A to Key - The Construction Process for Homeowners - Part 2 - Technical Design

RIBA Stage 04 (Technical Design)

Once planning permission has been granted, your Architect will need to add more detail to your drawings to demonstrate that the design meets current UK Building Regulations and to enable a builder to accurately construct your scheme - this is the technical design. Given the level of detail required, this part often takes longer than the concept and planning stages. Additional consultants will be required, and your Architect can advise on who you need to hire. It’s safe to assume that at the very minimum, you will need a structural engineer. 

Once the drawings are completed and signed off by you, they can be sent to your local council's building control department, or to an Approved Inspector, for a 'full plans’ check. We would usually recommend that this check is undertaken to provide us and you with confirmation that the scheme adheres fully to the current regulations. Your Architect will liaise with building control to ensure that the scheme is approved.

Below is an example of the level of detail generally required at this stage.

Finding a builder

You should now have a set of drawings and documents which give builders enough information to tell you how much the build will cost. Generally we would recommend reaching out to three to five different contractors asking them to provide you with a quotation for the works. This process is called ‘tendering'.

It is very important to formally meet the contractors to talk through their price, their expected timescales, and their experience. Equally importantly; you need to get along. The construction process can take a while so good working relationships are very important.

Once you have found a builder who meets your requirements, it is advised to formally appoint them by signing a building contract, which will set out timescales, cost, and scope of works to be completed. This element is worth discussing with your Architect, as there are a number of different contract options and the one you choose depends on the project type and size.

Project Management

It is at this point that you will need to decide if you want to manage the contractor and their work on site yourself, retain your Architect to manage site works, or hire a third party. Your Architect will understand the works required better than anyone and can therefore quickly spot any deviations from the agreed design during the build. As with the rest of the process, your Architect will have prior site experience, and so can be extremely useful in ensuring that the works are progressing to the agreed timescale and quality.

In the next and final blog of 'A to Key - The Construction Process for Homeowners'; we will delve further into the construction process, including what to expect and what happens if things don't go according to plan.