Frequently Asked Questions
Why are your fees considerably less than I have been quoted by a local architectural practice?
Traditional Architects can charge £700 plus, to design a garage Planning Permission & Building Regulations application. Garage Design Plans Online charge a fixed fee of £349.00. We can do this by keeping our overheads low and passing on these savings to you. Typical examples of this is the fact that we don’t employ a Secretary or have an expensive office in a town centre, these two points I would estimate save us around £65.000 a year, and we also employ the use of state-of-the-art computer aided design software to save us time.
Do your fees include VAT?
The price quoted is the price that you will pay, we do not believe in hidden charges and we hope to build our client base by recommendation and word of mouth, I personally don't like purchasing something only to find out when its time to pay, that VAT is to be added.
What will the total cost be for the plans and the Council Applications?
Typical Price |
| Design Fee |
£349.00 |
| Planning Permission Fee |
£150.00 |
| Ordinance Survey Maps |
£ 35.00 |
Total: |
£534.00 |
What areas do you cover?
We will travel around 200 miles from Derby to design your garage. If you are further away than this, please contact us and we may still be able to help.
Do you apply to the Local Authority for Planning Permission & Building Regulations?
Yes, we fill out all of the forms and submit your applications to your Local Authority, and act as agent from the start to finish on the application.
Do your fees include the Local Authority Planning Permission & Building Regulations fees?
No, the Local Authority application fees are paid by the client.
Council Fees |
|
£150.00 |
|
£135 - £165* |
*Dependant upon your Local Authority as each Council charges slightly different fees.
How many sets of plans will I receive?
We provide the client with 4 sets of plans, we send your Local Authority 3 sets for the Planning application and 2 sets for the Building
Regulations application.
We also provide a PDF copy of your plans, should you wish to print your own copies of the plans.
What if the Council want our garage amending, and do you charge for this?
No, We don't charge for making amendments to your plans, these are included in our fees.
How long do the applications take to be processed at the Council?
| Application Type |
Planning Permission |
8 weeks* |
Building Regulations |
5 weeks* |
*Minimum amount of time, but most Local Authorities will stick to these guidelines.
Being realistic you should allow 3 months to obtain the approvals.
How detailed are your drawings?
Our drawings are extremely detailed and provide far more information than is required for Planning Permission & Building Regulations.
Around 35 - 40% of our work is passed to us by builders who have used our plans in the past. I have lost count of the amount of times where we receive a phone call from a builder, who wants us to draw plans for his own extension on his own home.
Examples of our plans can be seen on this web site here
Is there anything else that is not included?
Our fees include anything of an architectural design nature, but occasionally the Local Authority may ask for additional information, which we are not qualified to provide. Examples include, and are not limited to, structural calculations, design and access statements, flood risk assessments, tree surveys, protected species assessments, topological land surveys, bio-diversity statements etc.
If the Local Authority does require any of this information, we recommend the services of a local professional (Building Surveyor, Structural Engineer, etc), who will be able to provide these items.
Can I start building my garage before gaining Planning Permission & Building Regulations?
No - we recommend that you obtain Planning Permission & Building Regulation approval before your builder starts the work. This covers your builder so he knows the plans have been approved by the Local Authority.
What other services do you provide?
We also design garage conversions, domestic extensions, loft conversions, porches and conservatories for Planning Permission and Building Regulations
submissions to you Local Authority.
If you have a question that you would like us to answer please use the Contact us link, and I will post them to this page.
