Our Services
We can provide a full range of Architectural services and the extent of the service we offer can be tailored to suit your particular needs.
With the strong tradition of self-build houses in Shetland, our involvement in many domestic projects will end once the Building Warrant for the work has been obtained as clients take the decision to manage the construction process themselves. However we can offer services beyond this point, ranging from a full service where we will manage the appointment of a contractor and the construction contract on your behalf, to occasional assistance and advice where required.
A typical project would generally go as follows;
Brief
At the beginning of your project, we will meet with you to discuss your proposed site, aspirations, ideas, accommodation requirements, budget, etc. This information, along with that gathered from a site appraisal to consider sunlight, topography, views etc. will all influence the design of the building.
We will also consider other key issues such as the surrounding environment, neighbouring buildings and any potential drainage or access issues.
Outline Design & Scheme Design
Once the project brief is agreed, we will prepare sketch design drawings for your consideration. Through discussion with you these designs will evolve into the scheme design which will be sufficiently detailed to submit a planning application.
At this stage, the layout of the building and the site will be decided, along with the appearance and external finishes and colours.
We can act as your agent for the Planning Application and deal with all the correspondence with the Planning Department on your behalf.
Detail Design
Following the grant of planning permission, or at a point when it may be gauged that it is likely to be granted, the design can be developed in more detail looking at all aspects of construction.
At this stage it will be necessary to make decisions regarding the final choice of heating system, insulation, windows, external doors, etc. A significant consideration when making these choices is their effect on the energy performance of the house as a whole as the building must achieve the necessary level of energy performance to obtain a Building Warrant.
The wide choice and variety of different options available can be overwhelming, however, our in-house service can carry out an energy options appraisal to assist you to make these decisions, analysing relative costs and benefits to develop a value for money solution which meets your needs and also achieves compliance with the building regulations. Within the office we have Approved Certifiers of Design for the energy section of the regulations who are accredited to issue the Energy Performance Certificates on completion of the project. This allows certification to be issued to demonstrate compliance with the relevant regulations when applying for the Building Warrant and on completion of the project.
In most cases, a certificate from a Structural Engineer will also be required and we can assist you to appoint an engineer and liaise with them on your behalf if necessary.
As with the Planning Application, we can act as your agent when applying for a Building Warrant and deal with all the necessary correspondence on your behalf.
Tender
If you require assistance with finding a suitable contractor through a process of obtaining quotations or tenders we can make enquiries to contractors and help you to finalise a shortlist of interested contractors capable of undertaking your project.
Following this, we can prepare and issue tender documents on your behalf. These usually include the detailed drawings and specification, conditions of contract and any additional information deemed necessary to obtain accurate costs. Following the return of tenders we can advise and assist you with the appointment of a contractor.
Construction
During construction, we can take on the role of Contract Administrator to administer the contract between you and the Contractor. We will and deal with any contractual matters which arise, along with regularly inspecting the works and meeting with the contractor as necessary. We will keep you informed of progress and any matters which arise on site.
In many cases, inspections of the work at key stages will also be required by mortgage providers and we can provide this service on our projects.
Completion
As Contract Administrator, we will carry out final inspections of the work on completion and complete the remaining contractual matters as required. We will also submit the Completion Certificate and accompanying information to Building Standards which needs to be accepted before the house can be occupied.
In many cases, even where clients have managed the construction work themselves, we are asked to assist with the necessary paperwork to obtain the Completion Certificate from Building Standards. We can provide this service on any of our projects where required.
CONSTRUCTION (DESIGN & MANAGEMENT) REGULATIONS 2015
The CDM regulations cover the management of health, safety and welfare when carrying out construction projects. Most projects, including domestic, have to comply with the regulations and it is a requirement when carrying out design for a Principal Designer to be appointed by the Client.
We provide Principal Designer service and Ian is an Associate Member of the Association for Project Safety. The APS is a leading professional institution in the field of construction health and safety risk management, who strive to continuously improve and promote the professional practice of design and construction health and safety risk management.
The client has duties under the regulations and as part of our role as Principal Designer we will advise you of these and guide you through this aspect of the project.
For more information, the Health & Safety Executive have produced a short guide on client duties which you can find here.
FEASIBILITY STUDIES
We have carried out a range of feasibility studies on a variety of different types and scales of project to help the client to determine what options may be available for their potential project.
3D IMAGES
We can provide 3D images of your project, both internally and externally. In some cases such images are required as part of the submission for Planning Permission or they may be produced to demonstrate what a particular aspect of their building will look like. Some examples of images we have produced can be found within the Work section of our website.