From building performance, styling and planning permission, to building conservation, environmental impact, and ongoing maintenance, these important aspects will benefit from careful thought early on. Obtaining the right information from the right places will be critical in the success of your project.

Here are 7 tips to help guide you on the road to success:

1. What are you trying to achieve? Are you setting out to improve the layout and function of the building for your own use or is it strictly a financial investment? It sounds obvious but you might have to compromise on your dreams or be more creative if the value of the investment is a priority.
2. What’s the budget? Many a noble attempt at a grand design has fallen foul of a blown budget, and the more limited the budget is, the more fundamental it is to define it from the start. It’s easy to get carried away in the excitement of seeing your vision come to life but being clear on your budget and obtaining reliable cost information early on can be key. Don’t forget to factor in the costs of equipping and furnishing the building, if you want to use it as intended.
3. Information requirements: Whether you’re planning energy improvement works, refurbishing or extending a listed building, or planning a new build, the list of issues with the potential to threaten or completely derail a project is vast depending on the context. Information may be required for planning permission, listed buildings, ecology, building regulations, asbestos, and structural engineering, for example.
4. Site checks: If you’re planning a new build, before even buying a site it is crucial to understand any land issues which might restrict your plans or make implementation difficult down the line. Do you have clear access to the site? Is there contaminated or potentially unstable land present? Are there protected trees? Complications can arise if you need to access privately owned roads or bring in services across third-party land. Costs can spiral or your development can be severely limited if you need to clear or work around contaminated land.
5. Aesthetics and materials: Are you aiming to catch the eye or blend seamlessly into the landscape? Having clarity on how you need the building to work from the inside out will help you design a building which works for you. But considering how it fits into the surrounding environment will be essential when engaging with the planners. Careful consideration should be given to properties that are listed or in a conservation area as you may be limited in what you can reasonably achieve. Careful selection of materials and detailing can be key to a building’s performance and be critical in obtaining planning permission. Understanding the historic significance of a building will be the key to unlocking listed building consent; this is rarely limited to the presence of a cob wall or stone window and will require consideration of the communal, aesthetic and evidential value of the building and its environment.   
6. Retrofit and energy improvements: If you are renovating an older property, you’re likely to want to improve its energy efficiency. But beware of a one-size-fits-all approach. Insulation and double glazing may be unsuitable, causing unintended negative consequences such as condensation and mould. Wet walls can sap warmth from a building, and employing technology such as heat pumps without considering the whole building can be expensive and counter productive. That said, upfront strategic investment in condition improvements or technology can pay dividends in the long run.
7. Advice, support, and guidance: An architect or building surveyor can help you understand what information will be needed to guide your plans, and, importantly, help you find it. Choosing the right professionals to work with will be critical to the success of your project, and early engagement will limit surprises which bring extra cost and disappointment later. When consulting an architect, building surveyor, or any other professional, it is vital that they have relevant experience, whether that’s in heritage and conservation, retrofit, new build, or procurement and contract administration.

Further information

Contact Jack Henderson