One of the most important decisions you will make when you are planning a home extension is choosing an architect. There’s plenty of choice for Surrey, but picking someone who knows your vision, your local regulations and what makes great design is crucial. At Extension Architecture, we believe the right architect doesn’t just provide you with space—they transform ideas into reality. But why is it important to hire the right architect for your extension? What do they do during your project? And what are common mistakes to avoid when hiring an architect?
The Importance of hitting the right architect for your extension project
A home extension is a sizable commitment. Hiring the right architect means getting a new room added, getting a higher home value or streamlining how your home flows. Architects surrey handle more than the design element—it means thinking about functionality, about aesthetics, about compliance to local regulations. A quality architect means that your extension is not only beautiful to look at but helps your lifestyle.
You also need someone who’s familiar with Surrey’s planning regulations – planning in Surrey can be tricky. Extension Architecture has been there to work through these rules for you, saving time and aggravation for you. Creating functional, beautiful living spaces that pay for themselves and represent your vision is how we do things. With 16 years of experience in the industry, we thrive with challenging projects and extensions.
Role of an architect in house extension projects
It’s not just about designing pretty rooms. They are in on every step of the process from the first idea right through to completion. Here’s a simplified view of what you can expect when working with an architect:
Initial consultation: First, a meeting to gather your ideas and goals. Architects listen carefully to your needs, advising what can be done in terms of fit within your budget and local planning constraints.
Design & planning: Once you have finished the consultation, Architects produce concept designs based on your vision. Once you’re happy, they prepare detailed drawings that will be submitted for planning permission and everything will be within the regulations.
The Process of working with Extension Architecture
Working with Extension Architecture is a stress free process. The moment we meet, we focus on the process from idea to model that disrupts your daily life as little as possible.
- With an in-depth consultation we learn about your goals.
- After the design has been refined and planning permission gained we take the technical planning from start to finish.
- We stay in touch throughout the build making sure the construction matches what we intended, so you end up with the result you wanted.
We take pride in continuing to be involved all the way through every step of the process and aiding our clients throughout!
Mistakes to avoid while hiring an architect
An extension can succeed or fail based on the decision of the architect that is providing services to you. To help you avoid common pitfalls, here are a few mistakes to watch out for:
Choosing based on price alone: Since hiring the cheapest architect is tempting, it usually results in subpar. A more expensive architect may not always be the best, but will certainly save you money in the long run if he makes fewer costly mistakes.
Not reviewing their portfolio: Check an architect’s past work. Get their style right too, and make sure they’ve worked on something similar before.
Skipping references: Take your time and read reviews and ask for references. If a good architect has happy clients who would vouch for them, they are a reputable architect.
We like to encourage prospective clients to browse our portfolio first, and also speak to our past customers. We trust what we’ve done, and the results speak for themselves.
Why local knowledge matters for your extension project
The focal point that we typically overlook when selecting an architect is their familiarity with planning laws and regulations. As with many places, extensions architects in London have strict rules which include restrictions on how high, the size and distance of the building is from other properties. If you work with savvy architects who understand these local rules, you can avoid headaches later and ‘save’ you time, by making sure that your plans are in strict compliance with the law from the beginning.
Having worked extensively across London, at Extension Architecture we’re used to navigating local councils and the different planning permissions needed. Less delay so the whole thing goes down smoothly for your extension. As certified architects, we know our local styles and regulations as well as anyone else in town, so you end up with a project that fits right in with the neighborhood as a place for you to be, but is still different and functional.
Conclusion
Building an extension onto your home is a big project, and with so much at stake, it is crucial that you make the right choice of architect. We have the expertise, creativity and local knowledge to bring your vision to life in London through our team of expert architects. From conception to completion, we’re committed to your needs and we want your extension project to be as seamless and enjoyable as possible.
