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  • Architect for ideas – typical cost (stick versus build versus move)
  • boombang
    Free Member

    As ever I ask here on STW due to the knowledge and contacts – after help seeing how we can make our house work better for us after the last 10 months has made us realise more and more things we would change, if we could.

    First up any recommended architects in/near South Essex?

    Secondly what would an architect typically charge for a few hours of time to meet up, come up with some ideas with us, share those and provide ballpark estimates of work to do design, and possible build work required (appreciate costs are another thing, but scale of work would be appreciated)?

    I’ve done some rough sketches and played with layouts but without an extension off the back or flipping kitchen to other side of house and knocking through to garage (take say back half) I am out of ideas.

    An ideal situation for me would be a non-committal initial chat to go over our thoughts, get an architect’s initial ideas. Then a fixed price consultation to come up with some outline sketches so we can work out if it’s worth extending/reconfiguring before we commit to a proper design.

    Our local area will hopefully quieten down as vaccinations happen and lockdown eases. I am concerned about extending and impacting garden space. The kitchen and bathrooms will need redoing in coming few years. If we did extend downstairs I would like to do the same upstairs if the extra cost is looking fair.

    Bit more info below for anyone who has nothing better to do…

    We have a lockdown created dilemma after buying a ‘dream’ house 3 years ago.
    House has 3 rooms downstairs but you walk through the ‘dining room’ (5 year old’s space) to get to kitchen. Can’t move door unless we extend to move downstairs WC (typical extension on these houses).
    Our garden is across back of the house, most other houses like this have it running away from the back, and we have our neighbours garage in the back corner – without that there it would be far easier to resolve.
    I’ve been working from home for 10 months, box room really got me down and log cabin is cold/hot (and not something I want to spend a lot on necessarily).
    Our garden is an ok but not huge, an extension could ruin it (both for us and limit resale).
    Local area has gone from quiet and idyllic to a hotspot for ‘exercise’ due to lack of parking restrictions, a quiet dead end lane and easy access to a country park via a long narrow footpath – for us to go anywhere we have to get past the hordes, a lot of whom seem to care little about ‘space’. The lane being tarmac attracts a lot of professional dogwalkers who seem to work in groups of 2 or 3 with 6-8 dogs each. A lot of leads and space.

    The option to move is appealing to me but schooling is the one factor stopping me just doing it – my son is everything to me and loves his school, even with what little time he has spent there. Soon enough he will be back and that alone will make a big difference.

    If you got this far thanks very much for reading and I want to say I still do like living here for the most part – there are some far worse off I know but the chance to make things better for us can’t be missed out on. 🙂

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