design & planning services

From creating a design to seeing the project right through to completion, we can help you at any of the stages on your journey to create your dream home. These are the steps we recommend for most projects but we can talk together about what you would like to do for yours.

FREE Meeting

where we will give you the benefit of our experience, creativity, and knowledge to help develop your ideas and assess what is possible for your project

help you develop your project brief

discuss your budget using price per metre square guidelines

advise you if specialist services are required, such as a surveyor for topographical plans

advise if partners might need to be involved - e.g. landscape architect

discuss energy savings or sustainability goals

this two-hour design meeting - online, via telephone, or at your home - is free of charge if you are within an hour's drive of Southwold

Planning Appraisal Report

as a homeowner, you are allowed to carry out certain types of work on your house without needing planning permission. These are called permitted development rights. There are many things that can be done under these rights but only if all planning criteria are met and if there are no hidden constraints that limit or remove those rights

if you do require planning permission, we will need to check the relevant planning policies, planning history, and any planning constraints at the site address

thus we recommend obtaining planning advice before you commit to a design and/or planning application, limiting your expense and risk at an early stage

alternatively, we provide a planning appraisal service via one of our RTPI-accredited town planner consultants. This costs from £170 and takes 2 days. This will give you an expert opinion on if the proposed work is permitted development or will require planning permission. An example report can be seen here

Concept Design Report

Want more detail and sketch ideas of what we could achieve for your home rather than going straight to a full design, and planning application (if needed)?

Then a Concept Design Report is for you - it provides you with creative ideas and sketches to help inform your decisions. Examples of what the report can include are:

a basic survey of the property and/or plot
sketches of concepts of how we can help achieve your objectives
reference images to help you visualise the ideas
a list of potential challenges, with solutions
an indicative project timeline
a guideline for the building work using price per m²

Design development

work up and refine the design concept

survey your existing property/site & create plans of it as it is now (if none exist)

commission a topographic plan if necessary - this provides accurate levels of the land for your site

create plans & drawings

create simple digital 3D models to help you understand how the spaces will feel

advise you on the other consultants that might be needed, e.g. engineers

produce architectural design plans on your feedback and integrate with other consultants’ work - e.g. structural engineer

Pre-planning application

once your design has been finalised, we recommend submitting a pre-planning application so that you can obtain a local planning officer’s advice on issues and policies relevant to the final design, and any constraints that may affect the site such as flood risks or roads

importantly, you can also request an informal view on the likelihood of consent being granted

planning officers will also highlight any potential issues that may need to be overcome

additional information needs are highlighted - this may include specialist reports, extra planning statements, or supplementary drawings

in their report they will also define the documentation needed for your application and recommend next steps

there is a fee for this service - e.g. East Suffolk Council currently charge £74 and it takes 20 working days to reply

Planning application

commission additional studies where necessary and/or where required by your local planning authority - e.g. flood risk assessment

finalise design and drawings, and create visuals
create existing and proposed elevations, 1:100 – 2D drawings showing each side of the property, externally

produce existing and proposed floor plans, 1:100 – 2D drawings showing the layout of rooms

create existing and proposed block plans, 1:50 – maps showing the proposed development including buildings and structures, hard-surfaced areas, and boundaries

write a strong and detailed planning statement using assessments made in Planning Appraisal and highlighting links to relevant policies to support the design and your application

in advance of a planning application being made, the National Planning Policy Framework encourages consultation with neighbours and we are happy to visit your neighbours with you to explain your project

submit planning application pack online. Note: a planning fee will need to be paid online upon submission. You can read about the fees here.

Depending on the project details and the complexity of the work for a planning application, we will sometimes need to work in collaboration with other professionals to produce all elements of the pack but this will be included in our fee proposal

Technical drawings

technical design development incorporating specifications for materials and structural details
integrate with specialists - e.g. swimming pool company, structural engineers

create technical working drawings - example

brief project manager - yours or one that I source on your behalf if required

Building Regulations drawings

production of drawings for building regulations - tying in design concepts, planning advice and constraints, and technical design considerations.

produce set of building regs drawings

submit drawings to council

studio42 usually subcontracts this work and works closely with the technician to ensure accuracy

On site inspections

resolve any design queries from project manager

site inspections & progress reports to ensure the building work matches the agreed design at all stages of the building work until the end. Frequency of inspections depends on site distance from my base in Southwold

Contact

Like what you see? Get in touch to learn more.

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