Struggling to find an architect
Discussion
Have recently decided to have some major work done on the house. Discussed with a local builder who arranged a structural engineers to do some drawings for us, but now we are having trouble getting a quote from the builder that's more detailed that "around £x".
This got SWMBO thinking we actually need an architect/designer to come in and manage the project from internal wall placement through to planning and onto build, first fix and then decor.
Have contacted half a dozen companies we've found on Google in the area, 4 have said they only do more local work (in a 2 mile radius from their base) and the other two have not even come back to me despite several calls leaving messages and emails.
Can anyone recommend anyone in the Leeds area? Work will be dropping the garage, digging down to create a room under it, accessed from a new stairway in the house. A room would be added onto the newly created basement at the back of the house (summer room with folding doors leading to the lower back garden). Rebuild of the garage above the new "underground room" and add an en suite bedroom above the garage. Possible knocking through of living room walls also, and re-aligning the staircase.
Hope one of you can help!
Cheers Bradders.
This got SWMBO thinking we actually need an architect/designer to come in and manage the project from internal wall placement through to planning and onto build, first fix and then decor.
Have contacted half a dozen companies we've found on Google in the area, 4 have said they only do more local work (in a 2 mile radius from their base) and the other two have not even come back to me despite several calls leaving messages and emails.
Can anyone recommend anyone in the Leeds area? Work will be dropping the garage, digging down to create a room under it, accessed from a new stairway in the house. A room would be added onto the newly created basement at the back of the house (summer room with folding doors leading to the lower back garden). Rebuild of the garage above the new "underground room" and add an en suite bedroom above the garage. Possible knocking through of living room walls also, and re-aligning the staircase.
Hope one of you can help!
Cheers Bradders.
Yeah I had the same thing, tried a architect.
Frankly, I found him fantastically expensive for remarkably little useful work, and an inability to comprehend simple stuff like traffic flow and usage cases.
He also wanted 15% of the build price. I negotiated stepped payments and was glad I did so I could cut him off before he drained me dry and ruined my dreams. He was a nice, well meaning guy but a money sponge with no more idea of what I wanted than the guy he got to draw up the continuing series of useless plans.
So in the end I designed it myself to what I wanted exactly, got planning, took it to a drawer for building regs quality drawings (and building regs submission) and that was that. At this point you can employ a builder or just the trades - you only need planning, drawings and building regs to start.
I still haven't really worked out what architects are _for_, except perhaps a good round of golf.
Frankly, I found him fantastically expensive for remarkably little useful work, and an inability to comprehend simple stuff like traffic flow and usage cases.
He also wanted 15% of the build price. I negotiated stepped payments and was glad I did so I could cut him off before he drained me dry and ruined my dreams. He was a nice, well meaning guy but a money sponge with no more idea of what I wanted than the guy he got to draw up the continuing series of useless plans.
So in the end I designed it myself to what I wanted exactly, got planning, took it to a drawer for building regs quality drawings (and building regs submission) and that was that. At this point you can employ a builder or just the trades - you only need planning, drawings and building regs to start.
I still haven't really worked out what architects are _for_, except perhaps a good round of golf.
Thanks for the replies.
The structural drawings were mainly done with feasibility in mind, rather than design, and were formed from rough sketches that I'd done previously. What I'm really looking for is someone to take these and tweak the design to give the whole thing a wow factor, so to speak. I would like someone to re- design interior parts of the existing house to get the best of both old and new parts - hard to describe really, so I will see if I can shrink the A3 docs and scan parts to show you.
One example would be for someone to come up with a replacement staircase for the existing house, to match with the newly proposed one. Also to look at light issues for the existing hallway, as building over the garage will lose a very large window on the landing.
The budget is a "piece of string" really (Shirt, I will get back to you shortly by PM). I know it's not the norm to believe tales on forums, but I am happy to and more importantly can afford to pay, for a well done job that will add some value to the house, but also more importantly, give me somewhere I enjoy living in. Bought the place 9 or so years ago, and have spent little on it. Houses on the same street are selling now for nearly double what I paid back then, and I don't have much of a mortgage to speak of - some have said why not move, but the views and equity built are justification enough.
Maybe I do need to look for a surveyor/pm once I've had my ideas finalised - can anyone recommend either again in the Leeds area??
Cheers Bradders
The structural drawings were mainly done with feasibility in mind, rather than design, and were formed from rough sketches that I'd done previously. What I'm really looking for is someone to take these and tweak the design to give the whole thing a wow factor, so to speak. I would like someone to re- design interior parts of the existing house to get the best of both old and new parts - hard to describe really, so I will see if I can shrink the A3 docs and scan parts to show you.
One example would be for someone to come up with a replacement staircase for the existing house, to match with the newly proposed one. Also to look at light issues for the existing hallway, as building over the garage will lose a very large window on the landing.
The budget is a "piece of string" really (Shirt, I will get back to you shortly by PM). I know it's not the norm to believe tales on forums, but I am happy to and more importantly can afford to pay, for a well done job that will add some value to the house, but also more importantly, give me somewhere I enjoy living in. Bought the place 9 or so years ago, and have spent little on it. Houses on the same street are selling now for nearly double what I paid back then, and I don't have much of a mortgage to speak of - some have said why not move, but the views and equity built are justification enough.
Maybe I do need to look for a surveyor/pm once I've had my ideas finalised - can anyone recommend either again in the Leeds area??
Cheers Bradders
Globulator said:
Yeah I had the same thing, tried a architect.
Frankly, I found him fantastically expensive for remarkably little useful work, and an inability to comprehend simple stuff like traffic flow and usage cases.
He also wanted 15% of the build price. I negotiated stepped payments and was glad I did so I could cut him off before he drained me dry and ruined my dreams. He was a nice, well meaning guy but a money sponge with no more idea of what I wanted than the guy he got to draw up the continuing series of useless plans.
So in the end I designed it myself to what I wanted exactly, got planning, took it to a drawer for building regs quality drawings (and building regs submission) and that was that. At this point you can employ a builder or just the trades - you only need planning, drawings and building regs to start.
I still haven't really worked out what architects are _for_, except perhaps a good round of golf.
We had exactly the opposite experience, interestingly - ours was invaluable in helping us realise our ideas and for the hours he spent, very reasonable.Frankly, I found him fantastically expensive for remarkably little useful work, and an inability to comprehend simple stuff like traffic flow and usage cases.
He also wanted 15% of the build price. I negotiated stepped payments and was glad I did so I could cut him off before he drained me dry and ruined my dreams. He was a nice, well meaning guy but a money sponge with no more idea of what I wanted than the guy he got to draw up the continuing series of useless plans.
So in the end I designed it myself to what I wanted exactly, got planning, took it to a drawer for building regs quality drawings (and building regs submission) and that was that. At this point you can employ a builder or just the trades - you only need planning, drawings and building regs to start.
I still haven't really worked out what architects are _for_, except perhaps a good round of golf.
We had interviewed 5 or 6 to get one we could work with, which was time well spent.
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