We believe that to understand a project fully we need to stand in the space we are looking at changing. To do this, we offer a free initial 1-hour consultation. This also gives us the opportunity to meet you and to discuss your aspirations for your project. It also gives you the opportunity to ask us any questions on how we work.
We can discuss whether you require planning permission. The process we follow for designing and building your new home or extension. We also give you an idea of the potential costs for your project.
We start by looking at the site and the existing building and conducting surveys of what is already there. This is done through a Measured Building Survey and a Topographical Survey. Both of which help us to understand the site better.
We need to know the existing site parameters and boundaries, as well as details such as where the sun rises and sets. This helps us with our design work and in the preparation of the existing drawings. It also helps with any planning application that might be required further down the line.
With any project, no matter the size, if planning permission is needed, the Local Planning Authority (LPA) will want to understand what the existing site and building look like before we change anything. They will also want to understand the size and location of any neighbouring buildings, and how the proposed work might impact the street scene and surrounding environment. We will also investigate the previous planning history of your site or home and any neighbouring properties. To further gain an understanding of what is likely to be given planning approval.
Our fist design meeting is more of a workshop, as we bring with us one or more floor plan options for you to consider. We always have your budget in mind, so we often look at multiple options for how best to deliver your brief. Including spaces you require, within the parameters set by the budget. These conversations, which happen around the drawings, can also help in testing your ideas and making sure that the design option you choose is right for you. We often see a blend of options and some clients will choose aspects of one design and merge them with another. This is what the whole process is for and will ultimately mean that we move forward with a plan that suits you and how you live within your home.
Once we have a floor plan in place, we move on to considering the external treatments and what the outside of the house might look like. We will put forward a range of materials and styles and discuss whether you would prefer a contemporary or traditional approach. We work with precedent images, sketches and 3D modelling to look at the overall massing of the building, as well as the finer details. This all helps towards building the information required for a planning application but also brings together the final design work. By the end of this stage, we should know what spaces you will have internally and how the building will flow. As well as what the house will look like from the outside.
It is during this stage that we prepare a planning application for submission to the Local Planning Authority (LPA). We finalise the drawings, write the required written documentation and co-ordinate any consultant information that has contributed towards the application. We submit everything on your behalf and monitor it once it is registered.
A planning application can take a minimum of 8 weeks to be determined, once it has been registered, and whilst it is possible to receive a decision within this timeframe, we always advise that you expect it to take slightly longer. During the application process we are on-hand to answer any questions the Planning Officer has and can amend the drawings as required. We will always keep you fully updated as it progresses and can answer any questions you might have.
Once we have got planning permission through, we can really get into the nitty-gritty of the building. This stage can also be completely tailored to suit your project and the amount of involvement you would like to have in it. For some clients, we produce everything. From all of the construction drawings and details, through to lighting layouts and the specification of finishes. Including the kitchen and bathroom designs and flooring specifications.
For other clients, who want to be far more hands-on, we can prepare the information required for a Building Regulation submission. We then pass it over to you for the finishing touches. We are always around though to make recommendations and offer advice if you feel you need a bit of guidance. It is also at this stage that we will need a Structural Engineer, who can offer their expert knowledge on how best to achieve the design through the most appropriate form of construction.
They will also size the required steels and timber and provide information needed for co-ordination into our drawings and for Building Regulation approval. Our advice is that the more information you can prepare at this stage the better. As this will give you the best chance of obtaining an accurate price from any builder. Most clients require as much cost certainty as possible and having a full set of detailed information and drawings is the best way to achieve this.
We recommend that you have at least 3 builders tender for your project as this will give you the most competitive pricing. It is important that they all price the same information and if possible. You will also get to meet them and see an example of their work.
We are very happy to recommend a number of contractors, of all scales, that we have worked with in the past. Or we are equally happy to work with someone you know or have had recommended to you personally. Throughout the tender process each builder should provide you with a fixed price for the work, a timeframe for how long it will take to complete and a date for when they can start.
Generally, it is not always the cheapest builder that wins the job, but the person you feel happy to pass your home over to. Designing and building someone’s home is a very personal thing to do. You must feel confident that the builder chosen is going to deliver the design and quality you would like.
Once we are on site, ihd. offers a Contract Administration service to all our clients. This is an optional service and is dependent on how much input you would like to have in the day-to-day running of your project. A Contract Administrator oversees any variations that may occur through the build. They keep on track of the programme as the project progresses and importantly, they monitor the overall project costs. We do this through regular meetings throughout the project and by conducting a number of site visits, to ensure everything is running smoothly. Should you decide to take this on yourself then we are always on hand to help, should anything arise that you feel might need our input.
If you would like to know more about the services that we offer, or have a project you would like to discuss with us, please complete the form below and someone from the team will come back to you soon. We offer a no obligation consultation, so that you can get to know us as we learn about your home.
We are open from Monday to Friday / 09:30 – 17:30
studio@inhouse-architects.co.uk
6 Church Street, Wimborne. BH21 1JH
