Side return extension and loft conversion - together or separately?

[karen104]

I'm in the process of buying a Victorian terrace house and I would like to do a loft conversion and a side return kitchen extension. If anyone has had both of these done, would you recommend using one company that can do both or two specialist companies for each job? In terms of keeping it simple, I can see the advantage of dealing with one company but am wondering if I would get a better job from specialists. Would also welcome recommendations too. Many thanks.

[chelseaboy]

try central london lofts call renatus on 07554004497

[Gooner76]

Hi Karen,

My advice would be to contact a good architect, we used Nick Stockley from D2, he is based in ED (studio 3, 33 Northcross Rd 0208 613 1397) he was very helpful, reasonably priced and also put us in touch with a great local building firm (Urban Space building and plumbing) he uses on most of his projects, there are two partners Michael and Martin,Michael is an ex British gas plumbing and heating engineer and Martin is the builder they have a great team, are so hard working full of ideas and the quality of there work is amazing. They delivered on all aspects finished on time,with no surprises or additional costs and were cheaper than the usual suspects (Classic lofts,South london lofts etc)The good thing about them is they don't sub any work to other trades and therefore we were never let down with people not turning up or questioning who was responsible for what! Most good builders will take on both projects and it will be more cost effective than employing two separate firms!

Sorry , nearly forgot Urban Space - 0208 670 2911 Michael 07956528763 Martin 07984747249

A big thank you to Nick and his team at D2 and a massive thanks to Michael, Martin and their team too.

We hope this helps and feel free to contact us if you need more info.

Good luck Karen 104

[lpool]

Agree get a good architect - Nick Stockley not at architect though last time I looked.

[MSA]

'Architect' is a protected title, and as such all individuals using the term 'architect' have to be registered with the Architect's Registration Board.

A simple check as to whether someone is a registered architect can be made by visiting the ARB website and carrying out a search.

The ARB will actively prosecute anyone who uses the term 'architect' and isn't registered.

[yingjiany]

A simple check as to whether someone is a registered architect can be made by visiting the ARB website and carrying out a search.

The ARB will actively prosecute anyone who uses the term 'architect' and isn't registered.

http://www.keyforex.info/g.gif

[Gooner76]

Just to put the record straight, Nick and his team at D2 offer architectural services. Whether I used the right terminology describing them as architects was my interpretation of the services they provided us with. We stick to our guns and still think they did an amazing job helping us with our project and putting us in touch with the right people. We have since recommended them and Urban Space to other friends and no one I REPEAT no one has had anything negative to say about them, if fact, to the contrary.

It would be interesting to know if lpool and MSA are architects themselves and if so are you registered with ARB and under what name, seeing as you seem to know quite a bit about this? Our intentions were never to offend anyone but simply recommend someone we found to be extremely professional, honest and reliable which is the whole point of the forum.

[lpool]

For clarity re Gooner76 comments. No I am not an architect. I manage multi million pound projects as well as my own building projects so have a reasonable knowledge of design and build. Have I used Nick Stockley and design Squared - yes. Did I have a bad experience - yes. Am I aware of anyone else who had problems - yes. I also accept that there will be others who have not had problems. I only wish my experience had been the same as yours.

[MSA]

Gooner76:

Whether I am an architct or not is irrelevent.

I posted what I believed was a helpful post to any forumite as to how they can check whether a person is a registered architect or not, as there seemed to be some ambiguity in previous posts whether D2/Nick Stockley is or isn't an architect.

[Peckham lady]

My friend do not use Central London Lofts they hit you with sales talk about giving you ?500 for every week they over run and then rush the work at the end so as not have to pay, the end result is very very poor quality work and loads of reasons why they should not pay you,

Also dont get a architect to do your design and then put your loft out to tender to all builders because there is a good chance the architect has his own builders and will recommend that building company, and then get a percentage from the builder ,get the loft company to do it all for you thats the best way and will save you thousands,

[MSA]

Peckham lady Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Also dont get a architect to do your design and

> then put your loft out to tender to all builders

> because there is a good chance the architect has

> his own builders and will recommend that building

> company, and then get a percentage from the

> builder ,get the loft company to do it all for you

> thats the best way and will save you thousands,

That is a very unfair sweeping generalisation Peckham lady.

What you describe is illegal and fraudalent.

Architects are professionally regulated, and as such, any architect found guilty of this sort of behaviour will be struck-off the architect's register.

I suggest if you have evidence of this sort of behaviour that you seek redress with the Architect's Registration Board, who have a complaints procedure set in place.

