Hire an Architect

Find a local Architect to bring your dreams alive. Get up to three quotes form Architects in your area and save time and money hunting around for the best price. Architects drawings are essential for planning permission and getting a professional start to your project. Builders and specialist tradesmen use Architect drawings for everything from ordering materials to their final spec finish. To ensure low wastage, low cost, good time keeping and high spec finish it is essential to have drawing and Architect specification before starting any major project. You can hire Architect here for both residential and commercial project, simple fill out the form to get started.

Architects Overview

Architects in the UK are highly skilled professionals qualified and registered with the Architects Registration Board. They work on both commercial and residential projects, liaising with clients, offering ideas and solutions, designing and producing blueprints, obtaining planning permission, hiring contractors and overseeing construction projects. Working with an architects begins with a consultation to establish your requirements. In most cases, a contract will be drawn up after the client's requirements have been established and the potential site for the project has been investigated. This agreement between client and architect will include full details of the project and exactly what services the architect will provide, a fees and expenses statement, professional indemnity insurance cover details and a dispute resolution agreement about what will happen if a problem arises.

Architects can broadly be split into those working in design roles and those specialising in construction roles, however there are many sub-classes of specialisation including architectural firms which concentrate on certain types of project for example, health care, retail and housing. Some architects will also specialise in areas such as building code, sustainable design, technical writing, listed buildings and conservation, accessibility, property development, interior design and construction management.

Architects can produce detailed designs based on your needs, but what makes an architect really valuable is the ability to see the big picture, developing a vision of the completed project and all the steps from planning to completion. After an initial consultation, your architect will develop preliminary schematics which will be the first of many, each subsequent set of schematics or drawings will contain more and more detail until final drawings are produced including written specifications. Architect's are also familiar with building codes and structural demands, so can be invaluable when preparing the documentation necessary to acquire building permits, consents or planning permission, saving time and money.

Commercial Architects

For larger projects requiring multiple trades on site, architects have the experience necessary to coordinate the various construction professionals and ensure everyone works together. They often also have trusted professionals they have worked with many times so can help with hiring local plumbers, electricians, contractors and more. Then as the project progresses, they can oversee the actual day-to-day construction if required. For simpler projects, you can simply hire an architect to design the project and create all the necessary drawings, and seek any permits or consents required, after which he or she will have no further involvement. This is obviously less expensive, but many consider the additional fees worthwhile to delegate the hassle of managing the project and hiring subcontractors and ensuring that all work is done properly and on time.

Architects Costs and Fees

Architect fees are usually worked out by a comprehensive evaluation of your project, in particular the size and scale of the project, the type of construction and the land which it is being built on, location, energy efficiency requirements and any additional design services required. Architect can quote a percentage charge for the entire project, or an hourly rate. The percentage charge can be anywhere between 3 and 12% of the final project cost, depending on the involvement of architect supervision supervision required from start to completion of the project. According to the Royal Institute of British Architects, typical hourly rates for architect fees range from £52 to £90 per hour. Gathering quotes is an essential part of choosing any professional, but with architects you need to first create a shortlist then talk through exactly what you want to do.

Ask to see any literature outlining their previous experience and qualifications, if possible check if you can visit finished projects to see examples of their work first hand. Once you've chosen an architect and agreed on a fee structure, you need to put together a contract and a clear brief describing the requirements and functions of your building project, along with proposed methods, supervision and management.

If you require the services of an architect, you can use this site to get quotes from professional architects in your area by filling out one simple form with details of the project, your budget, and your contact information.