Pre purchase advice.
The best time to start thinking about how you will alter your home is before you buy it. We offer as Architects pre purchase advice to homeowners in this situation.
Moving in to what you hope will be your dream home only to discover that you won’t be able to alter it in the way you planned is heartbreaking.
Our approach.
We help homeowners make informed decisions early — before committing to major purchases or construction costs. Our role is to bring clarity to what is possible, what carries risk, and what is worth doing.
- Preliminary desktop assessment using agent particulars, online resources and our local knowledge
- Site visit and visual appraisal of the property (photos and video provided if we can’t attend)
- Review of any existing surveys, including building surveyor reports where available
- Assessment of development potential, opportunities and constraints, including planning and listed building considerations
- Advice on approval risks, such as planning permission, listed building consent, building regulations, estate approvals and party wall matters
- Guidance on further reports that may be required (e.g. structural, damp, arboricultural, asbestos).
- Design feasibility advice, ranging from hand-sketched concepts to more developed layouts or 3D studies where needed.
- Initial guidance on likely build costs and project timescales
Pre purchase advice fee.
Every pre-purchase assessment is tailored to the specific property and the decisions you need to make.
Rather than offering generic advice, we focus on the particular planning, design and practical risks a property presents, and the questions that matter most before you commit.
We begin with an initial desktop assessment to understand the planning context, constraints and development potential. From this, we define the appropriate level of further investigation required and confirm a clear scope of work before proceeding.
Our pre-purchase advisory service is offered on a fixed-fee basis, agreed in advance, to provide cost certainty while allowing the depth of analysis to reflect the complexity of the property.
This ensures you receive clear, proportionate advice — focused on helping you make the right decision, rather than paying for open-ended time.
Some clients proceed with their project after working with us. Others decide not to — and that outcome is just as valuable.