WHAT WE OFFER
A house extension can quite often be a viable alternative to house moving.
Whatever house extension you may be contemplating, our objective is to assist you with the architectural designs as well as with the regulatory requirements that you will encounter in such a project, namely: planning permissions, building regulations and structural calculations.
Furthermore, we can assist you with managing the construction work run smoothly and efficiently.
Your home is our mission.
Building regulations or planning permissions, what is the difference?
The main difference between the two concepts lies in the fact that building regulations are a set of standards that needs to be met for any type of construction (internal or external or both). Planning permission is a set of general guidelines that need to be proven being met by the participants, however, they are not required for all types of construction. For example, building work, such as internal alterations, Buildings Regulations authorisation will possibly be needed, but Planning Permission may not be. If you are in any doubt you can contact us for advice and we will be able to guide you through both processes.
BUILDING REGULATIONS
The Building Regulations are minimum required standards for design, development and changes to essentially every building. They are produced by the Government and endorsed by Parliament.
The Building Regulations likewise contain a rundown of necessities that are intended to guarantee the minimum benchmarks for health, safety, welfare, comfort, and to avoid pollution of water supplies.
These controls set national standards for building work, whether it be on a noteworthy new improvement or an expansion or modification to your home. They cover all parts of development, including foundations, damp-proofing, the overall stability of the building, insulation, ventilation, heating, fire protection and evacuation means in the event of fire.
We will carry out the following tasks for you:
• Draft design until confirmation
• Provide two sets of full plans, electronic and hard copy
• Full expert advice and support
• Receive final plans
• Includes any resubmission and revisions of plans
PLANNING PERMISSION
New buildings or major changes to existing buildings need consent – known as planning permission. Without a planning system everyone could construct buildings or use land in any way they wanted, no matter what effect this would have on other people who live and work in their area. Your local planning authority is responsible for deciding whether a development – anything from an extension on a house to a new shopping centre – can go ahead.
We submit your planning application to your council and follow through with the process ourselves without having to trouble you with anything to do with planning permission application.
We assist with:
• Free consultation
• Full advice and support
• Draft designs until confirmation
• Prepare a Design and Access Statement if required
• As your agent we will submit and liaise with the council
STRUCTURAL CALCULATIONS
Our structural calculation packages include the following:
• A plan of the project with all structural elements labelled.
• A full set of calculations to justify the type/size of each element (steel, foundation, pad stone etc.)
• A full set of steelwork connection details.
• All provided as a single PDF document.
• We will also make any amendments and answer queries from you or your sub-contractors.
• Our structural calculation packages are suitable for building control submission, steel fabrication orders and for use on-site for construction.
PROJECT MANAGEMENT
Our project management service is here to help procure and deliver the building within the budget and time parameters set and to the expected quality level. Starting from the feasibility study right to the final signing of the project.
We will assist with statutory approvals and processes: all necessary consents will be obtained at the right times to ensure the construction work is lawful and proceeds without delay including Planning Permissions; Building Regulations Approvals; Party Wall Matters.
We will call in quotes from contractors and negotiate the pricing structure, as well as any discounts with suppliers. We will confirm contracts and tenders and help appoint individual contractors, trades, suppliers and services, and decide when each one needs to be on site. We will also be negotiating payment terms such as deposit size, progress payments, retention and final payment.
Throughout the life of the project, not only we will be working closely with the homeowner and contractors, but also liaising with neighbours, material suppliers, utility providers and building professionals such as structural engineers and surveyors. This is to ensure smooth and trouble-free delivery of the entire project.