Measured survey FAQs
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No, site visits are not required to prepare your architectural drawings.
You can carry out the measured survey yourself, sending us the measurements, sketches and photos via email. Read our guide on how to prepare your own measured survey.
Alternatively, we offer an optional site visit to take a measured survey (additional charges apply).
Read more about our Measured Survey packages.
Planning permission FAQs
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An OS map, also known as an Ordnance Survey map, is a detailed topographic map produced by the Ordnance Survey, which is the national mapping agency for Great Britain, and provides detailed information about the landscape and environment of a specific area.
Local authorities often require the submission of an OS map as part of a planning application. The map must be to scale and clearly show the proposed development site and surrounding area, as well as any relevant features or boundaries.
If you’ve had planning is refused, we can review the reasons why and help by preparing a new design that suits the council’s comments.
If we think it may be difficult to achieve planning permission for a project, we’ll discuss this with you before submitting an application.
We usually recommend waiting until you have been granted planning permission before moving onto the next stage, building control.
If the project falls within permitted development rights, and planning isn’t required, or if your project is fairly simple and therefore planning permission is more likely to be granted, you may choose to continue onto the building control stage before the council issue their decision.
We can never guarantee that planning permission will be granted.
Our Concept Design and Planning packages provide professional, affordable architectural drawings for the initial stages of your building project.
Find out more about our Concept Design & Planning packages.
Permitted development refers to changes that can be made to a property without the need for planning permission. These changes are considered to have minimal impact on the surrounding area and include things like small extensions, loft conversions, and certain types of alterations to the exterior of a building.
However, there are still some limits and conditions that apply to permitted development, so it’s important to check whether your proposed changes fall within these limits.
Planning permission, on the other hand, is a formal application that property owners must make to their local council in order to obtain permission for changes that fall outside of the scope of permitted development.
Planning permission is required for larger extensions, major alterations to the exterior of a building, and new buildings or structures on a property. Planning permission may also be required if permitted development rights have been removed due to the property being in a Conservation Area, for example.
Based on the planning permission advice we receive, we will prepare architectural drawings and designs and submit them to the council on your behalf as part of a planning application.
Find out more about our Concept Design & Planning packages.
A party wall notice is a written notification that is served to a building owner or occupier who is planning to carry out construction work that may affect a shared wall, boundary, or structure between two or more properties.
The purpose of the notice is to inform the adjoining owners or occupiers about the proposed work and to seek their consent or agreement to proceed.
Party wall notices are required under the Party Wall etc. Act 1996, which is a law that regulates construction work on or near shared boundaries. The Act sets out specific procedures and requirements for serving party wall notices, including the form and content of the notice, the minimum notice period, and the method of service.
We can provide planning permission advice and help by preparing the initial party wall notice to be sent to your neighbour/s to request consent.
However, it may be necessary to appoint a party wall surveyor if your neighbour refuses to give consent without a formal agreement.
You can complete certain types of projects without applying for planning permission: these are called permitted development rights.
We will perform a full check of your project against local and national planning permission advice and rules. This will determine if a Certificate of Lawful Development within the rules of permitted development is required.
Read our guide on permitted development.
Most new builds or changes to existing buildings require a planning application. Your local council is responsible for granting or rejecting planning applications.
We will perform a full check of your project against local and national planning permission advice and rules to determine the type of application required, which can include:
- Outline planning permission (for new build architectural drawings).
- Detailed planning permission (for new build architectural drawings).
- Planning permission.
- Certificate of Lawful Development within the rules of permitted development: read our guide on Permitted Development.
Based on the planning permission advice, we will prepare the relevant application within 2-3 weeks. It will usually include drawings and a description of the project.
We will then formally submit the application to your local council on your behalf.
The council will review the project and may consult with your neighbours to determine the impact on them.
They will make a decision as to whether the project can go ahead or not. This usually takes between 6-8 weeks.
Find out more about our planning permission design and drawing services.
Please note that the council’s Planning and Building Control application fees are not included in our price.
We offer unlimited amendments for all our packages.
