Design:
All clients are different and have different requirements, however the design process is fairly sequential, and can be broken down into specific stages.
Following the initial appraisal to establish the brief, typically, a client wants to know how much an architect will charge. For the architect to provide an initial guide price, they need to know the scope of services required.
Key indicators to establish a fee for a specific project, is to have an idea of the budget, the time frame and also the standard to be achieved.
There are also other professional services to be included, that cannot be provided by the architect, such as Ecology Assessments, Energy Efficiency Statements, and structural Engineering etc..
Planning:
It is highly likely that a planning application will be needed for your project.
A certain amount of documentation will need to be prepared, generally determined by the type of project, and any specific requirements from your local planning authority.
Documents to be provided include an existing survey, design proposals, design statement, heritage statement, biodiversity and ecology assessment, contaminated land survey, etc..
Outwith the actual design process, a planning application will usually take from between 8-13 weeks from validation of documents.
Building Regulations:
Once a project has been given a planning permission, there are still a couple of stages to be dealt with prior to commencing on site.
Firstly, there could be planning conditions which require additional information to be approved, and secondly, a Full Plans Building Regulations application will need to be submitted.
The Building Regulations application can be dealt with either by the Local Authority Building Control or by an Approved Inspector.
The Building Regulations application is to demonstrate compliance with the current Building Regulations, and is usually a more detailed level of drawings and specification from the architect, plus specific reports and calculations from other construction professionals, as required.
Planning conditions are to be discharged with the Local Authority planners.
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