jods

Can anyone give a personal recommendation for an Architect within striking distance of Hertfordshire.

Cheers guys.

Not a big job, moving downstairs loo and utility room, extending kitchen, doubling size of office and adding front bay window.

BlackadderII

Why do you need an architect, wouldn't a planner do?

Should find plenty of them in the paper, or even have a go yourself

jods

will a planner draw up plans etc ? There may be issues with supporting walls needing to be changed - do planners cover this as well ??

I'd be really dubious about choosing someone out of a local rag TBH. Much prefer recommendations


If I had more time I might "have a go" but I am under no illusions that a professional is going to do a much better job than I could.

I heard a great line recently in respect to quality / price of service with a building analogy.

A joiner will work with an accuracy to the nearest house, a carpenter will work with an accuracy to the nearest 1/4 inch and a cabinet maker will work to the nearest 1/10 of a millimetre.

It's all a matter of choice and ££.

In this case I'm looking for something between carpenter and cabinet maker.

BlackadderII

Yeah i dont think you need an architect for that but also i dont think you should tackle it yourself.

Try and find a planner to draw up your plans, once you've approved them he will do all the donkey work with the council. You can find out from the council who your local planning officer is and he will recommend a planner for you. TBH they will probably be drinking buddies but at least you know that the plans will go through smoothly. Planners i reckon would be around £200.00 to £300.00 for the type of job you are talking about, not bad if you know everything will run smooth

jods

Thanks - that's the sort of thing I am looking for and the price is spot on. I reckon the whole job shouldn't cost any more than £5K + the bay window ( has to match existing which was pretty expensive)

BlackadderII

jods, dont be frightened to get him to anotate all your thoughts and any "grey" areas onto the drawings for you, remember that the builders you request will build exactly whats on those drawings so dont be frightened to make him make things crystal clear on the drawings about what you want mate.

Good luck, oh yeah if you find a good planner he will recommend a good builder too. When you "tender" the job make sure you stipulate exactly what you do and dont want ie fittings, paintwork etc etc and ffs make sure they are a member of a the relevant federation of builders and they have references and pictures of their completed works. Another good tip is stipulate a programme ie "how long is this going to take". Have this written into a simple contract of terms and conditions, that way they cant just use your project as a "hospital" job , when they dont have much work on. They will be tied to a target date. BTW you are entitled to withold 5% of the value of the works until practical completeion (ie you are using the extension) if all seems fine then release 2.5% of the total value and retain the remaining 2.5% until 12 months after practical completion (this is held so that they gaurentee against things like cracking plaster and faulty workmanship etc) If they dont come and sort it out within a treasonable period then you can use the 2.5% to procure a new contractor to complete the defects

jods

Thanks Bladder.

I'm going to get started on this tomorrow - First job is to get the gas and Electricity meters moved to the outside wall (Flush mounted ?) Ideally I'd like to get the whole job finished before Christmas.

BlackadderII

Great

But remember that saying " i want this done before Christmas" is an open invitation for them to start next week and leave it for a few months and then hurry the work a few weeks befare Christmas.

By setting a time limit ie "I would like this completed before Christmas and i would like it to be completed in X weeks" is a good way of negotiating.

So, as a guide i would say if you want a two storey extension on the side of a semi detached house, 12 weeks is a good period of time. Likewise i would say for a single storey extention on the back of your house, 6 weeks would be a good period of time for completion. The choice is yours, you stipulate what you need

Another good "catchphrase" you may hear is "turnkey" this means that they are offering you a project that you just have to walk into ie all the paintwork, floor coverings have been completed and you just walk in and "use". This depends on whether you want to give the project your finishing touches or let them deal with everything. Okay yeah it may mean the difference of a few hundred quid but its worth knowing as a lot builders dont offer a turnkey solution.

When negotiating tell them that you will release a % of funds after 4 weeks and the next % 4 weeks after that. You should never be dragged into 50% now and 50% at the end, type negotiations. They should submit a valuation of works to a given date (usually 1 month intervals). Never give money "up front" Reputable builders will adhere to these rules

jods

Fooking Useless Ar5eholes at Welwyn Hatfield
Got through to planning department to ask if they could recommend a planner / architect

WHC "No - We can't give out recommendations I suggest you try the internet"

ME "I see, can I ask if there is a 'Federation' or 'Organisation' that I should see they belong too, you know like ABTA for when booking a holiday"

WHC "I don't know, why don't you try the internet"

ME "I'm sorry - I HAVE come though to PLANNING Department haven't I ?"

WHC "Yes"

ME "And you don't know if there is a body / association of approved planners / architects"

WHC "No, I suggest you use the internet"


Well I for one think it is great that my council tax has shot up several hundred quid recently in order to provide world class service like that - Oh and to also pay nearly £200,000 a year extra in order to provide all councillors with free broadband connections at home.


What a bag of ****e

jods

Don't know if I should use these guys though ?

http://www.sialdesign.co.uk/

BlackadderII

Jods did you ask who the planner was for your area. Take his name and number (should usually have a mobile number aswell) and then ring him up and pose the same questions mate

Sound really helpful your council ........... NOT!

ronny555

I'm an architect, but no where near hertfordshire.

Ring some local architects - look in yellow pages.

Ask if someone is interested in a house extension.

The reception will more than likely put you onto someone who will do it privately (wink wink)

Aaron