If you, the council, or your builder request any changes to the planning drawings, building control drawings or the structural design, we’ll update everything free of charge.
If a substantial change or redesign is required, there may be a small additional charge.
Read more about our services.
Yes. If you already have planning drawings, we can still help with the Building Control and/or Structural Design stage.
If you already have Building Control drawings, we can still help with the Structural Design stage.
Read more about working with us.
One of the first things we do in the early stages a project also perform a full check of your project against local and national planning permission advice and rules to determine the type of planning application required. This can include:
- Outline Planning Permission (for new build architectural drawings)
- Detailed Planning Permission (for new build architectural drawings)
- Planning Permission
- Certificate of Lawful Development within the rules of Permitted Development: read our Guide to Permitted Development
Based on the planning permission advice we receive, we will prepare architectural drawings and designs and submit them to the council on your behalf as part of a planning application.
Find out more about our Concept Design & Planning packages.
Building regulations FAQs
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Our Building Control & Construction Specification packages prepare the technical specifications of your project for a building control application.
Find out more about our Building Control & Construction Specification packages.
Building regulations, also known as building control, refer to the minimum standards for how a building is constructed.
The regulations are developed by the UK government and approved by Parliament.
Building regulations are different to planning permission and you may need both for your project.
We will prepare your building control application within 2-3 weeks and submit it to the council on your behalf.
Find out more about our building regulation services.
Please note that the council’s planning and building control application fees are not included in our price.
Almost all extension, conversion and new build projects will require a building control application.
We will prepare all the technical architectural drawings and construction specifications required for the application and submit the application on your behalf, acting as your agent with the council for the duration of the projection.
Read more about our Building Control & Construction Specifications packages.
Structural design FAQs
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Our Structural Design & Calculations packages provide comprehensive and affordable structural design reports.
Find out more about our Structural Design & Calculations packages.
No. If you require a structural survey to assess the condition for your property and any damage to the structure, we recommend contacting a local structural surveyor.
Yes. We have an experienced team of structural engineers who will review your project and prepare a structural design report.
This report is suitable for submitting as part of the building control application and for your builder to use during construction.
Read more about our Structural Design & Calculation packages.
Building regulations are a set of legal standards and requirements that govern the construction and alteration of buildings in the UK. These regulations aim to ensure that buildings are safe, healthy, accessible, and energy-efficient, and that they meet minimum standards of structural stability, fire safety, and environmental sustainability.
Building regulations apply to most types of building work, including new buildings, extensions, renovations, conversions, and material alterations. They cover a wide range of aspects of construction, including foundations, walls, roofs, windows, doors, ventilation, drainage, electrical installations, and thermal performance.
It is important to follow building regulations in order to ensure that buildings are safe for occupants and visitors, and to minimise the risk of accidents, injuries, or damage to property. Failure to comply with building regulations can result in legal penalties, fines, or even imprisonment, and can also result in problems with insurance, mortgages, and property values.
A Building Control application usually comprises of a set of Building Regulation drawings and a structural design.
Read more about our Building Control & Construction Specifications packages.
Working with us FAQs
We provide a fixed price quote for every project, usually within a few hours of you contacting us.
Yes.
Depending on the type of project, we may be able to use estate agent floor plans, or architectural drawings from a previous planning application.
In most cases, however, it is necessary to do a measured survey of the property.
Depending on where you are located, we will come to your property to perform a measured survey, or we will appoint a third-party surveyor to do this. In some cases, you can provide your own measured survey, if you’d prefer.
If you have already received planning approval for your project, we can use your planning drawings to prepare the Building Regulation drawings and/or structural design.
Yes. It is important that designs are adequately insured, which is why CR Design Services insure all designs for £1m.
Please get in touch if you have any questions.
Our design fees are bespoke for every project.
With every quote we try to be as transparent as possible, providing a detailed breakdown of our fees and services.
If you have any questions regarding our design, please get in touch.
Read our guide on how to estimate the build costs.
