A Guide to the Design Build Process

Transcription

1 A Guide to the Design Build Process Essential reading for anyone considering or undertaking building work We are an affiliation of Chartered Architects and Chartered Building Surveyors who together provide an integrated seamless Professional Service for anyone considering residential building work

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3 THE DESIGN BUILD PROCESS There are a number of advantages in employing an experienced Architect or Building Surveyor to assist in your project. Besides the obvious design expertise and knowledge of the planning and regulatory systems, Architects and Building Surveyors will be able to select suitable and recommended contractors that you might like to consider for the build. To a certain extent contractors rely on the Architect or Building surveyor to refer future work for them and so have an incentive to do a good job. Secondly, a contractor may well price an estimate for work considerably more competitively if there are a set of well thought out, accurate and detailed drawings to use with less need to add on extra amounts for areas where assumptions are required. Money invested at the design stage may well save a client much greater amounts later on as competing estimates often vary considerably. In our experience the process of working with an Architect or Building Surveyor when undergoing any kind of building work can best be described as a series of stages. You may want involvement with all, or just some of these. In most cases they are sequential and we would usually advise completion of one stage before moving to the next. This is a useful way of controlling costs. The different stages are covered in brief on the next few pages and are headed as follows: Stage 1 - Feasibility Study Stage 2 - Measured Building / Topographical Survey Stage 3 - Formal Planning Application and Listed Building Application (where necessary) Stage 4 - Building Regulations Application Stage 5 - Selection of Building Contractor, preparing Construction Information /Tender Procedure Stage 6 - Contract Administration and Cost Control Services Stage 7 - Post Build Services

4 Stage 1 - The Feasibility Study What are my requirements, what do I want to build? What are the options and possibilities? How much will it cost? Will I need Planning Permission or any other consents? What will the planners allow me to do? What effect will the proposals have on the value of my property? The feasibility study is an informal meeting and sketch based process where we work with you to answer the above questions quickly and efficiently without incurring any significant costs. What does this usually involve? Meetings and a site visit with you to discuss your requirements and explore possibilities. Help you put together a wish list or brief. You may already have a detailed brief to take forward, or you may just have an idea of what you would like and an open mind to alternatives that we suggest. Preparation of sketch alternatives, usually hand drawn at this stage to keep costs down. Informal discussions with the relevant Planning Authority to assess whether Planning or other permissions (Listed Building Consent, for example) would be required and their likely reaction to a formal application. Example of a sketch impression (sometimes then used for informal discussion with the planners if necessary)

5 Depending on the nature of the work and degree of involvement you require a more accurate estimation of all costs can be assessed at this stage. Example of a sketch proposal scheme

6 We can also build virtual and physical models to help convey ideas and aid communication to planners and others of the potential possibilities. Interior of a physical model Example of a virtual model

7 Stage 2 - Measured Building / Topographical Survey A measured building survey is an accurate and detailed record of the current building, using sophisticated electronic equipment for speed, and carried out by one of our in-house surveyors. A topographical plan is a similar process used to pick up surrounding ground levels and features. The feasibility stage may well not need an accurate and detailed survey, it is a sketch based and discussion process and you may well have some old plans or rough estate agents details which can work just as well. However, assuming that the feasibility stage has produced a plan that you would like to proceed with, accurate survey data will usually be invaluable when proceeding to the next stages where detailed drawings are produced. You will get a set of floor plans, elevations and section drawings of the current building (if there is one) and a topographical landscape plan (if required) picking up ground levels and surrounding features (trees, paths etc.) Stage 3 - Formal Planning Application and Listed Building Application (where necessary) Assuming the feasibility stage has provided the right answers the next stage is a detailed planning application. Planning permission is the Council s way of saying, yes, you can proceed with the development. What do the planners need to know? Planning departments do not require any high level of technical information; they just really want to know information like: What the proposed building will look like What the current building looks like (if it exists) The purpose to which the building will be put What the parking arrangements are. What information do the planners require in order to make a decision? The Planners make a recommendation in respect of an application based on a set of regional and national policies. To demonstrate that a proposal complies with all the relevant polices a planning application will usually require: Preparation of more detailed floor plans and elevations to show how the building will work and what it will look like. These will usually be CAD

