Stages of work
At PAD Architects, we tailor our stages of work to suit your needs and the demands of your site. To give you an idea of the process and our role in your project, see below an example of our Stages of Work, which are in accordance with RIBA standards. Fees are usually calculated as a percentage of the total construction costs.
STAGES 0 – 2:
We start with an initial consultation on site which is a chance for you to speak to one of our architects and chat through all your ideas and have any questions answered. Based on their previous experience of similar projects, they’ll bring their own creative input and be able to offer guidance on how to optimise space, budget, and the best way to achieve your desired home. The consultation is a chance to discuss the following:
• Design ideas and the kind of home you want to create
• Fees and budget of the project
• Statutory requirements, ie: planning applications / lawful agreement, building regulations, party wall agreements etc
This consultation is then followed up with a full measured survey of your home and outline feasibility sketches to explore various options for your approval. To give you a sense of what your finished home might look like we also produce 3D models of your project.
STAGE 3:
Once a scheme has been agreed with yourselves and you are happy with the project, we develop the drawings and produce all the documentation required for a planning submission or lawful agreement application and submit this to your local Council. Once the application is submitted we’re in regular communication with the planning officer to negotiate on your behalf throughout the duration of the application. This process usually takes 12 weeks.
PAD Architects have undertaken and completed successful planning applications with councils in the London boroughs of Kensington & Chelsea, Hammersmith & Fulham, Richmond-upon-Thames, Wandsworth, Westminster, Ealing, Southwark, Kingston-upon-Thames, Merton and more.
STAGE 4:
Once planning is achieved we will prepare detailed construction drawings and create a specification document which is suitable for building regulations submission and tendering purposes. We then go out to tender to local builders that we know and also any contractors you have been recommended or would like to work with. Once these tenders are back (usually three weeks) we will appraise all the returns and produce a tender report in order for you to decide which is the best construction company for your project. We then prepare a building contract in order that work can begin.
STAGES 5 – 6:
When the project is being built and the contractors are on site, we will be in verbal contact with you and the contractors and also undertake site visits to assess the progress, standard of workmanship and cost control. Once the work is complete we issue certificates of completion.