Help contacting architect

[Beetie1]

I am looking to do a rear/side return and loft extension and want an architect to do the plans. I have anxiety and although I generally function fine day to day there are some things that trigger it - including contacting people I don't know about things I don't know about. I get all worked up and worry I'm going to say/do something wrong and look stupid.

Anyway I need to contact an architect to get the ball rolling. I've been avoiding doing it. What do I say in the initial email? I want to make a few inquiries with different people before committing. Obviously I'll need to explain what I'm wanting doing. Is it ok to ask for examples of similar work they have done? Anything else I should ask?

Details of their charges, and what they actually provide at each stage

Their website should have examples, and if you Google 'architects in X town' there's probably list of some sort that also says what their normal budget is that they work with - no point contacting one that usually does £500k-£2.5m projects if yours is £100k! You could also look on the planning portal of your council for plans of nearby houses which will have the architect's name on.
Once you have three or four architects that do the kind of thing you want to do, just email them introducing yourself, where you live, your type of house and brief outline of what you want to achieve, with budget:

Ms Xyz,

I have enjoyed looking at your website and the examples of your work are the style I am hoping to achieve. I live in Y Town in a three bed semi, and I would like to add a rear and side return extension plus loft (with dormer, en suite etc). My budget is £120,000.
I am just at the initial stages and would like know of your initial fees and whether we can possibly work together. I am interested in drawings only/getting through planning/sourcing builders/full project management (whatever service it is you want).

Thank you,
Beetie1

That should start things off! But follow up with a phone call a few days later.

Thank you both that is really helpful. And for the tip of getting architects names from the council planning. I didn't know that.

@Beetie1 Hello! I am an architect and often work on these type of projects. No pressure or commitment but if you want to have a friendly chat about how things usually work our website is www.2a1m.co.uk and you can decide whether to get in touch or not - you can just drop an email and we can arrange a phone call. I understand it can be a bit daunting to engage with something you have little knowledge about, but we are used to having these conversations and we are happy to talk through everything with you (free of charge of course).
Anyway, hope to hear from you and if not best of luck!!