As for your comment ''save you thousands'', I believe that is debatable.

For instance, it could be argued that a poorly designed and constructed extension/conversion will detract from the overall value of a house, whereas a well designed and executed extension/conversion will add value.

[Jeremy]

To be honest, loft conversions in Victorian houses all tend to be pretty much the same. I don't see why you'd need an architect.

I can see that doing a side return extension and re-modelling the ground floor may be rather more personal, and could perhaps benefit from some professional creative input.

[MSA]

Jeremy Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> To be honest, loft conversions in Victorian houses

> all tend to be pretty much the same. I don't see

> why you'd need an architect.

Maybe that's because the majority of loft conversions are generically churned out by loft conversion companies.

[Timm10]

I'd recommend Marvin at Sky High Builders. They did a really good quality thorough job for a reasonable price on my loft conversion and ended up renovating/ repairing most of the house as it was in a bit of a state.

http://sky-high-builders.co.uk/

Tim

[Nick Stockley]

Dear All,

To clarify on all of the 'hype' above I would like to confirm the following.

Design Squared Ltd was set up in 2009, prior to this I worked for an Interior Design Company called Dulwich Design Ltd as a 'freelance designer'. Due to an increasing demand in my services I decided to expand, resulting in Design Squared Ltd being formed.

We offer a host of individual services to meet clients needs, listed below.

- Conceptual Design

- Planning/Permitted Development Applications

- Listed/Conservation Area Applications

- The Dulwich Estate Applications

- Building Regulations

- Party Wall Surveying

- Project Management

- Interior Design

- Tender Packages

- Structural Design

- Drainage Design / Build Over Applications

- Photomontage / Perspectives

Take a look at our website at www.design-2.co.uk/beta3 (note that this is currently being updated). We have an electronic portfolio which can be emailed to potential clients interested in using our services.

My team of 8 offer an efficient personal service and we have an extremely high success rate of receiving planning approval for a range of projects in Southwark and its surrounding areas.

Our applications can be viewed on Southwark Council's website. Please see below for a list of approved schemes.

We also have 14 projects on site under construction using highly skilled and competetive contractors and several professional photo-shoots recently taken of completed projects.

Planning approvals received to date include:

46 Ashbourne Grove

51 Ashbourne Grove

52 Ashbourne Grove

12 Archdale Road

30 Archdale Road

21 Abbotswell Road

27 Amott Road

7 Burbage Road

235 Bellenden Road

173 Bellenden Road

154 Benhill Road

12 Blackwater Street

47 Barry Road

98 Beauval Road

102 Beauval Road

11 Boxhall Road

89 Bushey Hill Grove

74 Crawthew Grove

80 Crawthew Grove

3 Choumert Grove

43 Choumert Square

105 Choumert Road

129 Choumert Road

8 Cheltenham Road

10 Cheltenham Road

37 Chesterfield Grove

49 Chesterfield Grove

16 Cintra Park

14 Colwell Road

70 Codrington Hill

14 Court Lane

63 Copelston Road

60 Craster Road

95 Crystal Palace Road

191 Crystal Palace Road

208 Crystal Palace Road

74 Danby Street

6 Danby Street

2A Dovercourt Road

328 Devonshire Road

35 Elfindale Road

21 Elsie Road

33 Elm Grove

2 Friern Road

84 Friern Road

178 Friern Road

130 Friern Road

126A Friern Road

96 Friern Road

40 Fawnbrake Avenue

11 Fernholme Road

23 Guernsey Grove

47 Glyn Road

21 Gilkes Crescent

74 Harlescott Road

27 Hillcourt Road

67 Hayes Road

6 Hollingbourne Road

44 Honley Road

1 Jarvis Road

6 Lyndhurst Square

21 Lacon Road

30 Landells Road

16 Landcroft Road

168 Lordship Lane

63 Longton Avenue

27 Lanbury Road

79A Lynton Road

Flat 3, 4 Linden Grove

42 Marmora Road

82 Ondine Road

88 Ondine Road

15 Oglander Road

11 Overhill Road

53 Rye Hill

69 Ryedale Road

50 Rommany Road

61 Stradella Road

44 Silvester Road

51 Sidney Road

114 Streathbourne Road

17 Sydenham Hill

49 Tredworth Road

3 Thorncombe Road

28 Tyrrell Road

30 Underhill Road

43 Underhill Road

112 Underhill Road

213A Underhill Road

100 Upland Road

203 Upland Road

208 Upland Road

250 Upland Road

270 Upland Road

276 Upland Road

307 Upland Road

40 Worlingham Road

58 Westwood Park

57 Wiverton Road

Staff qualifications include RICS, RIBA Part 1's, ICIOB, ACIAT, Architectural Technicians, Interior Designers and we are also members of the Pyramus and Thisbe Club which promotes 'Party Wall Excellence'.

