Architectural Design
Your home is your private space. First and foremost it needs to meet with your requirements and how you want it to look. Whether you are building it from scratch or altering an existing property it is a considerable financial investment.
With this in mind, it is important that you thoughtfully consider your options so that the end result forefills your needs.
Whether it is extending a 1930s semi to provide an open plan live/dining space or converting a Victorian loft to provide bedrooms the alterations need to work for you.
Time spent considering alternative plan layouts in order to produce a chosen design before statutory consents are sort and works commence minimise build time and avoid wasted cost.
We can sit down with you to discuss your needs, requirements and design preferences. Using this and information obtained from a site survey we can draw up proposed plans for your consideration. We can alter these plans as required in order to arrive at your chosen design.
Although hand sketches may be completed during meetings our plans are drawn using CAD packages.
Party Wall Matters
The majority of us live in close proximity to our neighbours. Regardless of how well we get on with neighbours, relationships can quickly sour when building works are planned.
Since 1996 the Party Wall etc Act legislation has extended across England and Wales. It sets out the rights of both Building Owners and Adjoining Owners and the procedures to follow when building works are proposed to shared structures or close to boundaries.
Problems usually begin when inaccurate notices lacking in pertinent information are served on the Adjoining Owners.
We can advise whether your works fall under the Act. We can also compile the correct and complete notices to be served on the Adjoining Owners. We work with very experienced Party Wall Surveyors who we can recommend should an appointment be required following the service of notices.
More information on the Party Wall etc Act can be found here;
www.partywalls.org.uk
Structural Design
Regardless of how well finished a property is, if the building structure is insufficient then the nice finishes will not last long.
When major structural alterations are proposed, such as the removal of load bearing walls to provide an open plan space, then a Structural Engineer should be consulted to assess the existing structure and provide design details and calculations for the alterations.
We work with very experienced Structural Engineers who provide us with the design information required to both submit for Building Regulation approval and for working on site.