Coming up on 25 years in business, Mark Carlin & Associates Ltd offers a wide range of building design and property-related services to clients in the Inishowen Peninsula and beyond.
Mark Carlin & Associates is a design-led practice which undertakes a multitude of professional works, from architectural design and building assessments to folio / land registry mapping, mortgage / construction stage supervision, and planning applications to local authorities. The Carndonagh, Co. Donegal based practice also carries out commercial, residential and hospitality design, and puts works out to tender from contractors or can work with clients wanting to self-build and take the direct labour route.
Since setting up the practice in August 1999, Mark Carlin has earned an enviable reputation for delivering a professional, personal and value-for-money service. Focusing mainly on one-off new build homes and extension / renovation works, he meets the client on the site itself before the pen hits the paper and the design begins. “I’m more like a mobile practice rather than whole time office-based – I come to the client.
“The reason I do this – and it works quite well – is to ensure the client walks throughout their whole site as opposed to looking at it from the road or boundary,” he explains.
“This is where we discuss the business side of things regarding what the site has to offer in terms of views, sun path, natural light, access and location of the proposed house and outbuilding, shed or garage. As design-led, I always extract from the client their requirements, i.e. the brief as to what accommodation they want, and their budget.
“I will always ask that they leave the design side of things to me, and the vast majority of clients are happy to do so. While many clients have good ideas, they are usually very impressed with what I design. I’m always trying to orientate for the best views and natural light while making the home functional and user-friendly, and to make it look nice on the outside too.”
Mark continues: “I remember one client telling me that I was the third designer she went to, but the first to ask her to let me produce a design, based on her accommodation requirements. She was happy for me to do so and we developed a lovely functional design that suited her needs”.
“I had another client who thought that I was mad to suggest retaining an internal stone wall (remodeling of an old cottage), but when the job was completed, he was extremely impressed and thankful that the idea was kept”.
“Drawing plans and meeting people is what I love to do. Having a qualification is important, but having the knowledge and experience is every bit as important in my book. I take charge of every project and deliver to the clients requirements and can provide full turnkey packages also. I’m here to offer advice on architecture and design.”
While Mark’s work and clientele is mainly concentrated in the beautiful Inishowen Peninsula in the north of Co. Donegal, he also has clients throughout the 32 counties.
“Compared to architects in other parts of the country, our fees are very competitive and can be considerably less than other practices within cities and larger towns which leads to inquiries from all over Ireland. We have lots of good clients, including many who are based overseas but are building in Ireland.”
The Defective Concrete Block crisis (known locally as the mica scandal) has led to many people in Donegal searching for alternative methods of construction, according to Mark.
“Over the past few years, and probably due to the defective concrete block crisis, I’m finding that almost all of my clients are looking beyond traditional construction methods,” the affable architect reveals.
“I’ve taken on board the challenge and enjoy working with them to find an alternative method of construction they are happy with. In my opinion, modular homes are every bit as good as concrete if they’re well designed, and certified. They come airtight, insulated and ready for first fixing in three weeks. We need to introduce new techniques and to push the boundaries.
“Unfortunately, the manufacturing process in the mica controversy wasn’t regulated. When I’m dealing with people who are carrying out mica rebuilds, I encourage them to build to new regulations and to maximise the potential of their home. I’m all for helping them to make something good out of something terrible.”
Mark is also dealing with clients who are availing of the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant which provides funding to refurbish vacant and derelict homes.
“I love restoring old buildings and creating a modern living environment. If the structure is there, then it should be used,” adds Mark, who designed The Boathouse Restaurant & Bar in Redcastle, incorporating the old boathouse into a bar and building a restaurant onto it.
Mark learned a lot about the building trade from his father, who was a bricklayer and roofer, and who he worked with during his school holidays and on the odd weekend. He recalls taking copies of the builder’s plans from him and trying to better the design in a time when bungalow bliss was rampant.
After sitting his Leaving Cert, Mark studied Construction Studies at the Atlantic Technological University (then called Letterkenny IT). The course covered architecture, building and land surveying, quantity surveying, management and other fields, and confirmed to Mark that architecture and building surveying was the road he should take.
On graduating from Letterkenny IT, he took a job in an architectural practice and initially measured buildings and drew up scaled plans before moving on to basic design and all that comes with planning applications and building control applications. Mark wanted to be more design-focused and went on to study at the School of Architecture at the University of Humberside and Lincolnshire in Hull, England.
He returned home to Inishowen with his qualification in hand and worked for an architectural practice for a number of years before going out on his own at the age of 24. Mark hasn’t looked back since and is grateful for the support of his clients, staff and wife Sarah and children Maya and Ethan, who are both in third level.
Mark Carlin & Associates Ltd
Carndonagh,
Co. Donegal.
Telephone: 086 6033191
Email: [email protected]
This article was published in Building Ireland Magazine, December 2023, Vol 9 No 12