Our experienced team is here to provide planning permission advice, architectural drawings and technical expertise at every stage of your building project:
Concept Design & Planning
- Gather all the information we require to start your project, including a Measured Survey.
- Seek Planning Permission advice to check what type Planning application is required.
- Prepare a design based on your ideas and discuss the architectural drawings with you until you are happy with the final design.
- Submit the relevant application and act as your Agent for the duration of the application.
Building Control & Construction Specifications
- Prepare a pack of technical architectural drawings and construction specifications.
- Submit a Building Control application and act as your Agent for the duration of the application.
- Continue to support you during the build, answering any queries from you, your builder or the Council, until the project is completed.
Structural Design & Calculations
- Review of the project by one of our Structural Engineers, providing design input where required.
- Prepare a full Structural Design report.
- Submit report to Council as part of the Building Control application.
Read more about working with us.
Yes, we have a variety of example projects that you can view. This will give you an idea of the typical level of detail we provide in our architectural drawings. view our Inspiration Gallery.
Your Quote FAQs
Payment required in full on appointing us prior to visit.
What’s included:
- We will perform a full measured survey of the existing property.
- This information can then be used for the following stages shown below.
Payment required in full on receipt of final drawings ready for submission.
It will take 2-3 weeks to have everything ready to submit to the council.
What’s included:
- We will perform a full check of your project against local and national planning rules to determine the type of planning application required.
- Using your ideas, we will develop the design of the project and suggest improvements/alternatives where appropriate.
- Screen-sharing session and/or video call to discuss your project (optional)
- We will prepare all of the drawings required for the planning application.
- Unlimited amendments/revisions included.
- One of our structural engineers will perform an initial review of the project to ensure the layout is feasible.
- We will provide a licence for the OS map, valid for 1 year.
- Once you are happy with the design, we can prepare and submit the planning application to your local council, this service would be an additional £80+vat. We will either submit a full planning application, or an application for a certificate of lawful development (whichever is appropriate for your project).
- If we are submitting your application, we’ll act as your agent for the duration of the application, and deal with the council on your behalf.
- Planning Approval may not be necessary for your project. If possible, this will be confirmed during this stage.
- The council’s planning application fees are not included in our price.
Payment required in full on receipt of final drawings ready for submission.
It will take 2-3 weeks to have everything ready to submit to the council.
What’s included:
- Full pack of technical drawings and written specification required for the building control application.
- We offer technical support via phone, email or video call.
- Any site queries or requests for clarification are included, however, design changes that are requested after submission may be charged at £49ph+vat.
- We can prepare and submit the building Control application to your local council, or to a private building control inspector of your choice, this service would be an additional £80+vat.
- If we are submitting your Building Control application, we will act as your agent and provide support for the duration of the project.
- The councils building control application fees are not included in our price.
Payment required in full on receipt of final structural design ready for submission.
It will take 2-3 weeks to have a set of drawings for review.
What’s included:
- We will prepare a calculations report and structural summary drawings for your project.
- Our structural design packages are suitable for submitting to building control as the Part A requirements, and can also be used by your builder to prepare a quote and build from.
- One of our fully qualified and experienced structural engineers will be assigned to your project until completion. They will be available to answer any queries from you, your builder or the council, however, design changes that are requested after submission may be charged at £49ph+vat.
- 3D Visualisations of the proposed development, including internal and external views (very useful for space planning, communicating design intent to the builder, and as part of the planning app submission to the council) – £850+vat
- Preparation of Planning application – £80+vat.
- Preparation of Building Control application – £80+vat.
- Initial party wall agreement letter sent to adjoining neighbour/s – £140+vat.
- Preparation of ‘Build Over’ or ‘Build Near’ agreement sent to local water authority (if building over or near a public drainage system) – £140+vat.
- Site visits during construction to inspect key stages of the project, discuss with builder and provide support – £180+vat per visit
All third-party specialist reports and surveys, unless otherwise agreed in the quote above, are not included.
We cannot provide guarantees that planning for your project will be granted.
Site visits are not included, unless shown in the quote above.
The council’s application fees are not included.
