In the UK, there has long been an assumption that interior design services are only for the super wealthy, who own large country piles or multi-million pound town houses. However, through websites like Design for Me, affordable interior design has become more accessible to the masses. It’s now much more common for interior design firms to offer a suite of… Read more »
Can you build a house in your garden? If you have a large garden (or driveway in fact) that’s accessible directly from the road, it can provide a fantastic development opportunity to build a house on your land. The advantages of this approach to a self-building are potentially huge: It could significantly increase the total value of… Read more »
This week, I have been mostly designing… a rear extension! As this is rather a common project on Design for Me, I thought I’d share some of my research. The brief was quite simple. It involved extending the living room to create a dining area (the client’s current dining table is too small for a family… Read more »
This question can usually throw up some confusion as there are different surveys for different purposes, and often undertaken by different types of surveyors too. So let’s clear this up first before answering: how much does a house survey cost? Types of survey If you’re buying a house During the house buying process, it’s… Read more »
If you live in a period property it’s likely that you will have a number of fireplaces around your home. With modern heating, it’s unlikely that you’d want to bring them all back to life, but it can be a fantastic focal point in a living area and provides some extra cosiness on a cold… Read more »
Beginner’s guide to barn conversions An old barn can provide the perfect shell to create your ideal home. These large and often very solid structures give the opportunity to create a house with huge expanses of space and high ceilings. Most importantly, by retaining the original form, materials or structure, it adds character, charm and history to your otherwise… Read more »
Where can I find an affordable architect? If you’ve started planning your home renovation or building project, one of the first things to do is find your architect. Many homeowners find that they come across architecture firms with beautiful websites featuring fabulous projects worthy of a home magazine feature. But if your first thought is, ‘My budget… Read more »
This is a simple and concise guide to understanding VAT on house conversions. Please note that there is different guidance in relation to new builds. Be aware that all projects are unique and some projects will not be eligible for tax reductions – please consult with your architect / quantity surveyor in relation to your… Read more »
Costs per square metre We asked our community of architects and design professionals for their experience of domestic projects and how they estimate new jobs. For South East England (where costs are highest), we found the following to be a very rough average. Costs can vary greatly across the country, but if you are outside the South… Read more »
Cut your extension costs – tips from the experts In another recent article, we looked at prices for real-life house extensions, provided by architects on Design for Me, and gave a cost per square metre rate as guidance for your project: Renovation and extension cost per square metre A great design professional can be worth their weight in gold; they… Read more »
