Clear architectural drawings that turn your ideas into a real plan

For homeowners and businesses who need plans, elevations and sections for a building project. Describe what you have in mind and compare quotes from professionals who prepare architectural drawings.

Architectural drawings are the scaled plans, elevations and sections that show what a building is like now and what it will look like after the work. Your council, building control, structural engineer and builder all work from them, so they need to be accurate and consistent with each other. Most projects start by recording the existing building, then move through sketch options, planning drawings and, later, technical drawings for Building Regulations and construction. A good designer listens to how you want to use the space, tests a few layouts before fixing one, and tells you early about anything likely to cause trouble with planning, structure or build cost.

How a professional can help

• Recording what’s there now: They measure the existing property, or work from a measured survey, so the existing plans and elevations match the real building and the new design fits it properly.
• Testing layout options: Before anything is fixed, they sketch a few ways to arrange the space and explain the trade-offs in light, circulation, structure and likely build cost, so you can choose with confidence.
• Drawings for a planning application: They prepare the location plan, site or block plan, and existing and proposed floor plans and elevations your council asks for, drawn to scale and consistent with each other.
• Technical drawings for building control: Once the design is settled, they add construction details, specification notes and the engineer’s information, so building control can check the work against the regulations.
• Drawings at the right stage: They explain which drawings each stage needs, so you don’t pay for construction detail before the design has planning approval, or start building from drawings that were only ever meant for the council.
• Keeping drawings up to date: If the council asks for amendments or you change your mind about a detail, they revise the drawings and keep every sheet in step with the others.

Is this right for you?

• You have an idea for your home or building but nothing on paper yet, and want to see it drawn properly.
• You need drawings for a planning application, a lawful development certificate or Building Regulations, and aren’t sure which ones.
• You’ve bought a property and want accurate plans of it before deciding what to change.
• Your builder has asked for proper drawings before they can give you a firm price.

How the project usually runs

• Brief and site visit: You explain what you want to achieve and your rough budget; the designer visits, takes photos and measures the property or arranges a measured survey.
• Existing drawings and design options: They draw the building as it is, then sketch layout options for you to compare, refining the preferred one until you’re happy with it.
• Planning drawings: If approval is needed, they prepare the planning drawings and supporting documents; if the work may be permitted development, drawings can support an application for a certificate confirming it is lawful.
• Technical and Building Regulations drawings: The agreed design is developed into technical drawings with construction details, coordinated with the structural engineer’s calculations, for building control and for builders to price.
• Tender and construction: Builders quote from the drawings; once one is appointed, the designer can answer site queries and issue revised drawings if anything needs to change during the build.

What affects the cost

• The size and complexity of the building, and how many floors, rooms and elevations need to be drawn.
• Whether an accurate measured survey already exists, or the property needs to be measured first.
• Which stages you need: planning drawings only, or Building Regulations and construction drawings as well.
• How many design options and rounds of changes you want before the design is fixed.
• Extra documents your council may ask for, such as a design and access statement or heritage statement.
• Whether you’d like 3D views or renders alongside the standard 2D drawings.

Drawings for planning and Building Regulations

• Planning permission and Building Regulations approval are separate, and each needs a different level of drawing detail.
• Councils publish which drawings an application needs, and missing or inconsistent drawings can hold up validation.
• Planning drawings are normally drawn to a stated scale, with a location plan showing the site and the direction of north.
• Listed buildings and conservation areas usually need more detail and supporting information, and rules differ across the UK nations.

Questions people ask

What drawings will I need for my project?

It depends on the work. A planning application usually needs a location plan, a site or block plan, and existing and proposed floor plans and elevations, sometimes with sections. Building Regulations need more technical drawings with construction details and specification notes. Your designer can tell you which drawings your council and building control expect for your particular project.

Can I give my planning drawings to a builder to price?

Planning drawings show what the building will look like and how it sits on the site, but they don’t usually show how to build it. Builders need technical drawings with construction details, structural information and a specification to price accurately, otherwise quotes tend to be full of assumptions and provisional sums.

Who owns the copyright in the drawings?

Usually the designer keeps the copyright and gives you a licence to use the drawings for the project they were prepared for. If you might want to use them for something else, or switch to a different designer later, agree this in writing before you appoint anyone.

Does my designer need to be a registered architect?

No. In the UK, the title is protected but the work isn’t, so anyone can prepare drawings for planning or Building Regulations. Only people on the ARB register may use the protected title. Whoever you choose, look at examples of similar projects, check they hold professional indemnity insurance and ask what their fee covers.

Can I change the design once the drawings are done?

Yes, but changes cost more the later they come. Adjustments before an application goes in are straightforward. After approval, some changes may need an amendment or a fresh application, and changes once building has started can affect structure, building control approval and the builder’s price, so talk to your designer first.

Available across the UK

Professionals cover the whole of the UK: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Planning and Building Regulations differ between the four nations, and your professional will work to the rules that apply where your property is.

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