complexity — fine work is checked more often, and checking takes time.
  • Architect's experience — the better known the provider, the less they need to discount.
  • Custom designs — a simple job follows a routine; a complex one does not.
  • What does this service include? — it is checked on the visit because it changes the method.
  • In writing before anyone starts — a message on Locufy counts
  • What is NOT included, named
  • Who actually attends, and whether they are employed or subcontracted
  • The VAT number, and whether it checks out on the Revenue register

Walk away if

  • They are not on the Construction Industry Register Ireland, or the number does not resolve to the name on the quote
  • No a Certificate of Compliance on Completion is offered, or you are told you do not need one for work of this kind
  • They will not talk about it: project complexity — fine work is checked more often, and checking takes time
  • They will not talk about it: architect's experience — the better known the provider, the less they need to discount
  • They will not talk about it: custom designs — a simple job follows a routine; a complex one does not
  • A price for the architect before anyone has asked the size, the access or the condition of what they are working on
LOW
€3,500
TYPICAL
€8,000
HIGH
€20,000

What an architect costs: €3,500–€20,000 per project

The figures are for the job, per project, and a quote for your own is the only number that binds anyone. Residential design and Commercial architecture each carry their own band. Architect price guide →

Guide prices compiled by the Locufy team from published Irish and UK provider price lists and 2026/27 cost guides. Updated 2026.

KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR? NOW FIND ONE

Architects near you, with the badges that matter shown

ID checked, trader status and one score from every review — on the card, before you message anyone. Nearest first. No account needed to look.

Or post the job free and let them come to you.

  1. Look firstProject complexity — fine work is checked more often, and checking takes time — that is what the architect is judging on the first visit, and a price given without it is a guess.
  2. Agree what is being doneArchitect's experience — the better known the provider, the less they need to discount — put in writing before anyone starts, because it is the document you both read back at the end.
  3. The work itselfCustom designs — a simple job follows a routine; a complex one does not — and anything found on the day that was not in that is priced before it is started.
  4. Check it togetherWhat does this service include? — it is checked on the visit because it changes the method — walked against the written scope rather than against the feeling of it, while the architect is still there.
  5. What you are handedA Certificate of Compliance on Completion, the invoice and any guarantee on the workmanship and the parts, the scope of an architect's work can vary significantly depending on the project's size, complexity, and specific client requirements, from residential homes to large commercial developments.

What does this service include?
This service includes the design and planning of your project, as well as oversight during construction.
Project management and
Project management and oversight during construction.
Residential Design
Creating custom designs for homes that reflect the client's needs and preferences.
Commercial Architecture
Designing functional and attractive spaces for businesses, including offices and retail spaces.
Renovation and Restoration
Adapting or restoring existing buildings to improve their functionality or preserve their historical significance.
Landscape Architecture
Planning outdoor spaces that harmonise with the surrounding environment and meet client specifications.

AFTER

When the job is done

Keep a Certificate of Compliance on CompletionA Certificate of Compliance on Completion is issued by the trader, not asked for later — project management and — project management and oversight during construction, because it is what a buyer's solicitor, an insurer or a lender asks for long after the architect has gone.
Test what was doneWhat does this service include? — this service includes the design and planning of your project, as well as oversight during construction — and something that does not work on the day is theirs to put right there and then.
Ask what the guarantee isOn the workmanship and on the parts, and for how long each one runs — they are usually different. urban Design — developing plans for public spaces, streets, and communities to enhance livability and sustainability — under the Consumer Rights Act 2022 what was agreed is what can be relied on.
Leave the reviewOnly a booked job can be reviewed on Locufy, which is why the score on a architect's card means something — landscape Architecture — planning outdoor spaces that harmonise with the surrounding environment and meet client specifications.

STEP 1Say it in writing, firstSay what is wrong and what you want done. Under the Consumer Rights Act 2022 the work must be carried out with reasonable skill and care, and defective work put right.
STEP 2Use the make-it-right step on LocufyUnder four stars you are asked whether to send it to the provider first; we follow it through. Then review.
STEP 3Escalate to the body that regulates itReport it to Construction Industry Register Ireland (CIRI).
STEP 4Small claimsSmall claims covers €2,000, once you have asked in writing and given them a chance to put it right.

Hiring an architect: questions people ask

Yes, architects are experienced in navigating planning permissions and can assist in preparing the necessary documentation. Ask for the detail in writing before the work is booked.

Changes can be accommodated, but it's best to discuss them promptly to assess their impact on the timeline and budget. Ask for the detail in writing before the work is booked.

Search the name or the registration number. If the number does not resolve to the name on the quote, stop there.

Under the Consumer Rights Act 2022 the work must be carried out with reasonable skill and care, and put right if it is not. Say what is wrong in writing first.

Two or three, each for the same written scope. Quotes for different scopes are not comparable, which is how the cheapest one wins and then grows.

Expect public liability and, for anything structural, professional indemnity from whoever designed it. Ask who the insurer is, not just whether they have it.

MORE GUIDES

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Architects near you

Architects in DublinArchitects in CorkArchitects in GalwayArchitects in LimerickAll architects on Locufy →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. Regulation of Providers of Building Works and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2022
  2. S.I. 429/2022 — Commencement Order
  3. Construction Industry Register Ireland
  4. Department of Housing — Building Control
  5. Consumer Rights Act 2022
  6. Revenue — ARCHITECT — Standard rate
  7. Revenue — current VAT rates (effective 1 January 2026)
  8. Revenue — VAT thresholds: €42,500 for a person supplying services only