Internal remodelling/renovations: where to start

[Movingtobucks]

Wondering if I could get some advice: DH has given me the go-ahead to start looking more seriously into some work that would significantly improve our house. The main items are:

• remove 2 dividing interior walls
• move kitchen to where bathroom currently is
• extend extension by about 6 feet, and install new bathroom.

I would be amazed if we had planning permission issues because we essentially want an exact copy of what our NDN (other half of the semi) has done. But as a very first step I have absolutely no idea of even a ballpark figure of the cost and don’t know who I should be calling. Do I need an architect or will a general builder do? This is a far bigger project than anything I’ve done before and I don’t know where to start.

I would speak to an architect and get some drawings made up of what you want.
Speak to a planning expert , they will tell you if you need planning permission for these plans.
Then you can go to a builder with drawings and they can then give you a price.

That sounds easy . That's the theory anyway.

For the extension you need to find out the cost per metre square. So a 3 by 6 m extension would be 18 metres square. In my area that's £2000 per metre square so £36,000 (without vat added). That's to first fix so no flooring included.

Architects cost more than architectural technicians. If you know what you want the latter is good enough. If you need vision, and more help with layout and finishes, then it’s the former.

Check on your council’s web site for permitted development rules. As you already have an extension it’s likely you will need pp. Planning consultants cost money. A good local architect or technician should know what the local planning policies are and design an extension that will get pp without an appeal. Use their local expertise rather than engaging a planning expert. They are expensive and you are not designing a contentious mansion. Planning departments now charge for advice so don’t ask them unless you are pushing boundaries! It seems you are not.

Get the plans drawn up by your architect/technician and go for pp. They will provide working drawings and then you get quotes from builders. They must have enough details to quote or you run the risk of interminable extras that have been forgotten about! Think about fittings and where you want the bath to be for plumbing and the kitchen layout for plumbing and electrics etc. You can work with the architect on these aspects. Think about how the extension will join the existing building and what finishes you will use - matching or something different?

Hope that helps.

Thank you all, that’s really useful.

I’ve emailed a couple of architects and some architectural technicians so I’ll see whether they come back. I think there’s a chance that the work would be considered an LDO so we wouldn’t need to go through full PP, but it’s based on taking angles from the neighbours’ houses so I can’t say for certain.

I agree that fittings, electrics and plumbing are going to be really important - all the electrical fittings will need changing because they’re at counter height; and currently we only have 1 radiator heating our whole downstairs so that really needs to change as well! It’s a shame really because our current kitchen is lovely, but the downstairs layout is mental (tiny living room, big kitchen but not quite big enough for a table because they’ve put so many cupboards in, then a useless bit of corridor that’s wide but not quite wide enough to be used as a utility area, and ENORMOUS bathroom) and we just have no living space. We’re planning to live here for the foreseeable future so I’m keen to sort it sooner rather than later.