Some useful tips to consider when extending your home
Useful Tips for Extending Your Home
Useful Tips for Extending Your Home
- Structural Design Considerations: It's common for structural engineers to visit sites to address unforeseen issues, with additional fees typically charged for these visits and any necessary design revisions. Budget designs often lack detailed specifications, like steelwork connections, which can lead to unexpected costs when fabricators require these designed. Romsey Structural offers fixed-price quotes, so you won’t encounter surprise structural design costs.
- Choose Local Authority Building Control: It’s advisable to use your Local Authority for building inspections rather than a private firm selected by your builder. Local Authorities generally offer more independent and thorough assessments.
- Understand the Types of Architectural Drawings:
- Planning Drawings are required for obtaining planning permission.
- Building Regulations Drawings specify the construction details and are submitted to Building Control for approval. These drawings ensure you know exactly what you're paying for, allow Building Control to approve the design before construction begins, and enable you to receive comparable quotes from multiple builders, ensuring that everyone is bidding on the same specifications.
- Avoid the Pitfall of Skipping Detailed Drawings: Some homeowners skip detailed Building Regulations drawings to save on architectural fees, using only planning drawings for construction. This can lead to quality issues and disputes with builders, as planning drawings often lack the necessary detail to define the materials and workmanship standards for the project.
- Architect Fees and Drawing Details: Architectural fees can vary greatly, as can the level of detail provided in their drawings. The best architects specify every detail, down to the placement of light fittings, on Building Regulations drawings. This thoroughness ensures that builders include all necessary items in their quotes. In contrast, budget architects may omit these details, leading to unexpected costs for items you assumed were included, such as extractor fans.