Architect, architectural technologist or engineer: who do you need?

Choose a designer who suits your house and site, then agree who will certify the work. One professional can do both jobs, but the statutory certification roles require specific registration as well as competence.

Who can design and certify your house?

Architects, architectural technologists and engineers can provide design services within their competence. The person preparing your planning drawings does not automatically qualify to sign the statutory certificates. Check the registration needed for each job before you appoint anyone.

On the statutory certification route, you need a design certifier and an assigned certifier. Each must be an eligible registered architect, registered building surveyor or chartered engineer, and competent for the work. The same person can fill both roles. If you are building one house on its own site (not as part of a multi-house development), you may be able to opt out of statutory certification instead: see the opt-out section below.

You can appoint one registered professional to design and certify, or split the work between people. Ask each for a written scope, fee proposal and details of their professional indemnity cover. Confirm current eligibility with the relevant register and your building control authority; professional initials alone are not enough.

What each professional does

Professional	What to ask them to cover
Architect	House design, planning and construction drawings, tendering and site inspections. Can also act as certifier if eligible and competent.
Architectural technologist	House design and construction details within their competence, including planning drawings. The qualification alone does not confer eligibility for statutory certification.
Engineer	Structure and foundations, and often wastewater design. A chartered engineer can act as design or assigned certifier if competent for the work.
Building surveyor	Inspections, defects and contract advice. A registered building surveyor can act as certifier if competent for the work.
Quantity surveyor	Pricing the design and controlling your budget. Quantity surveying registration alone does not qualify someone for statutory design or assigned certification.

The title architect is protected by Part 3 of the Building Control Act 2007. The Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland (RIAI) keeps the Register of Architects. Look up the individual, rather than relying on a practice name. An architectural technologist’s title is different and does not, by itself, qualify them for the statutory certification roles.

Check registered building surveyors on the register kept by the Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland (SCSI), and chartered engineers on the register kept by Engineers Ireland. Registration and competence are separate checks: ask about experience of houses and sites like yours.

Agree who signs the certificates

Your commencement submission through the Building Control Management System (BCMS) identifies the responsible people and includes their certificates and undertakings. On the statutory certification route, agree these roles before work starts:

• Design certifier. Certifies that the design complies with the Building Regulations and coordinates the overall design. They may rely on ancillary certificates from specialist designers, such as a structural engineer. Agree who signs the overall certificate and who supplies each specialist certificate.
• Assigned certifier. Prepares an inspection plan with the builder and design team, carries out inspections and coordinates other people’s inspections. They sign the Certificate of Compliance on Completion with the builder. In the notice of assignment, you state that you are satisfied they are competent for the job.
• Builder. Signs an undertaking and is responsible for building the work to comply with the regulations.

The assigned certifier’s job does not include supervising the builder. They inspect at the stages in the inspection plan and assess the work and certificates provided to them. Site management or a clerk of works is a separate service. If you need someone to oversee the builder’s work more closely, agree that appointment and fee separately.

An assigned certifier can rely on specialist certificates, including those from heating or electrical installers, but must satisfy themselves that the certificates are adequate. Ask who will collect these documents and how much notice each inspector needs before work is covered up.

Before choosing your route, ask your lender which inspection and completion documents it needs for stage payments. Ask your solicitor what evidence will be needed for conveyancing. The build stages guide explains where inspections fit into the programme.

Can you opt out of statutory certification?

Statutory Instrument 365 of 2015 allows the owner of a new single dwelling on a single-unit development, or a domestic extension, to submit a Declaration of Intention to Opt Out of Statutory Certification with the commencement notice. It removes the statutory design-certifier, assigned-certifier and completion-certification requirements specified in that regulation.

Building Regulations duties still apply. You must make the applicable commencement submission and have a compliant design and build. Opting out does not prove compliance or establish that a lender will accept the house.

Ask your lender, insurer and solicitor whether they accept this route and what alternative evidence they require. Agree a professional inspection and documentation service before committing. See Building Control and the commencement notice for the submission process.

Match the team to your project

• A conventional house on a fixed site: choose a competent architect or technologist for the design, with an eligible professional for statutory certification where used. Check whether one proposal covers both jobs or you need separate appointments.
• A complex site, unusual structure or significant wastewater design: include the appropriate specialists. Agree their ancillary certificates with the overall design certifier.
• A build you manage yourself: agree inspection stages and who gives notice before work is covered up. Discuss whether you also need site management or a clerk of works.
• A design-and-build package or timber kit: check who signs the certificates. The supplier’s designer may not be a registered certifier. Confirm the individual’s eligibility before signing the supply contract.

Check candidates before hiring

Meet two or three candidates and give each the same brief and budget. Ask for examples of comparable completed houses and talk to the owners. Find out whether the final cost came close to the design budget.

1. Check the individual on the relevant register. Use the register itself, rather than a website’s claim or a practice’s credentials.
2. Ask for professional indemnity insurance details. Check its limits and run-off cover (insurance that keeps protecting you after the practice stops trading), which matters if a problem emerges years later.
3. Find out who will do the work. The principal you meet may hand the drawings to other staff. Know who will answer questions during construction.
4. Get a scope for every stage. Include concept design, planning, construction drawings, tendering, site inspections and certification as required.
5. Ask about repeat inspections and delays. Some proposals assume a set number of visits. Find out how extra visits or a longer build affect the fee.
6. Assign the conditions attached to your planning permission. Agree who deals with each planning condition and sends the proof to the council.

Compare fees by the work included

Get a written proposal showing the fee basis, VAT, expenses, specialist consultants and additional services. Fees are commonly a fixed amount per stage or a percentage of build cost. For a percentage, ask which construction costs form the base and how design changes affect the fee. Compare the work included before comparing the totals.

A staged proposal might cover:

Stage	Work to include
Design and planning	Brief, site visits, concept, planning drawings and lodging the application.
Construction information	Detailed drawings, specification, Part L (energy performance) compliance information and other compliance information.
Tender	Preparing the package and assessing builders’ prices.
Inspection and certification	Visits under the inspection plan, the assigned certifier role and the completion certificate.

If you stop the appointment after planning, price the remaining services before deciding. You will still need to fill the gaps in construction drawings, tendering, inspections and compliance evidence for your chosen route. A saving at planning stage can leave a separate bill during the build.

Be cautious about a low certification fee covering only a minimum number of visits. Agree what happens if more inspections are needed. On the statutory route, appoint and name the assigned certifier as part of the commencement submission. The commencement notice must be given 14 to 28 days before work starts; see build timings.

Before you commit

Check that the proposal carries you beyond planning permission, or that you have priced the separate appointments needed afterwards. Bring the certifier into the design discussion early enough to assess what they will sign. Ask each candidate how they would run the inspection plan, then check references alongside the written scope and fee.

Keep your own list of who designs, who inspects, who supervises and who certifies. If any task has no name beside it, settle that gap before the builder starts.