Extending, remodelling or converting your most valuable asset is always going to be a challenging experience, but if all goes well you will end up with the building you had originally dreamed of or better! Whilst making changes to your listed home might not be entirely straightforward, The Listed Property Owners Club (LPOC) knows that striking a good relationship with your architect will go a long way in seeing your project through to fruition. As a rule of thumb, if a project requires listed building consent it is worth approaching an architect.

An architect can help to develop your ideas and use their design skills to realise potential in your property that you never knew existed. The architect’s role is to bring design skills to the project and work within your brief to fulfil your expectations. He/she will take responsibility for coordinating any other professionals, such as a structural engineer, quantity surveyor or heritage consultant as well as getting statutory approvals, overseeing the tendering process and project management.

If you are planning to renovate your listed home, or are thinking of purchasing a listed home that has renovation potential, here are LPOC’s tips for maintaining a successful architect client relationship and getting the best results from your renovation:

1. Take time: If you have just acquired your listed building live with it for some time if you can before embarking on major changes. It may surprise you how your thoughts change as you get to know the building.
2. Early engagement: Appoint your architect at the beginning of the design process, not when things go wrong. It can be a false economy to wait until listed building consent has been refused or you have fallen out with your builder to engage the services of an architect. It is far better to get the design right in the first instance.
3. Do your research: Look at good and bad examples of the type of extension, conversion or restoration you are proposing and convey your preferences clearly to your architect. Use photographs, magazine cuttings or examples from the internet. Be very clear about what you don’t like as well as what you do.
4. Be open minded: Allow the architect to look at the project with fresh eyes. You have appointed him/her for their particular expertise so allow them to use it. You should end up with at least some ideas which are better than the ones you started with.
5. Honesty is a virtue: As in all relationships both parties need to communicate well and be totally honest about their expectations. Communication will be more productive if you choose an architect that you can relate to and who shares your values.
6. Draw up a contract: Clarity avoids disputes so a formal agreement is always advisable. The Royal Institute of British Architects produces standard appointment documents from which you can select the precise services you need.
7. Budget: Be clear about your budget from the outset. If the budget is finite then a good architect will work within it. If the outcome is more important than the budget then say so.
8. Be patient: Getting the right result is far more important than getting a quick result and the two rarely go together. Good building design is a process and will take time so don’t have unrealistic expectations. The best designs result from lengthy dialogue during which the client and the architect have a chance to develop their thinking together.
9. Be engaged: This comes back to the need for a two-way conversation, not just at the project inception but throughout the design and build process. The more you immerse yourself in the process the more rewarding it will be.
10. Be inquisitive: Ask when you don’t understand. If you can’t comprehend a drawing, a specification or a contract, ask the architect to explain it to you. The architect will expect you to have lots of questions; it’s part of the collaborative process.

To find a Conservation Architect you can search our Suppliers Directory. Here, you are also able to search for products, suppliers and specialist tradesmen. Alternatively, we welcome you to contact us for impartial advice on 01795 844939 and we will endeavour to help solve your problems. You can also meet face-to-face with conservation experts at The Listed Property Show and receive impartial advice.

www.listedpropertyawareness.co.uk