The fees quoted assume the site/property is within 15 miles of this office. If your site is further away, a small additional charge for travelling time and mileage will apply.
Tech:d may charge a deposit prior to works commencing
For a standard house extension, generally clients request a ‘plan drawing service’ with submission for planning and building regulations to the council. Once approvals are received you can organise the builder(s) to start the process. Alternatively, for larger projects we can deal with the whole project from start to finish. We therefore offer a Project Management and Contract Administration service from start to finish of your proposed building, to suit your requirements. Please e-mail for further details and fees.
Each job is tailored to suit the client’s requirements and priced individually. The price will depend on the size of the project, location, complexity, extent of our involvement and how ‘one off ’ the design is. No job is too small or too large.
The majority of our work is in the north west of England. Tech:D Ltd will do work throughout the UK and on overseas properties.
These terms are deemed to be accepted if you appoint Tech:D Ltd either in writing or verbally to proceed with your proposed building wish. Our fee will be estimated fully once we have conducted a free initial consultation and been given a description of the work you intend to carry out. It does not include maps, structural engineer’s input, council fees etc. Ordnance Survey maps (block plans) are required for council applications at 1:1250 scale. These cost approximately £50 .
Please inform us at an early stage of any development restrictions placed on your property. For example, restrictive covenants, greenbelt area, listed building, tree preservation orders, requirement to obtain permission from house builder/landlord/freeholder, public sewer’s or water courses etc. These restrictions may have been imposed by the developer, previous occupant, local authority or utility company and will normally be described in your land or property deeds.
Our fee is due once the initial drawings are ready for submission to the local authority but does allow for small changes that you wish to make before they are submitted to the council. The initial plans we produce will be to Local Authority standards and therefore the majority of our works will be complete. The fee will be due if you decide not to proceed.
Each application is judged by the local authority on its individual merits. We therefore cannot guarantee planning approval(*). However, every effort is made prior to the submission of any application to ensure a successful outcome.
We cannot accept any responsibility for discrepancies in the exact position of boundaries or disputes with neighbours. If there is any doubt about a boundary or land ownership etc. Clarification should be sought by yourselves at an early stage. This would be in you land / house deeds or can be confirmed by your solicitor during the house purchase conyeyancing.
If a United Utilities drain runs through your property you may need to enter into a ‘build-over agreement.’ This will be your responsibility and it is advisable to check with the asset protection department before planning any building work. Ditto any other public utility.
Any minor changes to the drawings that are necessary to obtain planning and building regulation approval will be done under the initial fee. However, any major changes other than those mentioned will be charged for at a cost to be determined by the extent of the changes required. No responsibility is accepted for any amendment to the plans required by the local authority that does not meet with your satisfaction or variations from the initially discussed scheme which are necessary to obtain a planning approval or to meet with current planning laws and building regulations.
Clients should be aware that where it is proposed to build on an area of poor ground or close to trees, the local authority building inspector will make the final decision as to the type and depth of the new foundations. This may result in a significant increase in the cost of construction. Where poor ground or trees are anticipated, it is advisable to obtain an initial quote from a specialist foundation contractor prior to construction works. in conjunction with a structural engineer we can procure soil and ground investigation trial pits.
If structural calculations (or other specialist services) are deemed to be necessary by either the local authority or Tech:D Ltd, payment for these services will be required from you in addition and separate to our fee. The local authority may require these additional details before approval is granted. They may include; Structural calculations, energy (SAP / Sbem) calculations ,structural reports, ground/soil investigations, acoustic/sound testing, protected animal surveys, tree reports, travel plans, crime analysis, environmental reports, heritage reports, specialist drainage etc. Furthermore, the plans may need to be amended in accordance with advice of the appointed specialist.
All ‘intellectual property’ remains the property of Tech:D Ltd. However, the copies of the relevant plans issued to you will be yours to use, to enable you to procure your building works as you require. All designs , drawings , specification and associated details are Copyright Protected.
Plans will be e-mailed in pdf format. We endeavour to produce drawings at A3 size in order the drawings can be printed on photocopiers / home use printers. For larger projects and if the project dictates for clarity of drawn information the drawings maybe at A1 or A2 size. Copies will be supplied at an approximate cost of £8.00 per copy for black and white and £20 for colour.
We can also forward copies to your preferred builders should you wish us to, including via e-mail or “we-transfer”.
If at any time after the initial measured survey of a property, you decide that you no longer wish to proceed with the scheme, a charge for the work carried out to date will be made.
Please click on link below for further advice in the LABC / Bury Council publication on extending your home. Please note my advert on page 6 !
http://www.extendingyourhome.com/labc/gteyh/bury/burygteyh2018/
Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015.
The CDM regulations relate to Health and Safety on site and apply if someone is having construction or building work carried out. For domestic clients, the legal duties under the regulations will generally be carried out by Tech:D during the design stage, in the role of Principal Designer. We will provide a “Health and safety Information pack ” and ” Risk assessment Design Manual”. These should be then issued to the contractor. The contractor then takes the role of Principal Contractor under the CDM Regulations 2105. Our role of principal designer then ceases.
A Principal Designer can be independently appointed by a domestic client to carry out these duties if required. A domestic client is someone who lives, or will live, in the premises where the work is carried out. The premises must not relate to any trade, business, or other undertaking.
For non-domestic works a Principal Designer will be required.
Further information can be found at:
www.hse.gov.uk and select “construction” under industries.
The Party Wall Act 1996
Where it is intended to build adjacent to the boundary between your property and an adjacent property, you are legally obliged to serve notice in writing on the owner of the adjacent property outlining the nature of the intended work. Notice shall be served in writing one month prior to commencement of the work. Where the proposed work involves an excavation within three metres of an adjoining property and below the adjacent properties foundation, or any part of the new building encroaches on the boundary, you must obtain permission in writing from the owner of that property. Any disputes that arise under the act must be dealt with by a surveyor who is independent of Tech:D Ltd.
Further information and specimen letters can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/party-walls-building-works