Find an Architect you can trust in Shaftesbury.

Generally the process for having plans produced will only take a month or two. Major works or new builds can take upto ten months to produce. This will depend on the requirements of your project and the number of technical drawings you need produced. An architect will always advise you based on the project how long these will realistically take.

You don’t legally have to hire an architect for your commercial building project. In many cases, property owners liaise directly with a builder to create their extension or new building. This can help to reduce your project cost if you have a limited budget.

However, there are several benefits to hiring an architect that might mean it’s the best option for you.

Firstly, the architect you hire should have up to date knowledge of all the legislation and best practices that your commercial building should comply with, and will have professional indemnity insurance to cover you if they get anything wrong. This will help you make sure that your building is legal and safe, and avoid any expensive rectifying work.

An architect can also help you get the most out of your space. Their specialised experience means they may come up with layouts or solutions that you might not have thought of. If this helps you create a more successful commercial space, you might end up saving or earning more money.

Commercial architects can also take care of your project management. If you have limited time or experience to devote to your building project, an architect can manage it for you. This could be a great way to streamline your project and make sure it’s completed on time.

Not necessarily. Commercial architects may charge either a fixed fee, an hourly rate, or a percentage of the building contract. They could also save you substantial amounts of money as their plans and drawings may stop issues arising later in the construction.

If you’d like to hire a residential architect, but have limited funds, there are several things you can try to reduce their quote.

Firstly, you don’t necessarily need to hire them for project management – you could just ask them to do the design. This will mean you’ll have to do some extra donkey work, but you could choose between finding a cheaper professional to do your project management or simply doing it yourself.

There might also be other architectural services that you can cut down on. Some professionals offer extras like landscape, interior and detailed joinery design. If you can do without any of these, this will help to reduce the overall cost.

You could also think about scaling down your project. Lots of residential architects work out their fees as a percentage of the total construction cost of your project. Lower the cost of this, and your fees might go down too.

It’s not essential to hire an architect for a new extension project, but it can help you get a good result.

If you’d like to put your whole extension project in the hands of a professional, hiring an architect is a great idea. They’ll work with you to create the design you want, and can manage planning applications and work with building contractors to make sure your extension ends up just the way you want it.

However, if you want to save money, there are plenty of other options. Even if you’ve got good vision, you’ll need a professional of some kind to draw up plans for you. Either hire an architect to only do design work, or hire a design and build company to do the whole thing for you. If you’ve got the skills, you could even commission a design professional to draw up the plans and then build the thing yourself.

There are lots of design professionals out there, with different levels of experience and skill. So, it’s a good idea to pick a professional who has the level of skill to match your needs.

Commercial architects specialise in designing buildings for business or public use, rather than residential, like offices, shops and schools.

Commercial architects will typically have expert knowledge of the unique needs that different types of commercial building have. This includes safety and design requirements for bigger buildings that typically contain high numbers of people.

Choose an architect whose design vision fits with yours – but make sure they’ve got something new to bring to the table. Also check them out to see what projects they have previously undertaken. Ask them. Communication is vital. Pick a commercial architect who can communicate well with everybody involved in the project.

The amount of maintenance will vary depending on the material of the gutter. However, all gutters should be cleaned regularly. Ideally cleaning should be carried out yearly, or more frequently if there are trees close to the guttering, this prevents overflows and problems elsewhere.