Buying A House

One of my guilty pleasures is watching Channel 4’s Location, Location, Location.


I love seeing how couples start with such fixed ideas about what they want from a home, then with a little coaching from Phil and Kirstie, often consider properties that they would previously reject out of hand.


We all have this idea in our head of our “ideal” home. So when we are looking at buying a house we are mentally running through this checklist in our heads.

What Happens When You’ve Found Your “Nearly” Ideal House?

The location, lifestyle, transport links etc all work but the house itself doesn’t quite match; however, you believe the house lends itself to being extended.

So how do you find out the feasibility of extending your new potential home before committing to buying it?

Pre-Purchase Feasibility

One of our most popular services, when people are looking at buying a property, is our “Pre-Purchase Feasibility” ideal for house hunters who are serious about making an offer on a property.

What happens At A Pre- Purchase Feasibility Meeting?

Our Designers will arrange to meet with you and your Agent at the property.

We will discuss how to maximise the property’s potential, whether you want to knock down a couple of walls wall, or completely re-design your new home, we’ll advise you how to create the perfect space for your family.

With our 24 + years of experience in construction design, you can be reassured that you will receive expert, unbiased advice.

Our experts will discuss any Planning matters that we think may impact your design and which ideas are more likely to achieve Planning Approval.

We will also touch on other issues that you may not have thought about, which may impact your budget and influence what offer you make on the property.


Fast Track Service – 24 hours

We realise time is of the essence when you are considering making an offer, or are about to exchange on a property, so we will do our best to schedule an appointment within 24 hours of your enquiry.


Can You Tell Me How Much The Work Will Cost?

We will be honest with you and talk in “ball park” figures – enough for you to be able to negotiate the asking price on the property.

At this early stage, it’s going to be difficult to give you a fixed price – as there are too many variables.


What Happens After The Pre- Purchase Feasibility Meeting?

We will write to you to confirm what we have discussed, confirming your ideas, the solution, budget costs and timescales.

We also provide you with a “fee proposal” which will confirm how much we will charge for taking your ideas forward to obtain Planning Approval and Building Regulations approval.

We’d be delighted to work with you in the future, should your purchase go ahead successfully!


Can I Get Planning Permission Before I Commit to Buying the House?

Once your offer is accepted, you can make the purchase dependant on getting planning permission, before you exchange contracts.

However, the extra time this adds to the process may mean that in practice the current owners won’t agree with this, especially if they have found somewhere to buy themselves and are keen to move quickly.

However, some extensions and renovations do not require planning permission and can be applied for under Permitted Development Rights (PD). We can advise on this before you put an offer in on the house.


Are You Looking For A New Home?

Almost everyone starts their search for a new property online these days, good places to start looking; Rightmove, Purple Bricks and Tepilo, or your Local Estate Agent.

It’s always important to remember that the estate agent works for the seller, and the more they sell the house for, the higher their commission is likely to be!


Sounds Great! How Do I Proceed?

Simply click here to tell us what you would like to do to the property and we will send you a quotation for your pre-purchase feasibility meeting, or if you are still unsure, speak to us on:- 0118 962 9666.

We look forward to finding out about your project and answering any questions that you have.



Found Cracks?

Sometimes the Homebuyers report will flag up possible movement in the property. This can be due to several factors.

If you need advice, please get in touch and we will arrange for one of our Chartered Structural Engineers to meet you at the property.


Call Us on 0118 962 9666

Do you know a fast way for buyers to realise the potential of a property?

Encourage them to take advantage of our “Pre-Purchase Feasibility” Meeting – so they can make an offer!

Where Are All the Buyers?

The latest Survey from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) shows average stock levels on estate agents’ books are close to a record low.

With the number of enquiries from buyers falling for the eighth month in a row (as at May 2019).


Brexit Uncertainty

It will not come as a surprise that Brexit uncertainty is dragging the UK property market downwards.

Those houses that are on the market are not selling particularly fast. The average time taken for a residential property to sell remains unchanged at 19 weeks.


How Can Local Estate Agents Sell A Property Quickly?

Last year “Which?” produced a report;

“7 of the most common reasons why vendors struggle to sell their homes”

Lurking at Number 7 was this reason; “Buyers aren’t aware of the property’s potential”

Add Value To The Property

If there’s potential for a buyer to add value to the house, make sure they know about it!

As Architectural Designers AND Chartered Structural Engineers we can help your buyers visualise what a property could look like and explore ideas to maximise the property’s value.

They might have ideas to;

  • Convert the garage to living space
  • Extend the kitchen with a side or rear extension
  • Swap in New Bathrooms
  • Create an Open plan living space
  • Loft conversion to add a bedroom
  • Create a cellar
  • Split a house into flats
  • Increase living space with a conservatory





Whatever their ideas, we can help them visualise how to best use the space.

What Does A Pre- Purchase Feasibility Meeting Include?

Our Designers will arrange to meet you and the potential buyers at the property.

We will discuss how to maximise the property’s potential, whether they want to knock down a couple of walls, or completely re-design the new home, we’ll advise them how to create the perfect space for their family.

With our 25 + years of experience of construction design, they will receive expert, unbiased advice.

  • We will discuss any Planning matters that we think may impact the design and which ideas are more likely to achieve Planning Approval.
  • Cost of the works – we will be able to talk in “ball park” figures – enough for them to make an informed decision about their offer
  • We will also touch on other issues that they may not have thought about, that may impact their budget and influence what offer they make on the property.
  • We will write to them confirming what we have discussed, confirming their ideas, the solution, budget costs and
  • We also provide them with a “fee proposal” which will confirm how much we will charge for taking their ideas forward to obtain Planning Approval and Building Regulations approval if they successfully purchase the property.

Fast Track Service – 24 hours

We realise time is of the essence when they are considering making an offer, or are about to exchange on a property, so we will do our best to schedule an appointment within 24 hours of their enquiry.

Want To Find Out More?

Click here to get in touch with one of our surveyors, or give us a call on 0118 962 9666.