Most homeowners ask how much an architect costs and the honest answer is: it varies enormously, and the variation rarely has much to do with the size of your project. Traditional architectural fees are often calculated as a percentage of the construction cost — typically somewhere between 8 and 15 percent. On a £150,000 extension, that’s £12,000 to £22,500 in fees alone, before a single brick is laid.
That model exists for a reason. It works reasonably well for large, complex commercial buildings where the architect is managing dozens of consultants and years of phased delivery. It works far less well for a homeowner adding a side return extension or converting a loft — projects where the actual design and drawing work, while still requiring real expertise, doesn’t scale anywhere near as steeply with cost.
You usually know your home better than anyone
Most clients who come to us already have a good understanding of their home and a clear sense of how it could work better — where the light’s wrong, where the kitchen’s too cramped, what they wish they had more of. We see our role as building on that understanding, not replacing it. We’re here to bring the technical and design expertise that makes sure everything works structurally, meets planning policy, and gets you through the process efficiently — while the direction of the project stays rooted in what you already know about how you want to live.
What a fixed-fee, drawings-only service includes
- Planning drawings — floor plans, elevations, materials, and a design and access statement
- Construction drawings — the technical detail your contractor needs to price and build accurately
- A fixed fee, set by project type rather than a percentage of your build budget
- Introductions to trusted, vetted contractors once your drawings are ready
The result is a service that’s focused rather than reduced: proper architectural and technical expertise, applied efficiently, at a cost that’s proportionate to a residential project — not a commercial one.