Fixer upper - get architect?

[Dragontale]

We have moved into a Victorian fixer upper.

Bathroom needs re-doing, walls knocked through, layout moved around, kitchen needs refurbishing, maybe extending.

We’ve done a B&Q bathroom consultation and had a B&Q surveyor in to measure and advise but we need more than one bathroom done. I think it would be better to look at the whole house at once.

Where to start?

Do we need an architect and how do we find one?

thanks in advance

It depends on whether you know what your desired end layout would be and how much money you have to spend. An architect could help to resolve any vagueness you might have about what you want and how the layout should function but they tend to be quite good at spending client's money on overspecced ideas.

I think with an older house the first thing to do is to get acquainted with the needs of this kind of house, live in it for a bit, work out what the priorities are. They are unlikely to be superficial things like bathroom designs, and I'm not sure if knocking walls down is sympathetic to the historic nature of the property.
You will need to use breathable materials like lime wash instead of plastic based paints etc, and lime plaster.
If you find an architect who knows about this kind of thing it might be useful. I wouldn't prioritise it though.

An architect will be able to look at the space and work out best use of that space. You don't have to use them all the way through your project, but if you are unsure about what to do to maximise what you have, it can be a good place to start. They will also be able to tell you what can't or shouldn't be done, which can be valuable too.

You can find a suitable one here: https://arb.org.uk/public-information/

we know what we want mostly (family space to eat and hang out in). But I guess I feel wobbly about coming up with a desirable end layout because I don’t know much about layouts. Surely there’s smart ways to put things that I don’t know about.

an architect would be able to advise better on where to put the details, eg downstairs loo, where to put laundry area, whether the kitchen can be moved from current galley position to one of the front rooms (how to add an island). how to actually connect walls

we don’t want overspecced ideas! that’s what I’m worried about.

how would we do this without architect?

we’ve looked at neighbours houses to get ideas…. trying to keep overwhelm at bay

I'd focus on finding a decent builder and getting your name on their waiting list. The builder should be able to help with layout.

I mean, it's not rocket science unlessthe space is huge. Look at the space you have and your budget and go from there. More work = more money. An architect wouldn't be any good at costing it sensibly anyway.

what do you mean by needs of a house?

airbricks/ ventilation / specific building materials?

what are non superficial things? Boiler, roof, insulation, windows?

i agree that knocking through walls should be done with respect to the period design. For example we have some rounded corners that we won’t be straightening out as that’s against the house design

thanks @unsync and @ZenNudist you’re both spelling out the two conflicting thoughts going on in my head!

we have done a couple of renovations and never used an architect. We talked to one first time round but it was clear that they would be £££. I think I’d only consider it if planning were needed. As for use of space, I’d really advocate living in the house for a while and getting a feel for it in multiple seasons. We knocked through the kitchen diner in our Edwardian house and whilst I love the space we created I’m not wholly sure I would have done so had I spent more time living in the house.

My advice on structural work in functional areas such as bathrooms and utility rooms: think carefully about the expense vs the gain of function. I would have loved to mess with the layout of our downstairs loo and utility nook to create a proper utility room - the structural engineer talked me out of it on cost reasons: it would have been £20k or so and just not worth it. We have fantastic storage space there but it’s not modern and just a bit functional. similarly, we talked about knocking the family bathroom and separate loo together- for this house, again not worth it. We managed to fit an additional loo into the family bathroom and kept the extra one.

probably the most useful person to speak to is a structural engineer.

I've just posted on another thread how I did it. Worked with a concept planner (OnePlan) then used the finished designs we worked on to get quotes to install and also to get quotes for cabinets and china etc. I also had a SE work out class on a wall to come done between kitchen and dining. Bought my actual stuff from places that offered best prices, so some bits off eBay, some from diy kitchens and flooring from howdens.

An architect should be about to cost it sensibly. Dd is an architect and will discuss budgets with clients so she knows whats possible for them and what isn’t. Guess you could just ask a builder but are they going to come up with the potentially really good ideas that an architect might?

We got a designer (I got a bit lost as to how far he could go, I think if we'd stuck with him another surveyor/architect would have had to do final drawings) and paid maybe £600 for some ideas. In the end we didn't need an architect - we picked the best bits we liked, got a surveyor to do the calculations for the beam and then the builder could take it from there. It was worth doing to put to bed the suspicion there was some great solution we hadn't thought of.

Get a therapist first.

I would consider someone that focuses on interior spatial design perhaps, rather than a pure architect.
As an example, this is a friend who's an interior architect to give you an idea of what you could look for https://fromeinteriors.co.uk

This.
DH is a builder (has a construction company) and we have many years of fixing and moving for ourselves, we don't need to spend ££££ on plans that are over designed.
We have a fantastic structural engineer which is absolutely key to our designs.