FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

DO I NEED AN ARCHITECT?
If you are planning to build a new house, extend your present home, build a commercial premises or make alterations to an existing building you may need an architect. In all of these circumstances you are likely to need an expert who can draw up plans, design new accommodation and make a submission to the Local Authority requesting Planning Permission and other approvals. In addition, an Architect can manage the project from start to finish including overseeing the construction phase to check that build quality and progress match the project specification. Employing an Architect will save you time, and give you peace of mind in the knowledge that the process is being overseen by professionals with extensive experience in the field.

WHAT DOES AN ARCHITECT DO?
Architects design buildings and are therefore skilled not only in the technical aspects of drawing up plans, but are experts in all stages of the process of achieving a built result.  This includes the obvious creative skills of design and visualisation, an understanding a space, light and scale; a practical knowledge of Planning and Building Regulations applications; project management, financial and organisational skills; and finally, they are skilled communicators - able to communicate their ideas effectively and to interpret the ideas of the clients.

A full architectural service is one which involves the architect as designer and project manager throughout the duration of the project. McCaren Design follow the RIBA standard work stages A-L, if you require further details please click to download a full description of the service we provide at each stage. (Download Work Stage Template)

We are also happy to work on a partial service basis in cases where a particular project does not warrant our involvement from inception to completion. For example a partial service might be preferred by a client who wishes to build their own home.  In this case McCaren Design would progress the design to Planning Permission, and then hand over to the client to organise and project manage the build. In addition we can provide any of our professional services on a time charge basis. This might be the preferred option for a client who simply required 3D visualisations of their own design. (Link to Professional Services page).

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HOW MUCH DOES AN ARCHITECT COST?
Architects fees are usually based on a percentage of the final construction cost for a project. Dependent on the size and nature of the project, this percentage can range from 7 to 18%. McCaren Design will assess each potential project and decide on the correct fee percentage to charge based on the RIBA’s indicative fee scales, we are happy to supply full details of these scales on request.

In the initial stages of a project it is often impossible to estimate the construction cost since this does not become clear until the design has been developed to a detailed level. Therefore McCaren Design usually charge an agreed lump sum figure for the preliminary stages of a project. Once the client is happy with our design proposal we are then able to determine a budget estimate for the construction costs, and will then charge a percentage based fee from this point onwards.

On some projects it may be more suitable to charge an hourly rate for our services, (for example, if we are employed purely to produce 3D visuals).

In addition we charge for all reasonable expenses and disbursements. VAT is payable on all our invoices.(Download our schedule of expenses and Terms and Conditions).

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CAN AN ARCHITECT SAVE ME MONEY?
Employing an architect should be a sound investment that will save you money both in the short term and long term. Design fees represent a small fraction of the total build cost (usually between 7 and 18 %) but this is a fairly small outlay when compared to the added value that good design can achieve.

By providing both clients and contractors with appropriate levels of information from the earliest stages through to completion of the project, McCaren Design do their best to ensure that the design and the build quality fully meet the clients expectations, thus avoiding costly oversights and mistakes once the project goes on site. ‘Plans drawn’ services cannot achieve this level of detailed specification, and inevitably the result is often unexpected expenditure in the later stages of a project.

A good design should also save you money by minimising operating costs, and maximising best use of available resources such as space and light, and indeed, finance. In addition, a beautiful, imaginative building is most likely to command a premium value in the long term.

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DO I NEED PLANNING PERMISSION?
The following are common examples of when you will need to apply for planning permission.

• You want to make additions or extensions to your house, flat or maisonette.
• You want to divide off part of your house for use as a separate home (for example, a self-contained flat, ‘granny annex’ or bed-sit), or for business or commercial use (for example, a workshop).
• You want to build a separate house in your garden.
• You want to build something which goes against the terms of the original planning permission for your house – for example, a planning condition may have been imposed to stop you putting up a fence in the front garden. Your council has a record of all planning permissions in its area.
• The work you want to do might obstruct the view of road users or would involve a new or wider access to a trunk or classified road.

If you live in a Conservation Area or Listed Building your property may also be subject to additional rules regarding what you can and can’t build, the materials you may use, and parts of the existing fabric of the property (interior and exterior) which you must protect. Your local Council will be able to advise you whether you are subject to any Conservation rules. If preferred, you can ask an architect to investigate this for you, he/she can then advise on how to make alterations in a manner which is sensitive to the conservation requirements of the existing building.
If you are not making alterations to a listed building or property within a conservation area you do not need planning permission to carry out internal alterations or work which does not affect the external appearance of the building. However, you should always check with you Local Authority to ensure that this is the case before commencing any building work. If you make alterations without permission and subsequently discover that permission was required you can be asked to remove the alterations and return the property to its original condition at your own cost.

Click here to read Government Guidance on Householder Planning Applications

Click here to read Government Guidance on Commercial Planning Applications

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WHAT ABOUT CONTRACTORS?
It is standard practice for architects providing a full service to invite a small number of contractors to submit competitive tenders for the construction of a project. We have established very good working relationships with a number of local contractors whom we would invite to tender on the basis of their past experience in delivering similar projects on time and on budget. We are also happy to work with any builder whom the client wishes to consider, but we recommend that basic checks on past experience and competence are always conducted before a contractor is invited to tender.

To ensure that the process of tendering is accurate and fair McCaren Design produce a Specification and Schedule of Work which are sent to each contractor to submit their price. These documents detail the terms and conditions of the contract, and the quality of workmanship and materials. They also list each main work item to be included in the Contract on an elemental or a room-by-room basis. The use of the Schedule of Works also ensures that there is parity of tendering with all pricing by Contractors being calculated on a like-for-like basis. The main advantages of using the Specification of Work are better quality and financial control of the project during the Contract Period.

Once we have obtained a tender which is within the client’s budget price, we would then draw up Contract Documents that formalise the agreement between Client and Contractor. When the Contractor makes a start on site, we make periodic visits, normally once a week, to inspect the works to ensure that they are being carried out in accordance with the Contract Documents. This full service which includes project management of the tendering and on-site stages, ensures that the project is built in accordance with our designs and the client’s wishes.

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