Before undertaking any construction you need to know something about the planning process: it's long! How long? At best it will take 8 weeks. Add to this another 2-6 weeks for the design and you are looking at 3-4 months before you can start anything; that's the best-case scenario. It's not that uncommon for a project to be dragged for more than a year with the planning officer asking for changes or studies along the way; or because the project/extension is too big and you ha

So you decided to seek the services of an architect or an architectural designer. What to expect now? 1. Be realistic about your budget. Don't go for something what you can't afford because that's a recipe for disappointment. Have a discussion with your architect/designer for guidance if you are not sure. 2. After establishing what can you afford it's time to put down the briefing for the project which the architect is going to follow. This contains the main points you want t

You want to buy a house, or you already have one, and you decide this is not enough for you and you need to extend it. Or you have a plot of land and you decide to develop it. Before you contact an architect you need to weight your financial burden and the outcome you want to achieve. A common scenario is for someone with a £30K budget to go straight to an architect or designer and ask for a dream house extension; and after all the design and planning process realise you can