Projects can take time
Deciding what you would like to do with your home and discussing the options with your architect is an exciting process but getting from start to finish can take time.
From the moment you first contact us to tell us what you would like to do with your property to the moment of stepping into your new extension, annexe or loft conversion can take months.
At the moment, for a variety of reasons, the industry is experiencing delays in the planning process, shortages of some building materials and high demand for building contractors.
High property prices and the pandemic leading more people to choose to extend their useable living space for work or leisure purposes has resulted in high demand for architects as well.
At Howie Architects we always like to be clear with our clients so their expectations match the reality of how long everything can take.
From our initial visit, for example, it could well be five or six months before work can begin on a project; your contractors should be able to give you an approximate timescale for the works themselves.
Where a pre-application advice request has to be submitted, perhaps for a Listed building, the lead time can lengthen further, and clients may be waiting even longer.
This depends on which local authority we are dealing with and what their current workloads are.
It is also worth noting that many building contractors are now booked up for many months ahead and some are experiencing delays on site because of supplies for certain materials.
Our advice to both clients and would-be clients is therefore not only to be prepared for processes to take longer than they might have done in years gone by, but also to get started as soon as possible.
Contact us as soon as you feel ready to start discussing your project and begin researching possible contractors too.
We can offer you advice but talk to friends and family for word-of-mouth recommendations and start calling round to find out from building firms themselves whether they might be interested in quoting for your work and what waiting times might be.
Having an understanding of the way the property industry is moving at the moment means you are less likely to feel disappointed and more able to take pleasure in the process of transforming your home or creating a new one.