8 (computer drawn) drawings, accurate information that can be altered efficiently and based off the survey drawings. Preparation of accompanying written documentation demonstrating how the proposal complies with the relevant planning policies and information such as how energy efficient the completed building will be. Depending on the nature of the proposal we will discuss with the planners to determine whether any other information is required, such as: o An Archaeological Investigation/Report o A Daylight/Sunlight Assessment o An Environmental Impact Assessment (unlikely for domestic extensions) o A tree survey (performed by a qualified Aborculturist, likely if there are significant numbers of trees on the site) o A bat, owl or newt survey (often applicable in older buildings or buildings near water) o A pollution assessment (if the site has, or is suspected to have any polluted ground or materials) o An ecological walk over / desk top study. If any of these are necessary we can arrange everything on your behalf. How long does the formal planning process take? Planning permission usually takes 6 8 weeks from the time the application is submitted. In order to save costs, we normally advise clients not to proceed with any further detailed construction information or building regulations until planning permission has been granted. How does the planning process actually work? The whole process essentially works via the planners (Planning Officers) making a recommendation to a Planning Committee of lay people (Local Councillors) based on whether the proposal complies with their policies. In most cases, as long as a proposal is in compliance with the relevant policies and the Planning Officer makes a positive recommendation the chances are this will be endorsed by the Planning Committee, but a decision can be political and the Committee can always overturn a Planning Officer s recommendation; this is where lobbying local Councillors can be useful if done in a sensible way.

9 What if planning permission is refused? One of the advantages of employing an experienced Architect is their knowledge of local planning policies and procedures, however in some cases planning permission may be refused. In this case we will advise you on further options which might include an Appeal. Appeals are made either by written representations or through an informal hearing. Although planning permission usually takes 6 8 weeks from the time the application is submitted an Appeal is currently taking somewhere between 4 and 6 months from the time a refusal notice has been issued. You can only appeal if you receive a planning refusal. For how long is planning permission valid? Usually 3 years from the date of the approval. This time soon goes and it s worth making a diary note for a year after the event so you can review a way forward. Once you have started the development (starting implies a serious undertaking such as digging foundations or undertaking substantial demolition) work can be deemed to be valid indefinitely, i.e. the permission doesn t require renewing after 3 years. Renewing an application is more complex as one has to re-apply for planning permission providing an update of all the previous information. There is no easy way of renewing an existing application. Can I still make changes once permission has been granted? Yes, in some cases. the Council now have a system of allowing planning amendments provided a form is filled in and a fee (usually 25) is paid. If the amendments involve anything other than simple window or door changes, it is likely that a fresh application will be required which stresses the importance of getting the initial application right in as much detail as possible.

10 An example of a planning application drawing (one of a number that would be required - in this case, some elevations)

11 Stage 4 - Building Regulations Application This is a compulsory application to the Local Authority Building Control Department (a quite separate department), and it is designed to demonstrate that the proposed building will be constructed in accordance with national minimum standards (the Building Regulations). We only normally recommend applying for building regulation approval provided planning permission is in place. What are the Building Regulations? What information is required for an application? The Building Regulations are primarily to do with Health and Safety. They cover a large number of issues, such as ensuring that the building will be structurally sound, ensuring that there are protections against fire with clear means of escape in the event of fire, that the building is well insulated and thermally efficient and so on. What information does Building Control require? Ensuring that the building is structurally sound is performed by a separate Structural Engineer who will provide Building Control with a set of calculations. In our experience a close working relationship with the Engineer is extremely beneficial. We share premises with a firm of Structural Engineers and therefore usually involve them informally from the very start of a project to provide suggested designs that not only meet your requirements but are structurally efficient and sound. This can save time and therefore cost. Most applications these days also require quite a complex thermal calculation to show they are energy efficient. This is called a SAP calculation and we will often quote separately for doing this. It is worth noting that there is an alternative option of using a (private sector) Approved Inspector at this stage, which may in certain cases be more suitable. We can always advise when this may be the case.

