The size of the practice:

Smaller sole practitioners don’t have as big overheads as a multi national practices. Be aware when you’re comparing between quotes that the sizes of the practices are roughly the same as this can have a big impact on the fees they charge.

Location and type of building:

If the site is in a conservation area, there are more planning policies to adhere to/ Additionally, a Design and Access Statement will need to be submitted as part of the planning application.

If there is an existing property within the site that is listed, there are more planning policies to adhere to and a Design and Access and Heritage Statement will need to be submitted. In addition, there may be a need to consult with English Heritage. This can also apply to buildings which are in close proximity to a listed building but are not themselves listed. There is also information required to be submitted detailing and describing in depth the works to be carried out. It may be advisable to have a Heritage consultant on board to assist on the Heritage statement and design proposal to avoid refusal.

Additionally, if a property is locally listed it may have an impact. It depends on how well regarded the building is by the local council/ planning department. Carrying this exercise out you should be able to find out the reasons why your property is locally listed. This can be found by examining the conservation area appraisal document listed on your local council’s website.

If the property sits within the greenbelt, floodplain or a site of special interest there are more legislative policies to adhere too. Any protected species within the boundary of your property (bats, newts) or even the surrounding area will involve needing to engage an ecologist. As a result, you will more than likely need to include elements within the design to maintain their habitats. With recent changes in the planning system Net Gain Biodiversity will become more common place.

Design style and intricacy:

The design style and ambition you have for your project will influence fees. As a result, you may want to use cutting edge technologies, new building materials or want an “an out there” design. This all takes time to design and procure and will impact how much an Architect will charge.

Specialist Designers:

Whether you want to bring in specialist designers e.g. interior, lighting, garden. We would normally expect to manage and coordinate with all the other consultants. Allowing us to manage and deliver the best solution but making sure everyone is working towards the same goal and there are good lines of communication and command. As a result, this involves more management time on our behalf but in reality is worth it as it reduces waste and duplication of work between different consultants.

Client changes:

If a client decides post planning permission being granted they want to alter the design that’s fine. However, it generally will incur additional fees to make that change. How much depends on the size of the change and at what stage. As a result, it may also impact other consultant’s work and fees if they then have to make changes.

Our fees:

Our fees are fixed fees and we have given a price list here. They are worked out using a combination of the percentage of the construction value of the project and which staff need to be allocated to the project at the different stages and for how long, and then our overheads and profits are added in.