If you’re planning to extend your home, convert your loft into extra living space, or build an entirely new home, you’re going to need a structural designer to plan your build and design the space of your dreams.
Choosing a structural designer is not a decision you should take lightly. After all, if you choose someone who does not know what they’re doing, you might find that your plans do not get approval from the various governing bodies that are in place to regulate building work carried out in the UK.
You want to work with someone who shares your vision, understands your taste and lifestyle, and can take the golden ideas you have and turn them into your dream home. Let us tell you more about how to choose the right architectural designer for your project.
Create a brief
Before you start your search for an architectural designer, you’ll need to know exactly what it is that you want. You’ll need to take some time to list out everything you want so that when you approach a potential architectural designer, they know what to quote you on. You don’t have to have everything set in stone in your brief, as a large part of our role is to guide you on what would work best, but you need to have something in place for your designer to work from.
A good list to start with is the size of your extension, the number of bedrooms and bathrooms, architectural styles that you like, the materials you prefer and whether you want to go for open plan, broken plan or closed plan living.
Check their experience
Because your architectural designer will be working on submitting your plans to local authorities for approval, you need to know that they have experience and success in doing so in the past. Regardless of whether your project is small and simple like a kitchen remodel, or large and detailed like a two-storey extension, your structural designer should be familiar with the local planning authority. They will also need to know and understand what might or might not get approval so that they can advise you accordingly.
Ask your potential architectural designer about their success rate with getting their plans approved, particularly with your local building authority. Also, find out if they have a rapport with the governing body deciding your fate.
Ask for examples
Any architectural designer worth their salt will be able to provide you with examples of their work. They should also be proud to give you photographs of the completed builds they designed.
When choosing an architectural designer, it’s important that you go with someone whose strengths and expertise lie in the type of architectural style you’re interested in. The designer you’re considering should have a portfolio of examples of their work that are similar to what you’re looking for.
Discuss your budget
Give us free rein and we structural designers will go moggy when it comes to putting plans together for your dream home. You’ll be blown away by what has been designed for you until you hear how much it’s actually going to cost you. It is important to tell any architectural designer you’re considering for your project your exact budget.
Before you let any architectural designer start putting plans or even a quote together for you, they need to know your financial boundaries. You need to have a clearly defined budget and you need to trust the person doing your structural design that they will respect that budget at every turn.
As experienced architectural designers with heaps of success in getting plans approved, we’d be delighted if you could consider us in your search to find the perfect architectural designer for your project. If you’d like to speak to us about your brief and your budget, contact us here.