Cheshire Architects Capturing Your Vision
Since 1997

Your investment in your home or development, or land value enhancement will be significant, and the professional fees should more than pay for themselves in terms of adding the most value and overseeing the project to give the most beneficial outcome. An Architect will listen to your aims and individual needs and will provide tailored solutions and develop a brief to reflect your aspirations within your timeline, Planning and budget constraints. With long-standing relationships with other professionals, contractors, specialist suppliers the aim is to provide everything you need to complete your project.

We aim to take on projects and get started immediately and queue up the relevant consultants as early as possible to give a smooth passage through the design stages. Most Local Authorities are currently not hitting their target timelines of 12 weeks for decisions on Outline or Full Planning Permission submissions, and we access this before advising on whether a Permitted Development / Certificate of Lawful Development route may be faster and achieve the required results. In some cases, we are being advised of a delay in processing submissions of months not weeks.

The best route is to start the process earlier than you think as granted permission gives you 3 years to start the build on site. An early start in the design process allows both us and you more time to build a great rapport, more consideration of scheme options, and research time for materials, features components and finishes. A better considered design and a happy client at no additional cost.

When Planning is granted, we move onto the technical Building Regulations package which requires the input of a Structural Engineer. We aim to have this work done and submitted, and negotiated through the process within 4-6 months, which most Local Authorities can achieve. During this time, we would be looking at discharging any Planning Conditions and finalising your choice of materials.

The next stage is securing the best Main Contractor for your project and them agreeing a build programme for the project. A single extension/loft conversion could have a 3-5 month timeframe and a new-build would be between 12-24 months depending on the size, complexity and landscaping requirements. They will liaise with your chosen kitchen /bathroom suppliers, renewable energy / fireplace installers etc and you should have finalised plans for these at this stage.

Depending on the services required and the constraints of the property – Conservation Area and/or Listed Building, as designers we charge from 3% of the estimated build cost to 15% for a full service. We advise on a budget cost at the earliest stage to make sure the scope of the project is within budget before progressing. In some cases, clients prefer fixed fees for the design stages, and we offer this alongside providing quotes from the required consultants for consideration. We would strongly recommend an independent Quantity Surveyor to provide the budget cost analysis and contract administration throughout the project.

Other consultants/costs may include:

Survey – Topographical and measured survey of the land and existing buildings.

Principal Designer – normally included in our fees to the point of the project starting on site.

Health & Safety Consultant – as required for the design stages.

Planning / Heritage / Conservation Consultant – We will advise you as these are not always required.

Ecology / Arboculturalist / Land / Flood Reports - as required.

OS / Land Registry Maps – expect to pay a small fee (£20-60) for the required map in digital format.

Local Authority fees – may include a Pre-Planning application, Outline Planning submission plus a Planning Permission and/or Lawful Development fees. When on site all projects require a Local Authority or Private Company Building Control Plan Submission and inspection fee; providing regular inspection and certification at the end of the completed project.

Structural Engineer’s fee – required in most cases.

Quantity Surveyor – to provide ongoing budget cost analysis, tender analysis, and contract administration.

Project dependant Consultants:

Principal Contractor, Health & Safety Consultant Heating engineer, Energy Efficiency/ Renewable and/or Retrofit consultants, Kitchen/Bathroom and Interior Design services, specialist sub-contractors for swimming pools and leisure suites, lighting, and security.

The Build cost we refer to is currently £2,200/sq.m plus VAT (March 2023) and is for the fabric of the completed building with standard finishes and elements such as foundations, walls, roofs, windows, doors, architraves, skirtings, lighting and electrical circuits, heating and ventilation in the Cheshire area. This basic build cost excludes kitchens, bathrooms, and feature items such as fireplaces, feature light fittings, smart home technology, underfloor heating and luxury floor and wall finishes. 

For a luxury new build, including the kitchens, bathrooms and finishes, you should budget for a minimum of £3,000/sq.m. New builds have a lower VAT rating than standard, 0% for labour and most materials – we can advise on this.

Extensions, including loft conversions – depending on the existing house structure, garages and out buildings vary from the basic and luxury build cost, listed above.

As we have been based in Altrincham for over 30 years, our local knowledge of the Planning Authorities is greatest in and around Cheshire and the North of England with projects under Trafford, Cheshire East, Cheshire West & Chester, Manchester, Stockport, Tameside, Lancashire, Derbyshire, Yorkshire, Warrington and Liverpool. Past projects have been as far afield as Florida, South Africa, Germany, Spain, Portugal and France.

We have Professional Indemnity Insurance in place for each and every project and work to the 2020 RIBA Plan of Works.

Each client has a Director as the lead designer and main contact.