Design and Build in Walkington

Yes, and there is no obligation attached to it. We visit the property, look at what is there and give an honest view on whether what you want is achievable within your budget. If the answer is no, that is what you will hear, because it is cheaper for both of us than a design stage that goes nowhere.

East Riding of Yorkshire Council. Walkington falls under the same authority as Beverley and most of the surrounding villages, so the East Riding local plan applies. We deal with the case officer directly rather than passing questions back to you.

Most often the gap between the budget and the ambition, followed by a site constraint that cannot be designed around, such as levels, a protected tree in the wrong place or a boundary relationship that will not survive a neighbour amenity assessment. Rarely is it the council refusing on principle.

On a straightforward extension away from the village core, usually not. Where a scheme is unusual, where the property is close to older fabric, or where a comparable proposal nearby has recently been refused, an officer's written view before you commit to drawings is generally worth the fee.

It depends on the address. The established core of a village is the sort of area that commonly carries designation while later infill and estate housing usually does not. We confirm the position for your specific property rather than applying a village-wide assumption.

The build quoted initially is what we stick to. That works because the technical design is completed before construction is priced, so the structure, build-ups, glazing and drainage are all settled at the point the figure is given. Genuine unknowns are stated up front with a range.

Not always. A good deal of domestic work falls under permitted development, though those rights are reduced in conservation areas and can be removed by condition on newer estates. Where a scheme is permitted development, a lawful development certificate is usually worth having as written proof.

They need checking before the layout is fixed. Individual trees can carry preservation orders and everything within a conservation area is protected by default, so a footprint has to respect root protection areas. Redesigning around a tree after an objection is an avoidable expense.

Yes. Beverley, Cottingham, Driffield, Willerby and Hessle are all within the normal working area, along with Kingston upon Hull. Most fall to East Riding of Yorkshire Council, though Hull is a separate authority with its own local plan.

Yes. We will produce a planning and building regulations set for your own builder to price and work from. We recommend the design and build route because it removes the interface where cost appears, but it is not a condition of working with us.

Realistically a few months, most of which is the design work and the eight week planning determination period. Building regulations work usually overlaps the tail of that. A written programme comes with the design rather than a verbal estimate at the first meeting.

Very little. A rough idea of what is not working about the house, a sense of the budget you have in mind, and any documents you already hold such as a survey or a title plan. Everything else we can establish ourselves.