Romsey Structural specialise in home extensions and loft conversions. Your Local Authority will check that your building work has been designed by a competent person. At Romsey Structural your work will be designed by Mike Byfield, who is a Chartered Structural Engineer with over 25 years experience, so this process is easier. 

Costs
Romsey Structural is not VAT registered and the costs are:

• Site visit to measure up £175 (required for all jobs)
• A structural design package for submission to your Local Authority is priced at roughly the number of steel beams/columns x £150. Identical members are not charge twice.
• No charge is made for floor joist design.

A very common job involves wall removal between kitchen and dining rooms and this normally costs between £325 and £375, depending on whether the exterior wall needs strengthening. Mike always provides drawings of steelwork connections in the design package since these are needed for fabrication purposes. Equivalent quotes should include the cost of designing the connections, as this can be a hidden cost.

Obtaining Building Regulations ​approval
By law, you must obtain Building Control Approval when making structural alterations and the work must be checked by a Building Inspector, who will issue a completion certificate when satisfied. This should be lodged with the deeds of your home as it will be needed when sold. The package supplied by Romsey Structural will help you gain approval for Part A of the Building Regulations (Structural Safety) and the routes to approval are: (a) Full Plans Approval, and (b) a Building Notice. 
      For Full Plans Approval, your Local Authority Building Control will check the architectural plans and structural design prior to construction. This takes approximately 6 weeks and it is recommended that approval is gained before commencing work, since they may stipulate changes. For small single storey side extensions under permitted development a Building Notice is normally sufficient; the design package supplied by Romsey Structural will be checked by your Building Inspector and only a few days notice is normally required. 
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Tips for the inexperienced client
Extending your home can be stressful, although with the right architect, builder and of course, structural engineer, it can be hugely rewarding. Here are a few tips that may in a small way, help you to avoid the pitfalls.

1. ​If you do not know a trusted builder, then it is safest to employ a good architect, even though the fees will be higher than you can find by shopping around. 
2. Architects prepare two types of drawings:
   1. Planning Drawings - these are used for gaining planning permission.
   2. Building Regulations Drawings - these specify the fabric of the building and they are issued to Building Control for approval prior to construction, so that you know: (a) what you are paying for, and (b) so Building Control can approve the design before construction starts, and (c) so that you can go to tender with a number of builders, all of whom will be pricing the same thing. 
3. A common pitfall is to pass Planning Drawings to builders price and then build from.  This saves money on architectural fees, but it does come with risks. Builders are not always competent and not defining the fabric of your house can cause quality problems as well as disputes regarding what is included in the price. 
4. The fees charged by architects vary significantly, as does the level of information provided on their drawings. In general it is best to define more than the bare minimum of information. Some architects specify everything down to the position of the light fittings and radiators, although Building Control do not require this. Proceeding to tender without items such as these defined may cause unexpected extra costs down the line.
5. The architect can help you find the right builder and can provide advice on what is achievable within your budget.
6. If you wish beams to be hidden in the floor (recommended for aesthetics), you may need to specify this in writing with your Builder.
7. Avoid paying the balance to your builder until the completion certificate is issued by your Local Authority.
8. Insist upon your Builder using your Local Authority Building Control to check the work, instead of a private Building Inspector. Your Local Authority will most likely provide better independent checking than a freelance inspector chosen by your builder.

Architects
Romsey Structural have worked on numerous successful projects with, amongst others, the following architects:

1. Bastion - Based in Hook 
2. The Genesis Design Studio Ltd​ - Based in Romsey  
3. Graham Ash Architects - Based in Chandlers Ford
4. Temple Ford Design Architects - Based in Chandlers Ford

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Useful links 
​​       Guide to Building Regulations
       Part A of the Building Regulations

Please feel free to phone Mike for a chat.