Planning permission...anyone went through the process without an architect?

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Hello, we are planning a box standard half a double garage conversion for a home office (both husband and I work from home). Apparently we need planning permission due to lost parking space for the size of property. We have been quote 2K just for planning application which I would rather use towards getting building work done since we are not planning a fancy extension etc. Did anyone apply for planning permission themselves? And if so can you please tell me how you went about preparing the plans?

We got someone to draw up the plans and get permission who was recommended by my builder. He wasn't an architect.

Thanks @Crazyhorses123. Do you mind me asking how much that was please? We are in the south east so probably more expensive down here

My husband did the plans for our large extension (2 stories to the side, full width single across the rear). He is a design engineer with full software available though, and is well used to this sort of plans.

We then used a friend to do the structural calcs/drawings to go with them.

You can do the planning plans yourself, they don;t need to be overly complicated and certainly not by an architect. Planning dept can actually be useful in telling you level of detail etc so it's worth calling them.
They can be line drawn but obviously much preferred not to be! If you're able to use CAD then autocad can be downloaded and used for free for 30 days, other packages can certainly be used too.
If paying a drafting person rather than architect then you're talking hundreds not thousands.
Building Regs drawings and structural calcs are a different matter and need a bit more expert help but again can be done yourself although def get a pro structural engineer for those.
I saw this website from ages ago after I'd completed my plans etc - www.diyhomeextension.co.uk/building-control-drawings.html
worth reading through

Hi it was a few years ago, it was for a garage conversion too in a conservation area. To be honest I can't remember but my dh thinks it was a couple of hundred pounds, the whole thing cost 7,000 all in, to full building regs, the most expensive thing was the window which had to be made to measure.

Thank you all, that's very helpful! @Loofah01 I am assuming that once you have planning the building regs can be obtained through a notice (not full plans)? I am completely ignorant of the process! Or do you have to have full plan application fir the building regs too if you need planning application?
@Crazyhorses123 £7K sounds very reasonable but we will probably need to pay a bit more now

First you submit plans which state what you want to do; how your house currently looks and the proposed additions or changes. Building regs drawings can be a part of this step or submitted as additional drawings. The BR drawings state how you will meet the various regulations for building, materials etc. To be honest the expensive parts are the structural calcs and in my last case, the drainage calcs as they placed a condition on mine for separate SuDS.

So I had a quote from a draftsman to do the initial plans for the planning permission for £600. Not including application fee. What do you think? Is this reasonable?

Does that include site survey?

Are you sure you still need pp for that. Garage conversions are generally permitted development.

Yes, including survey. And unfortunately we do need pp in our case

Not a terrible price then. They need to measure the site and everything in and out if the house, then create the as-built drawings, site plan and then the proposed extension. Probably at least half of an architect charge but you should still get an architect to quote

We are in a conservation area 'up north' and knew nothing about planning, so we needed an architect, but I just wanted to post to let you know what we paid for the service. I hope it helps...the initial survey was £850 + vat. My brother works for a survey firm and they couldn't beat this price (albeit, they were out of area.) The architect was £2000 + vat to get us to planning stage. It will be £2500 to draw up the technical drawings to enable the builders to give us quotes and draw up a schedule of work. We needed a local area specialist because of the area we live in, but it is expensive! Our extension is big though..raising the roof etc. I know loads of people that have extended without an architect and it's gone absolutely beautifully. I replied because the quote you've got for the initial survey seems pretty low and I might be a bit wary of it....perhaps get another 2 and take the one in the middle? Our survey was a digital survey of the whole house though, so perhaps you only wanted a section of your house surveyed? Anyway. Hope it all goes well. (From a fellow house improver)

Just to note, the tech drawings are a different set. Planning drawings can be very simple, building reg drawings are fine detail.
The price, I think, is still about right for a draftsman

I did it myself to work from home. They did come and have a look, but it was all fine.

Thank you all for the replies. Just to clarify the £600 is just for simple drawings for a garage conversion and then another £600 for building regs drawings. My understanding is that the drawings will be just of the garage and a small part of the house (as attached) not the whole plan. So I am thinking of paying the £600 to get it to planning permission stage and then just apply for notice for building regs...is this doable?

@SMaCM I would love to do it myself if straight forward. Any tips that you can share?

To set it in context, I would think there would at least be elevations created to illustrate the changes relative to the house but I guess these aren't essential.
Your plan is definitely doable. I had the drawings all in one for planning and BR but I doubt it affected the cost much.

For planning the plans can be hand drawn although I really wouldn't go that route. There are free CAD packages also but you'll need all dimensions noted. If you do decide to do them yourself then have a chat with planning first to see their level of expectation. No point going through the submission if they bat it out for not being up to par.

I just did lots of measuring and some rather amateurish scale drawings on squared paper (they made me redo one). I also spoke to the planning department to make sure I included everything they wanted. I had a visit from environmental health and someone to do with traffic.

You do get two shots by the way, if they bat it out the first time, you can amend and re-submit without further charge