12 An example of a building regulations application drawing (again, just one of a number that would be required - in this case, some building sections)

13 When can I start work? We always recommend that approval is obtained prior to commencement of work on site if possible. This usually takes around 6 weeks from the time of submission until approval. You are entitled to start the work before full approval is granted once a building regulation application has been submitted and acknowledged but this must be at your own risk. The Council retains the right to come back and request more information or changes, which could be difficult if the work has been started. Our quotations for obtaining building regulation approval are for just that, at this stage we do not get actively involved on site or provide any further information other than that which is necessary to obtain building regulation approval. Stage 5 - Selection of Building Contractor, preparing Construction Information /Tender Procedure How do I find a builder? We work with a number of contractors both small and large and have relationships going back many years. We monitor trends in prices and tend to know what a particular builder is good at doing. Builders with whom we work regularly tend to look after our clients for obvious reasons! We will be able to recommend a list of reputable and efficient builders that would be suitable for your job. How will builders price the work? We can work with you in detail to produce a set of tender documents suitable for builders to prepare estimates. These would comprise a detailed set of drawings and a written specification of work, with approximate quantities where required. Provided one approaches builders of appropriate experience, generally 4 or 5 on a job of an average size, the prices received will be typically wide ranging, perhaps varying by up to 25%. The strength of providing a comprehensive and accurate tender package is that it lessens the amount of information that the builder has to assume, it should allow the builder to price with more certainty and therefore more competitively. Time spent at the design stage will usually be more than offset by savings in the actual construction. We normally check priced documents on receipt of tenders and prepare a tender analysis advising on tenders received.

14 Stage 6 - Contract Administration and Cost Control Services We also provide Contract Administration and Cost Control Services. Typically the following will be included as part of these services: Attending pre-contract site meeting with chosen contractor to discuss programme organisation. Preparation of contract documentation. Arranging for signing of contract documents by both parties. Supplying all necessary information to contractor. Setting up project page on website with private password for access to drawings, cost schedules and minutes. Checking contract programme of works. Monitoring the process and the quality of work by periodic site visits. Preparing monthly reports to you on progress and actual contract expenditure. Administering the terms of the building contract during progress of the works. Preparing Rolling Final Account Cost Control documentation to reflect progress. Assessing valuation application submitted by the building contractor, issuing valuation certificates based upon the value of work actually completed (rather than the contractor s rule of thumb ). Preparing and updating a draft final account. Agreeing a final account with contractor and handing over record drawings. Stage 7 - Post Build Services What happens beyond completion of the project? We can help you set up a building maintenance manual to cover not only the new work but the existing building. This will include general advice on maintenance and instruction manuals for building services. We can also do an as built energy audit, as in most cases we will already have done calculations in relation to the new work. If this is an extension to an existing building, we can look at the whole building complex and advise on energy consumptions and ways in which these consumptions could be reduced.

15 Total services available include: Feasibility Assessments Planning and Listed Building Consents Measured Building Surveys Topographical and Specialist Surveys Building Regulations Approvals Tender Specifications for Builders Contract Administration Sustainability & Energy Saving Advice Reinstatement Cost Assessments Party Walls Boundary Disputes Building Condition Surveys Residential Valuations Maintenance Programmes Rights of Light/Daylight Assessments Schedules of Dilapidations THE DESIGN STUDIO 94 HIGH STREET STEYNING WEST SUSSEX BN44 3RD TEL: (01903) FAX: (01903) VAT REG NO Suite 2, Grosvenor Hall Bolnore Road Haywards Heath West Sussex RH16 4BX Tel: Fax: Gould and Company Chartered Surveyors is the trading name of Gould Property Consultants LLP, a Limited Liability Partnership TEL: (01903) FAX: (01273) [email protected]

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