How it works
What you are paying for.
A fee pays for time, skill and responsibility. This page shows how that time is spent, what you receive, and what happens if something changes.
Six steps, the same for every service
- Step 1 · 20 minutes, freeA callWe talk through the building, your budget and timing. I tell you honestly whether I am the right person and roughly what it will cost.
- Step 2 · within 2 working daysA written proposalScope, fixed price, dates and deposit, with a plain list of what is not included.
- Step 3 · on acceptanceBookingYou accept the proposal and pay the deposit. Your dates are fixed in my calendar.
- Step 4 · as agreedThe workSurvey, shoot or sketch. You see the work at agreed points, with two rounds of changes included.
- Step 5 · on the agreed dateDeliveryFinal files, prints or your painting, with a written licence to use them.
- Step 6 · 12 monthsAftercareQuestions from the planning officer or your builder answered, and files sent again if you lose them, at no charge.
Where your fee goes
The hours behind two typical fees
Many practices charge a percentage of the build cost, often 5% to 12%. A fixed fee means your design cost does not rise when your build budget does.
Planning drawings · from £1,500
28 hours · about £54 an hour
Measuring the building and drawing it as it is
Options, sketches and meetings with you
Final plans, elevations and site plans
Submitting and answering the planning officer
Architecture and interiors, full day · £800
16 hours · about £50 an hour
Editing is the part clients do not see: correcting verticals, balancing daylight and lamps, and removing cables and clutter from every image.
What you receive
Architectural design
- Drawing set as PDF
- CAD files (DWG) you keep
- Planning application reference
- Design statement where required
- Written licence to build the design
Photography
- Edited high resolution JPEGs
- Web sized copies for listings and social media
- Online gallery for 12 months
- Written licence for your marketing
Paintings
- Signed original on archival paper or canvas
- Care notes
- Tracked UK delivery
Why one studio
Fewer handovers, less of your time.
One point of contact
The person who measures your house draws the plans, photographs the result and can paint it. Nothing gets lost between firms.
One visual standard
Drawings, visuals and photographs share one eye, so the finished project looks the way it was drawn.
One proposal, one invoice
Combine services on the same project and every service after the first is 10% off.
The terms, in plain English
- Deposits
- 30% to 50% to book, as listed in your proposal. It fixes your dates.
- Payment
- Invoices are due within 14 days, by bank transfer or card.
- Changes
- Two rounds included. Further changes at £50 per hour, always agreed before I start.
- Delays
- If I miss a date in your proposal, I tell you why and the new date straight away.
- Cancelling
- You can cancel within 14 days of booking. If work has started at your request, you pay for the work done.
- Copyright
- Drawings, photographs and paintings stay my copyright. You receive a licence: to build the design, to use the photographs in your marketing, or to enjoy the painting.
- Your data
- Your details are used only to reply to you and run your project. See the privacy notice.
Questions
Asked before booking
Are you an architect?
No. I am an architectural designer. In the UK the title architect is protected by law for people on the Architects Register. You do not need a registered architect for an extension, loft conversion or alteration, and if your project would be better served by one I will tell you.
Do I need planning permission?
Many extensions and loft conversions fall under permitted development and need no application. I check this in the first call and, if you are unsure, can apply for a lawful development certificate.
Do you work outside Oxford?
Yes. Travel within 30 miles of Oxford is included; further away, 45p per mile is shown in your quote before you book. Design work and portraits can be done for clients anywhere.
Can you recommend builders?
I can introduce builders I have worked with. You contract them directly, and I take no commission.
How far ahead should I book?
Design work usually starts within two to three weeks of booking. Photography can often be booked within a week. House portraits for Christmas should be booked by 21 November.
Ready for a fixed price?
Start with a free 20 minute call. Your proposal follows within two working days.