DESIGN OF PLANS
The design of plans is a crucial process and this is the phase, in which you have to carefully think what you want to achieve in your property.
Carefully designed project will ultimately result in a well executed development process.
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In UK and in London in particular, each council has its own requirements and standards of how residents should redevelop, extend, convert or build their properties. Working with our great Architect Partners is a great way to establish a suitable design and bring your ideas into fruition while navigating the project planning application process on your behalf.
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The process could be a costly procedure and we understand that the budget is one of the most important factors. So we are prepared to work closely with you to design a cost appraisal and check the feasibility of your idea before architects are employed and planning application is submitted. We believe that this will protect your budget and forecast the true costs in order to allocate funds in a more intelligent manner.
PLAN SUBMITTING
When ready to submit drawings, the process can be generally done through the website of your local council. Each council has their own 'Planning' department where the proposed design is uploaded, then the council will allocate a officer that will assess the application.
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The officer will soon let you know whether your plan is approved or what needs to be altered to comply with current regulations. Remember, those could be done at the pre-aplication stage where you could speak to your local council of what current regulations are, what type of building you have, is it a listed building, does your plan affect your neighbours, do you intersect with any communal areas, comunal drainage, gardens, public spaces, etc.
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If all those are clear to you at the planning stage, then you can be confident that your application would be approved. It will be in your favour to get the council officer on site to make sure your plans relate to the project you want to proceed with and avoid any misunderstanding and certificates fail at the end of the project.
ENGINEERING & BUILDING CONTROL
After your plans are submitted and approved, you or your agent will employ an engineer who will design the structural plan for any structural alterations that are involved in your plan. Those are things, such as new load bearing lintels, new drainage, new roofs or ground excavations.
During the process of work, we will communicate with your assigned building control officer.
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The building control officer will occasionally visit the project, especially at stages where structural alterations of the property are being done and inspect if those alterations are done competently and according to the engineer's specifications.
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There are cost of Building Control inspections and these are the ones you should find out about when contacting the council with submitting of plans. Building control officers will record all structural and mechanical works, inspect all tests and certificates and issue a final building certificate that you will keep or pass on to future owners if you are selling the property.
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LEGAL
