Extension plans are an essential part of all home improvement builds. Even if you don’t need to submit a planning application, (loft conversions don’t always need house extension plans to be submitted to the council for example), having the correct plans makes the work much easier for your builder. Extension plans should be created for any building or conversion works that you want to take place within your home. Not only can builders follow them, but by hiring an architect to create them, you will soon know whether your ideas can actually be made into reality.
Whether or not your extension plans need to be submitted to the local council depends on a number of factors. The first is the work itself. If you are having an entirely new building made, then you will need to apply for planning permission. The same is true if you are having an extension or if the use of your building changes. This latter is not something you can necessary have architect extension or garage conversion plans created for, but in the case of extensions and new buildings, you definitely can. The plans for your extension should be obtained at the very beginning of the process – without them, the rest of the work cannot be done as well as you might hope. Even the best builders will prefer to work from professionally produced extension plans. The earlier your plans are drawn up, the earlier you can apply for planning permission. This can take a long time to come through, especially if the council request changes to be made to the plans. It may be many months before you obtain planning permission, and, therefore, leaving it until the last minute is not a good idea. The sooner your plans are sent across to the right department, the sooner the works can begin; however, nothing should be done until you have been granted permission. This is true for any works, including single storey extension plans or larger building works. Once you have the permission needed to build your extension, you can instruct builders to begin work.
The cost of extension plans will differ from architect to architect. It is possible to have these plans drawn up cheaply, but there is often the chance that the cheaper they are, the less useful they will be. Quality is essential when it comes to your building plans. In order for an architect to begin drawing extension plans, they will need to meet with you at least once and perhaps more times than that. They will also need to visit your home and take accurate measurements. It can take as much as eight weeks for your architect’s plans to be completed to a high enough level to be used, and this is why the planning process is not something that can be rushed. Price should not be a consideration when it comes to finding a quality architect, although if you do have a limited budget, then there are other ways to find the best one for you. Word of mouth is a wonderful way to find excellent architects to draw up your extension plans, and so are reading reviews. However, as a general rule of thumb, spending more money at the offset (in order to get professional quality plans, for example) will save much more in the long term since your builders will be able to carry out their work without questions or revisions. Good plans are worth their weight in gold. KJM Design and Planning Services offer high-quality work at prices that won’t make your budget inflate.