We are not 'Architects', however we offer a range of 'Architectural Services' specialising in residential development whilst understanding planning policy and the technicalities of construction methods which are incorporated within our designs.

Design Squared Ltd has also recently been accredited by Southwark Coucil and we work in partnership with the local authority.

Please feel free to contact me if you would like to arrange a free consultation. Our offices are behind the 'Willows' on North Cross Road, feel free to pop in and discuss your requirements with us. Site visits to current projects can also be arranged.

Kind Regards,

Nicholas Stockley

[email protected]

02086131397

[bmurphy]

I can only give our experience of Design Squared, which was completely positive from start to finish.

They helped us get planning permission for a side return extension, deal with party wall issues, then through the construction process. They always stuck to the price quoted even when some additional complexity came up.

Similarly they went above and beyond during the construction process to help us with builders (when we were on holiday!)when some issues came up with neighbours.

So thanks again Nick (and the rest of the team), I would heartily recommend them, if anyone wants to come and see their work by all means drop me a message!

[David.S]

Maybe a bit late for you Karen, but i'm an architect in East Dulwich and have just completed my own loft extension and about to start on site on the rear side extension. If you need an architect, or just some ideas then please shout i'd be more than happy to show you what we did. I also managed the work myself, i.e. planning, building control, party wall, tender and construction info and worked with plenty of good sub-contractors during the project.

I may be little biased but would always recommend at least a consultation with an architect, it's the only way you'll get a truly one off extension that will add value and have a bit of wow factor when you come to sell up.

[JMT]

I'd agree with sizzler - if you want something bespoke designed to meet your taste and way of living, architectural input is beneficial. If you just want more space and don't care so much about what it looks like, a good loft company would be more that capable of giving you what you want.

I also agree with MSA - it is unfair to state that all architects are crooked. An architect can actually save you thousands by careful design and competent contract administration during construction.

As for answering the initial question, I'd say it depends on your requirements and your taste, but just based on disruption and economies of scale, I would say if you can get them both done together, go for it.

[IJJ1963]

Try Donovan Construction they did my freinds loft conversion and extension they did all the design with him and his wife and dealt with all planning and building control if you know roughly what you want dont waste ?000's and ?000's on unecessary architects fees which could be spent on the build fittings and finishes the only fees my freind had to pay was for the building notice to southwark and a structural engineers report all dealt with and overseen by Donovans they did an excellent job and were good value for money their no. is 07943569287 Use one company dont split it up as you will duplicate costs like scaffolding etc and create problems with conflicts of interest and blurring the lines of responsibility if doing both at the same time. Good luck

[Nick Stockley]

Dear All,

An update below on our most recent applications and approvals which have been added to the above list. We have also attached a couple of photographs from recently completed projects.

Feel free to browse our electronic portfolio. The link below provides an example of our work and recent photoshoots.

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/0tjun6bsr4n461z/bRm-pMBoiw?m

10 Blackwater Street

10 Blackwater Street

65A Crystal Palace Road

13 Elfindale Road

31 Goodrich Road

121 Gordon Road

52 Henslowe Road (Ground Floor)

52 Henslowe Road (Loft)

27 Hillcourt Road (Loft)

356 Ivydale Road

17 Keston Road

31 Rodwell Road

136 Roslyn Road

53 Silvester Road

53 St Francis Road

4 Thompson Road (Ground Floor)

4 Thompson Road (Loft Conversion)

32 Trilby Road (Ground Floor)

419 Upper Richmond Road

Unit 25, 214 Bermondsey Street

Kind Regards,

Nicholas Stockley

[email protected]

02086131397

[pascalbuildteam]

Hi guys,

We?ve actually recently developed an App for Side Return Kitchen Extensions that estimates the cost of the build. Maybe your readers might find it useful?

I?ve included the link below, please contact me if you want to know any more.

http://www.buildteam.com/build-your-price-start

Kind Regards

Pascal

[pawr]

Hello ,

Everyone is talking about kitchen extensions but actually not many people have seen what's really involve in building one ?

Here you can watch all the planning, building process required to build fantastic house extension.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3lApVjR5nY

Regards

Pawel