Fees & stages · 2026
What we charge, when we charge it, and what arrives.
Six of the eight practices a Sheffield homeowner is likely to shortlist publish no fee figure anywhere on their website. We think that is the single most useful thing a website can do, so it is the first thing on this page.
Scope
Three kinds of work, and nothing else
Extensions & alterations
Rear and side extensions, loft conversions, opening up ground floors. Build costs typically £45,000 to £220,000. Roughly two-thirds of what we do.
Fabric retrofit
Solid-wall insulation, airtightness, ventilation and glazing on Victorian and Edwardian housing. EnerPhit-informed rather than certified, and we are precise about the difference.
Small commercial & change of use
Workshops, studios and shopfronts, mostly in the Sheffield works buildings. Class E changes of use, and the occasional listed building consent.
Fees
Three bases, and how to tell which one you want
Basis onePercentage of construction cost
9 – 13%of the build cost, full service
13% on a £60,000 extension, 11% around £100,000, 9% over £400,000. Charged against the tendered figure, not the estimate, and reconciled at practical completion.
Basis twoFixed fee
£1,850 – £6,400by scope, quoted before we start
Site appraisal and feasibility £850, credited against the fee if you proceed. Planning drawings £1,850 – £3,200. Planning plus Building Regulations £3,400 – £6,400.
Basis threeTime charge
£95 / hrdirector · £65 assistant
Early advice, appeals, party wall matters. Fifteen-minute units, reported monthly, capped by agreement if you would rather know the ceiling.
Worked example · rear extension, £96,000 build cost
| Stages 1 – 3, to planning permission | £4,600 |
|---|---|
| Stage 4, Building Regulations & tender package | £3,100 |
| Stages 5 – 6, site administration to completion | £2,900 |
| VAT at 20% | £2,120 |
| Total payable to us | £12,720 |
11% of the build cost plus VAT. Separately, and not to us: planning application £258, Building Regulations approx. £750, structural engineer £900 – £1,400, party wall surveyor if required £900+.
RIBA Plan of Work 2020
The shape of a project, drawn to scale
Divisions sized by fee share. The dimension line marks where most domestic clients stop — a fact six of the eight practices we looked at never mention.
Deliverables
The Stage 3 drawing register, in full
Location planRed-line boundary, as the council requires
FM-001 · 1:1250
Site planExisting and proposed, with levels
FM-002 · 1:200
Existing plansEvery floor, measured on site by us
FM-100–104 · 1:50
Existing elevations & sectionAll four faces, one cut
FM-110–114 · 1:50
Proposed plansEvery floor, new work shown red
FM-200–203 · 1:50
Proposed elevations & sectionIncluding the street scene with neighbours
FM-210–214 · 1:50
Design & Access StatementWhere the site is in a conservation area
FM-DAS · —
The applicationSubmitted, monitored and answered by us
Planning Portal
Issued as PDF at true scale and as DWG on request. At Stage 4 the register roughly doubles and the scales go to 1:20 and 1:5.
Asked most
Before you appoint anybody
Do I actually need an architect?
Often not. A single-storey rear extension within permitted development, on a house with no constraints, can be drawn perfectly well by an architectural technologist for less than we charge. Where we earn our fee is on constrained sites, conservation areas, awkward levels, retrofit, and anything where the planners have already said no. Ask us at the first meeting and we will tell you honestly which yours is.
What is the difference between an architect and an "architectural designer"?
Legally, a great deal. "Architect" is a title protected by the Architects Act 1997, and only people on the ARB register may use it — doing so otherwise is a criminal offence carrying a fine. "Architectural designer", "architectural consultant" and similar are unprotected and mean whatever the person using them wants. Many are excellent; the point is that the title tells you nothing, so ask for a registration number and check it.
How long does planning take?
Eight weeks by statute for a householder application, thirteen for a major. In practice South Yorkshire authorities run to time on straightforward applications and over on contested ones. The clock starts at validation, not submission, and an invalid application does not start it at all — which is most of why we handle the submission ourselves.
What happens if permission is refused?
We tell you at the outset how likely we think it is, and we do not submit applications we expect to lose without saying so in writing first. If a scheme we recommended is refused, the resubmission is at no fee. An appeal is a time charge, and we will give you an honest view of the odds before you spend anything on it.
Are your fees inclusive of VAT?
No — every figure on this site excludes VAT, which is charged at 20% and shown separately on every invoice and in every fee proposal. On the £12,720 worked example above, £2,120 of that is VAT. This is the most common source of misunderstanding at the domestic end and we would rather be boring about it.
Who else will I have to pay?
A structural engineer on almost every project (£900 – £1,400). The council, for the planning application (£258 for a householder application) and Building Regulations (approx. £750). Possibly a party wall surveyor, an arboriculturalist, or a measured survey. We list all of them in the fee proposal with estimates, before you appoint us, so the total is not a series of surprises.
First conversation
Bring us the house and the number you have in mind
The first hour is free and there is no proposal at the end of it unless you ask for one.