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Free Consultations We will visit you in your property to discuss any changes and alterations you may wish to make to your house, we do not charge for this visit. The visit can be arranged at a time to suit you and include evenings and weekends if you are unavailable during normal working hours. It is however best for the consultation to be undertaken during daylight hours. (This free visit is only available in Gloucestershire and South Wales although we will be pleased to quote for work elsewhere.)
You may have your own ideas on the work you require or you may be looking to us for inspiration. We will advise you on the practicalities of any scheme and on the various Local Authority Approvals you may require. Extensions
Most of our customers already have their own ideas on how to extend their house. We will help you to achieve this and give practical advice on possible alternatives that are available to you. Our plans will indicate typical furniture layouts to assist you in visualizing the space that you will achieve. Loft ConversionAn alternative to extending outwards is to extends upwards and turn your existing loft space into extra bedrooms. These can be quite involved as it will usually be necessary to strengthen the existing ceiling and ensure that adequate headroom to the staircase is provided. Where the new rooms are more than 4.5m above the ground level there are also additional requirements for Means of Escape in case of fire which include the provision of fire doors and ensuring that the staircase, in most cases, leads directly to an external door.
We will be pleased to advise you on whether or not your loft space is suitable for conversion. ConversionsYou may have outbuildings/garages that will be suitable for turning into living accommodation which will often provide a cheaper alternative to extending your home. These will usually require some upgrading to ensure that they are adequately insulated and will not be damp and meet the requirements of the Building Regulations.
You may also wish to convert all or part of your house into separate flats or create a Granny Annex. These will usually require some upgrading of the walls and floors for sound insulation and additional work may be required to ensure that there is suitable provision for Means of Escape in case of fire. We will be pleased to advise you on the work required to carry out these conversions and the approvals you will need to obtain. Local Authority ApprovalThere are a number of approvals that you may need to obtain, sometimes you need all of them, sometimes you need none of them and sometimes you need a few of them, we will advise you which ones you require, they include:-
Further information can be obtained from the Planning Portal Website. Partnership with City & County of Swansea
We have a ‘partnership' arrangement with the City + County of Swansea to check all of our Building Regulation applications irrespective of where the property is located in the United Kingdom. The relevant Local Authority will then undertake the site inspection. This enables all our Building Regulation applications to be dealt with by the same person giving us a consistency of the interpretation of the regulations. It also provides a quicker and more efficient service from the Local Authority. How much will it cost?
Jobs are in individually priced according to their complexity and which permissions you will require. You will be advised of the cost at the initial consultation but as a guideline an extension requiring both Planning and Building Regulation approval will cost in the region of £1000. Payment is usually requested in 3 stages. It is important to note that there will also be Local Authority fees to pay and in some cases Structural Engineers fees. What is included in our fee?Following your instruction we will survey your property and prepare architectural drawings suitable for whichever approvals you require. If Building Regulation approval is required you will also receive a detailed specification. Before submitting the plans for Approval we will ask you to check them so that you can make any changes if you require. We will deal with all the applications forms and any correspondence that arises from the Local Authority.
The plans prepared will also be suitable for a Builder to provide you with an estimate for the proposed works. We will provide you with hard copies and PDF copies of all the information we produce. Site inspections during construction are not included but can be undertaken for an agreed fee if required. Examples
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DPC AND RADON DETAIL