The Full Construction Scheme Stage - How To Plan For The Design Process Of Your Home Extension - A clients guide.

This is probably the most time consuming and challenging element of the design process for your selected design professional. Not all home extension architects and designers can do this part of the construction design process themselves and will outsource it to some who can without letting you know.  I have advised on this warning before.  Its not a good situation to be in for the client in my opinion.

This process is where the scheme is expanded and detailed massively for three specific tasks and uses in the form of drawings, details and specifications:-

1 - To make sure the client appreciates and understands everything that is being requested for the finished build.  To eek out and adjust all the mismatching of expectations.  To allow the client to focus on the level and extent of the finishings and budget costs.

2 - To ensure that the scheme complies to current health and safety, current good practice, the Building Regulations, structural stability and any other compliance issues.

3 - To provide the tendering builders with the most concise 'shopping list' the home extension architect or designer can provide for a finished product to be built on time and to the price tendered without too many extra costs along the way.

You should allow a 4 to 8 week period for this element of the design process.  You will be offered to comment on all the issues of the construction design so several adjustments to the design may need to be incorporated before final submission to the Building Control Dept. of the Council (or other private inspector).

LATEST SCAM ALERT WARNING:- The proper and normal process for obtaining Building Control Consent for home extension and remodlelling works is by using the 'Full Plans Application Process'.  This is where a full construction design is worked out and proposed and then checked by the Building Inspector. 

There is another council compliance process called the 'Building Notice' method.  This is where no formal construction design is pre-prepared & the Building Inspector approves the works ad-hock on site during the build.

Some dubious home extension designers are using the latter method to convince the client (wrongly) that they have obtained Building Regulations Approval which is NOT the case.  This is normally because the home extension designer you have selected is being lazy, uncaring or simply unable to do the technical element of the design.

Please ensure that you weed out these people early on at the interview stage.  They are more common and less obvious than you would think.