Got grand designs but need a professional opinion? During Architect in the House Week, you can get advice from some of the best in the business for just £40 …

You know the problem. You think you’d like to extend/knock down a wall/put in a shower room, but you’re not ready to commit to drawing up plans. What you really need is for a knowledgeable local architect to spend an hour in your home discussing the options and making suggestions that you might not have thought of. And, preferably, you’d like it not to cost an arm and a leg. Well, your luck is in. Because the annual RIBA Architect in the House (AITH) scheme is about to begin.

How does it work?

The Architect in the House Scheme, now in its 13th year, has some 11,000 one hour consultations to give away, and all they ask in return is a donation to charity. You simply sign up on the AITH website any time before 6pm on 1st July, and wait to be matched with a RIBA chartered architect in your area. In exchange, you are asked to make a suggested minimum donation of £40 to Shelter, the housing and homelessness charity.

What kind of advice can I expect?

First of all, the architect will listen to your dilemmas and ideas, so make sure that you have some general ideas of what you want to achieve, and your budget. Although many people think that, for a relatively small job, an architect is an unnecessary added expense, a good architect can often come up with a cunning design solution that saves you money. Hackney-based architect Jake Ireland says: “Architects are the only members of the construction team who have an overview and understanding of the entire building process, from feasibility and outline design to the quality of final decorations. “Building projects are expensive and it’s important that potential clients have realistic expectations at the outset, but the input of an architect should end up saving you money. “Invariably I get asked about rear extensions, loft conversions and internal alterations. Even with internal alterations, which don’t require planning permission, there are often issues people might not have thought of. “People can be a bit disappointed if you tell them that their initial ideas are not feasible, but it’s better that they find this out before they start. “A good architect will work round such issues to find an arrangement that works, that the homeowner probably wouldn’t have thought of.”

See the results…work from previous years

Although the scheme has led to some grand-scale alterations, here are a few of the more modest projects that have grown out of an initial Architect in the House consultation.

The brief was to create a ground floor single-storey bedroom and bathroom in the place of an existing external yard. The planning department indicated that any application submitted for redevelopment of the yard area would be strongly resisted, so the scheme was designed to the maximum volume possible under Permitted Development rights. The intention was to minimize the visual effect externally as well as limiting any overlooking or loss of light for neighbouring properties. Running London stock brickwork past the screen wall of ‘frameless’ fixed glazing enhanced the connection between interior and exterior space. Because the site had a northwest facing aspect, lighting design was central. The glass wall and roof light improved daylight levels, which were augmented by concealed artificial lighting. Sustainability was at the forefront with this project, with recycled brickwork, joinery in sustainable white oak, a planned sedum roof, and a discreetly located water butt to maintain planning in the yard.

Nikki Sheehan

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