Planning Tip #2: Don't build a new house. Utilise something existing

I know that you are dreaming of your lovely new house and my advice not to build goes against this but hear me out… It’s becoming apparent the Local Authorities across Ireland do not want you to build a new Read More …

I am declaring the recession to be over, feel free to join in…

As the headline says, I am declaring the recession to be over. What facts do I have to substantiate this? 1. We’ve opened a new office to handle an ever increasing client rosta. Read about the new office HERE 2. Read More …

The #NewOffice in Swinford is open!

There’s still a bit of work to do but we’re in! We’re finally working from our new office in Swinford, County Mayo. I’ve also taken on an assistant (Melissa) who you can see in the photo: A special thanks to Read More …

Early sketch design for new house with interesting geometries…

Working on this house at moment (still early sketch designs) which has some interesting geometries and will give roofer a challenge:

New Years Resolution : More commercial work. @paulmknally mentioned

Over the last year there were a couple of non-residential, commercial projects that I thought “Yes, I could have done that one”. In much the same way that an actor sees the roles that he could have done better [than Read More …

This is old but this is new, let's see how Glenn Murcutt does it…

I am a great believer in that you don’t have to extend older properties in the same style as the original. My catch phrase is “This [the existing house] maybe old but this [the extension] is new” Let’s see how Read More …

If you're thinking of building in 2014, January is when you're looking for an architect…[statistics]

When you’ve been running websites for a while, the stats begin to get quite interesting. And if you’re running an architectural practice I think the following year-on-year statistic is definitely the most interesting. Throughout the year, the visitors to my Read More …

A Seasons Greeting mp3 message from Mark Stephens Architects

A Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from Mark Stephens Architects Click on PLAY below for a Seasons Greeting mp3 message: A special thanks to Natalie Cooper ( @voiceovergirl – Professional voice-over artiste)

Sheet on cottage restoration & new house

Slowly working my way through projects to create sheets on each one, this was done a while back; a cobblers cottage restoration together with a new house and garage. Executed an an authentic style yet with a few contemporary bits Read More …

Last blog post of 2012 – the juicy WordPress stats and Happy New Year

At this time every year WordPress summarises the statistics for the website for the year and what a year it’s been – a 4.5x increase in views from 2010 and I thank each and every one of you that has Read More …