Process

Design

If you decide to appoint us, we can carry out a dimensional survey if you live within our Home Survey area or you can provide your own.  From this we will create “existing” plans and one or more sets of plans based on the brief in our initial proposal to you.   Once you have selected your chosen scheme we will work through other elements of the design.

 

The design process will help you understand what can be achieved in design and technical terms.   We will invite you to challenge our ideas and we may challenge yours.   During this stage we invite all of your thoughts and feedback, making as many revisions as required until you’re delighted with the final plans.

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Planning Application

We will submit the Planning Application or Application for a Certificate of Lawfulness on your behalf and liaise with the planning case officer in the aim to overcome any issues they may have to achieve approval. 

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Building Regulation Plans

Once we have received Planning Approval, we will offer to prepare your Building Regulation Plans.  These plans are required to obtain full Building Control Approval through either the Local Authority or an Approved Building Control, which we will submit on your behalf.  Structural Calculations will very likely be required and we provide Structural Calculations within our Home Survey area but recommend you engage a local Engineer if you live elsewhere because on a rare occasion Building Control will request the Structural Engineer to check something on site, such as existing foundations, therefore you need someone local for this.

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Extra Requirements

Before the Building Regulation Plans are considered complete, other approvals may be required which could mean making amendments to the Building Regulation Plans, these may affect build costs and your builder should be updated with these plans if a contract price has already been given.

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Party Wall Notices - It may be necessary to serve a Notice to your neighbours advising them of the proposed works and you will need their agreement to go ahead with the work or a party wall surveyor will be required to draw up an agreement.

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Sewer Connection or Build Over Agreement - If an extension is to be built over or near a drain shared with your neighbour, you may require approval from your local water authority, which we would apply for on your behalf.  Public drains sometimes are in the most unlikely places and its always worth having a drain survey undertaken as early as possible in the design process so that alterations to the design are not required at a late date and also cost implications are known early.  We like to design out the need for Applications to Water Authorities wherever possible.

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SAP Calculations - If the glazing area in the new extension is more than 25% of the new floor area Building Control will require SAP Calculations which we can arrange on your behalf.​