CharlieKLP

I like the layout, works really well! I’m struggling with the front elevation if I’m honest. I don’t hate it but I find the middle dormer a bit weird and the bays a bit overpowering combined with the porch, it’s just ‘a lot to deal with’. What style is this house? it seems a bit of a mishmash. I’d suggest getting rid of an element or making something lighter. When you have the walls on the side of the roof in timber frame it can also be a bit of a state when you build it. Just something to think about, what will you have on the top, GRP coping?

Have you thought about moving the Garage over to where the workshop is now? This is what I’d do. Maybe wouldn’t even bother with the snug and put the office there, but if you want a view down the garden it might be nice.

I think what you have come up with is quite good for an inexperienced designer, I have seen a lot worse than this so just wanted to say nice work on that. It’s an improvement on the layout in that it makes it more ‘modern’. I think the Snug area is a bit dark and the stairs and landing is not the best. The seating area in the Living area, you wouldn’t sit there it wouldn’t be pleasant. I agree, don’t show them this. My advice would be to leave this to the designer to design. I think it would be a fairly simple brief for them. what a designer needs from you is images of things you like and the rooms you want, they don’t need a floor plan. What I would do would be to give the view to the garden to the Snug rather than the Home Office. I’d also have seating in a flat roof extension at the rear. what styles do you like? And are you going to replace the pebbledash. I’d make it white render.

Definitely have some sort of separation or room you can sit in other than kitchen adjoining. I don’t like the idea of a snug with no window you can see out of, not only would you cause a fire escape problem (I guess you can go through the stair route, a long way), but it would be pretty unpleasant, just sitting there looking at the birdpoo on the skylight. also the more I look at the roof, the more I think it’s a nightmare and drawn incorrectly. The plans don’t match the 3D which isn’t a massive problem but you should get them to look at that and fix the plans and check it’s buildable.

I like the lion statues! I think maybe go on Pinterest and look at some other houses. I feel so bad since you really like it, but it’s truly very ugly. I don’t think building that roof would be easy either, there doesn’t seem to be anything for the vaulted areas roof to sit on.

I really like balconies. I hate heights but I like to see distances (if that makes sense). It makes a room feel bigger without the ugly flat Juliet balcony and few people have them - if you have a view you need a balcony. @Thorfun I really think that’s an awesome balcony, doesn’t look like it has enough balustrade but I love it. It looks so secret and classy. is the existing house the one at the end there? So you get a view after?

I really wouldn’t fill the air gap in a timber framed building. You may get condensation and then it will rot. I would advise you to take advice from a timber frame specialist, not just a builder.

I think you hit the nail on the head there. Even if self builders ask for opinions, they are just the worst for listening! Most are very successful and smart people, maybe they have their own companies. The amount of times I’ve been handed a drawing done by an accountant or manager or similar and expected to just draw it up in CAD is ridiculous. Every time this happens I tell them to take a step back, go through the process. you wouldn’t do the work of any other professional in this way, trust them. I think most complaints about architects have started with the customer giving them a plan to draw up, then claiming it’s over budget and rubbish. If you say to an architect, “I want to make the most of this plot”, you will get a different result to if you draw a big rectangle and fill it yourself. Things that add value to a house, kerb appeal, nice big rooms and spaces with garden and light. It’s really not m2. also I think there’s way too many sinks in this house, you are going to have one per hand. I always wonder what the problem is that people are all washing their hands at the same time that you need two per room.

Yes like I say, it’s not just you who does this - it’s a common issue with Selfbuilders. At the end of the day, if you are happy with the design it’s your money and I’m not trying to be mean btw, this is my general opinion. I think you would have added much more value by using the designer’s abilities. When I saw ‘spreadsheet’ I did a little wince, that’s not what a good brief should be. This isn’t a loaded question, but did you draw a sketch out for them too? It’s not about letting an architect run wild with mad fantasies, it’s about letting them use their professional skills to make the most of your brief/site/budget. I don’t think you got good value from your architect here, I think if you have one, you should be open otherwise what’s the point of employing an architect?

I see a lot of designs like this in self build, just not following the proper design process and ‘filling the plot’ up. I would imagine the brief you gave the designer (architect?) was possibly too prescriptive, or lacked them asking the *right* kind of questions. If you look at the quick sketch that ETC did, you can tell they have put thought into creating ‘breathing’ spaces into the garden, breaking up the bulk of the house, making the entrance and stairs more open and light. This is where you needed to start off from. The front elevation is cramped and although it’s symmetrical, it’s not well proportioned and the windows look cross-eyed. That’s why the solution where ETC has moved it is better. You’d get bigger rooms and a less fussy front street view. The windows are also the wrong proportions and clearly just inserted from a block library. They don’t fit the elevation at all. Why is there stone cil where there is no room for it? What style is this house. I also think the view from the snug is either overlooking or onto a wall or something, it needs to look down the garden, again where ETC has put it now I look… he’s really solved all the things I think are problems with your layout well. What you should have done, is take examples of styles of houses you liked, photos from the area, and then asked the designer to worry about the layout and create spaces to your requirements. I know there’s a ridge limit, but I don’t think it excuses the roof being like that, if it’s copying what is there already, I’d encourage you to move away from that as it’s limiting you.

