Yes! We enjoy the challenge of working with (and staying within) modest budgets. From a £50k kitchen renovation to a £150k full rejig of your ground floor - we appreciate how these smaller projects can make a big improvement to daily life.

In the UK, you do not require an architect to make a planning application, design or construct a building.

However, architects are professionally obligated to design to a high standard and are covered by professional indemnity insurance should issues with the design arise. A draftsperson or building surveyor do not have the same obligations to meet a set level of construction design standards.

Construction is an unregulated industry in the UK. There are no qualifications needed or professional standards that builders need to adhere to. With that in mind, if you choose a draftsperson or building surveyor and something goes wrong you may find yourself in the position that no one is obligated to put it right.

When choosing an architect you should consider the value that they can add to your project, in conjunction with their fees and your total construction budget.

While we value quality, we’re not interested in making things flashy for the sake of it. When it comes to designing your home, our focus is creating spaces that fit your lifestyle and work for you within your budget.

One of the key questions we ask is if you need to build at all, and if so, how much do you really need. We do this by taking a big step back to look at your brief and what you’re trying to achieve, rather than throwing floor area at a problem. You may have the potential to reconfigure what you already have, and we try to include a ‘no build’ or ‘build less’ option, which is lower cost to pocket and planet.

Fundamentally we want our work to get built, and will work with a builder or quantity surveyor to make sure this happens.

As architects registered with the ARB we have a code of conduct. Point 7 of this code is to “Be trustworthy and look after your clients’ money properly”. This includes your budget which we always help to manage, but unfortunately we are not cost professionals (this is the role of a quantity surveyor) so not able to price your build.

We can help with estimating a budget range by using square meter floor area costs with similar recent projects, and factoring in the other costs involved such as surveys, design fees, approvals, contingency and VAT.

Obviously we do not control the cost of the construction of a project as this is calculated by the builder chosen to undertake the work.

If you require a more accurate cost estimate prior to tendering for builders’ prices we are always happy to get a professional quantity surveyor involved.

The cost of building generally

The cost of carrying out building work is currently very high (The Building Cost Information Service Materials Cost Index has been at a 40-year high), due to Brexit, the Russo-Ukrainian war, and Covid. This is due to changes to demand, labour shortages and availability and cost of raw materials, and shows no signs of reducing at present.

Unfortunately, most of the figures you can find on the internet are very out of date. We are experiencing overall costs to be approximately double that of 2-3 years ago: around £3,000-3,800 (excluding VAT) per square meter for a single storey extension.

Having said that there are many factors that determine the cost of building or renovating your home. These include:

• Cost of labour and materials at the time of tendering and building.

• Availability of contractors.

• The quality of materials that you want to use such as windows, roof, cladding, kitchens, wet rooms, floor finishes, heating system, house ventilation systems, utility connections, etc.

Working with an architect is a process rather than a product and that means it isn’t as straight forward as choosing a finished item. We cannot always control how long things take as architecture is a collaborative process.

Sometimes projects can take a long time so we work hard to foster close relationships with our clients.

We quote assuming that your project will continue on stage after the next, uninterrupted. However it is never a problem to consider planned pauses to design work.

It’s also fine if you want to just get to planning and take stock.

Deadlines work both ways and itʼs important to get feedback, sign-off and any information requested from you on time so we can stay on track for the project duration. If your input is delayed the project will be considered ‘paused’ and we may need to charge to cover our time to get back up to speed.

Specialist consultants and engineers required on the project will be appointed directly and paid by you. We act as lead designer and manage the process with them but will not be responsible for their work.

Payments to others such as the local planning authority are also usually paid directly by you.

You also need to take into account contingency, and VAT on all of the above.

Where architects can cover a wide range of services, structural engineers tend to specialise (as the name suggests) in the structure of buildings.

As a general rule they will be needed whenever structural changes are proposed. This could be a rear extension, dormer loft conversion, or removing a wall or chimney.

Typically, during the building regulations stage, your structural engineer will calculate the weight of your proposed structure, and specify key elements such as steel beams. They will issue their drawings showing the structural design, alongside a calculation package which will be required by building control. We make sure these all work with our side, highlighting any issues and coordinating if it needs redesigning.

Sometimes we might bring them on board sooner if we need design prior to a planning application.

We work with a number of local structural engineers who are all members of either the Institution of Structural Engineers (IStructE) or the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE).

In October 2023 the Building Regulations came into force. They included new statutory duties for all clients, designers and builders, to ensure that buildings are safe to build, occupy, maintain and demolish, and to ensure that they comply with the relevant requirements of the Building Regulations.

The new regulaticns include the introduction of three formal roles:

1. Client
2. Principal Designer
3. Principal Contractor

As architects we take the approach that as the only or lead designer, undertaking the role of Principal Designer under both CDM 2015 and the Building Regulations is not optional.

Unfortunately we are not prepared to progress projects past RIBA Stage 3 (planning) unless we will be involved on site.

We will require you to confirm in writing that you are aware of your duties so require you to understand what is involved.

Further reading: The Building Regulations etc. (Amendment) (England) Regulations 2023