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Luke Williamson Architect |
LW © 2008 |
Luke Williamson Architect's aim is to make the process of extending your house as straight forward as possible. As part of Luke Williamson Architect's services a free initial consultation is offered (dependant on proximity) to review the feasibility of the scheme and to accurately assess for a fee proposal. For house extensions Luke Williamson Architect would typically propose to carry out work up to and including RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architects) Stage E (Building Regulations). The building regulation information provided at this stage contains sufficient construction information for a competant builder to price and construct the works. However, further detailed design, specification and site visits may be required and suggested depending on the scheme and client requirements. Therefore involvement up to and including Stage J-K (on site & completion) is available. Timescale Timescale would be individual to each project and current workload. Based on a typical house extension, an appropriate timeframe allowance from appointment to starting construction may be around 6 months. A realistic time frame, where planning permission is granted without changes, is shown below: Following appointment Weeks 1-4 Survey carried out. Existing drawings drawn. Proposed options drawn. Meeting with client to discuss proposals. Finalise option. Complete & submit planning application. Weeks 5-12 Planning application reviewed by County Council (8weeks). Weeks 13-16 Building regulations drawings and notes completed. Building regulations application submitted. Weeks 17-22 Building regulation information used to seek quotations from builders. Building regulation submission reviewed by County Council Building Control (5 weeks). Week 23 Building regulations approval received. Potentially start building - dependant on builder's availability. Construction periods vary dependant on scheme. RIBA Work Stages Stage A-B Feasibility Initial visit Stage C-D Outline proposals Planning Stage E Detailed design Building Regulations Stage F Production Information Stage G Tender Action Stage J-K Operations on site Fees Before extending your house one of the most important factors to review is the overal cost, not just the building cost. Architect Fees Fee proposals would either be a fixed fee, an hourly rate (including an estimate of hours) or a percentage fee of the construction cost (usually only for larger projects). Please contact me to discuss estimate of fees for your proposed project. Planning Fees The Country Council reviews the planning application and requires a fee to be paid for this statutory service. A typical house extension planning fee is currently £150 (including VAT). Building Regulation Fees The Country Council both review the building regulation application and carry out inspections once the work has commenced. Two separate fees are payable to the Council for this service. This fee varies as it is usually assessed on the floor area of an extension or on the estimated overall construction cost. As an example an extension with floor area between 20-40 sq m is around £200 +VAT for a 'Full Plans Application' fee and £300+VAT for the inspection fee. Structural Engineer's Fees For all size projects, it is likely that the involvement of a Structural Engineer will be required. Their involvment is crucial to providing assessment of the structural implications of a design and to submit structural calculations that are required by Building Control for the Building Regulations application. Please contact me to discuss Structural Engineer's fees.. Quantity Surveyor's Cost A Quantity surveyor's services are sometimes suggested if a the project is of a large scale or accurate final cost information is required prior to obtaining quotations from builders. Building Cost Building construction costs vary considerably, however for a rough 'ball-park' guide a cost per square metre can be used to calculate an intial cost of an extension. Until drawings are reviewed by a builder, or quantity surveyor, an accurate costing can not be achieved. Builders may be able to provide an estimate at planning stage and then provide a firm quotation at building regulations stage. For an approximate guide to current building costs of a variety of projects can be found on www.whatprice.co.uk. This website compiles users information submitted on the costs of recent construction projects. This is an independent site and the information that it gives is not related to Luke Williamson Architect. |