I honestly like the one you got permission for better, the first one is ‘too much’ for me, the bottom ones are more balanced. my recommendation is this, get yourself a 3D model done. See if you like it in 3D because your drawings are fairly ugly style, but I think the design is rather splendid, maybe needs a few tweaks but it’s nearly there for me. I could learn to love it. the side is a bit of a state, agreed. That could be fixed. maybe you could add on the bits you like to the rear where the planners are more open to things since they aren’t seen from the road.

Thanks for the help and encouragement! Lots of good stuff in these comments will be very useful for me I’m sure.

I took over the design from an architect after planning once, I gave him a phonecall as his note said on the drawing and he got really sweary at me and I had to put the phone down. Something like ‘you shouldn’t be speaking to me it’s illegal’, what a plonker. I was just going to say it was a nice design and check the angle of the roof slope as it wasn’t shown on the PDF (it sloped in two unmeasurable directions). I think you’re right in that some architects are weird and awkward, but the reason to not give out CAD files is reasonable and legally justified. I have to have insurance as an architect sadly, it’s a rip off to sole practitioners since it’s the same for someone doing extensions as it is high rise apartments.

That sounds similar to what I would like to do, was it expensive for you?

I don’t at the moment, but I have covid to thank for that mostly! I’m in a different situation where I work currently as we have offices, but while I can see that people would want to meet up, I’ve always found it pointless from a design point of view. I think it’s more to reassure the customers that I’m going to visit the site so I can ‘absorb the ambience’ or something, so it’s for their benefit. It was sort of another thing I bothered about, going to people’s houses because you never know who’s going to be a wierdo who murders you. I’ve had 2-3 customers who were legitimately insane.

When you say that, that 40k doesn’t go far, what does that mean exactly? I don’t have any other overheads no, 40k is much more than I earn at present. My biggest cost is PI which has gone up a lot recently because of National incidents. If I was to quit my job and work from home and I earned 40k, what am I missing because that sounds like a lot of theoretical money.

I like your house too, looks like a nice spot. I wouldn’t demolish it. Are your ceilings vaulted? Agree with what people are saying here but there’s a few things you might be able to do, it depends on how much disruption you want to live with. Not sure how big the rooms are, could you live with dry lining ~50mm. Because you could just skin the walls and spend the rest of the money on new windows. Are you sure you don’t want to replace the weatherboarding, because I’d take that off and put a bit of quilting in there while I’m at it. You can’t do it to the brick, but I’m sure you would appreciate not having to maintain timber in future, I think that would make it look brand new too.

I really like that idea ? just for the people on the forum generally to give their experiences

I wouldn’t be acting as their project manager unless they paid me to be. So to answer the question, no. I don’t really see how the issues other than design and planning would be in my remit, I suppose it’s down to what kind of a service I would offer. Are you a self builder, and do you need a single person to do everything for you then?

Where do you get 20 from? I don’t think I am limited to the south west personally. Zoom meetings make it countrywide. I’d only need about 7-8 customers a year to be earning a normal architect wage if I charge 5k. I don’t think that seems too many but good point about the market. It’s not a massive market.

What problems are you talking about? I’m not here to solve their problems, I’m here to get them planning on a nice house. Isn’t that the problem.

For budget, all I would do is ask the person what they wanted to spend per m2 (like the other poster) and then design them a ~100m house for 5k to get planning. I’d leave it for them to budget for everything. I’m sure that would get me some ‘architects know nothing’ stick, but really, a self builder to me means you’re the PM. All I’d be doing otherwise is making a spreadsheet and googling, they could do that themselves and there’s plenty online calculators for working that out. In terms of what I’d do, I’d get them to get a site survey, then I’d do a desktop planning search. Then I’d take their brief and do some sketches. Then I’d develop the design with them, then do some 3Ds, the site drawings and I’d probably do the D&A statement too. Then I’d help them through planning and then charge a little extra to discharge the conditions. Just wondering if that’s what people generally want. I know a few people have said more hand-holding, but I probably wouldn’t have time to do that. I’m still early on in my idea to start a business btw.

@Jilly lol! No I don’t take it personally either, architects do get a lot of bashing and I don’t think it’s really deserved to be honest. A lot of it is stereotyping, like saying they get paid a lot and can’t do buildable designs to a budget. I don’t think I’ve ever designed something unbuildable and well I said earlier, I get paid f all. I am now thinking I should do more than just a designing and planning service, and also be helping self-builders with some more guidance. I do have some experience with Self-build generally, so maybe that would actually be something that sets me apart and is good for customers.

Just import your PDF into CAD yourself if you want the plans in cad form. (Just absolutely do not use the architects name and logo etc in the title block, and make sure the copyright is ok on the design). It is a bit like asking for your solicitor to give you the Word template version of a legal document. It’s fraught with complications. A CAD drawing is more than just lines, especially a BIM one.

it’s super helpful thanks @Adsibob! And kudos to you for figuring out a way to get what you needed, sounds like a fantastic guy. Yes you are totally correct, with the assessment of all the things an architect might be and what people might need.