We are in the process of buying our two bedroom, ground floor council flat with the intention of extending it to accommodate us and our 3 kids. We would like to add a third bedroom and expand the living space by adding a dining area and a larger kitchen.
We have a good idea of what we want and have drawn plans using an CAD program. Would these suffice to get planning permission and for the builder or do we still need to get the services of an architect or a draughtsman?
We are planning to knock out portions of two supporting walls and, depending on price, 2 chimney breasts, so will probably need to bring in a Structural Engineer. Does this person just come in an tell us which parts of our plan are possible and which parts are not? How much should I be expecting to pay out for this service?
A few rooms suffer from damp which I think will be solved after we do the renovations however someone has suggested that the problem has probably been exacerbated by a council-done pebble dash job which has breached the damp proof course. Whoever did it also blocked up the air bricks with pebbles and then painted over it. We've been here for 7 years and it was like this before we arrived. What's the likelihood that this might have caused serious long term damage? I understand this might have caused the floor boards to start rotting? Finally (for now), the extension we are planning would go over where the manhole is. How much should I be expecting to pay to have the manhole moved? Thank you for any advice or guidance.
We have a good idea of what we want and have drawn plans using an CAD program. Would these suffice to get planning permission and for the builder or do we still need to get the services of an architect or a draughtsman?
We are planning to knock out portions of two supporting walls and, depending on price, 2 chimney breasts, so will probably need to bring in a Structural Engineer. Does this person just come in an tell us which parts of our plan are possible and which parts are not? How much should I be expecting to pay out for this service?
A few rooms suffer from damp which I think will be solved after we do the renovations however someone has suggested that the problem has probably been exacerbated by a council-done pebble dash job which has breached the damp proof course. Whoever did it also blocked up the air bricks with pebbles and then painted over it. We've been here for 7 years and it was like this before we arrived. What's the likelihood that this might have caused serious long term damage? I understand this might have caused the floor boards to start rotting? Finally (for now), the extension we are planning would go over where the manhole is. How much should I be expecting to pay to have the manhole moved? Thank you for any advice or guidance.