If you are a homeowner planning a house renovation, extension or a self-build house, writing an architectural brief will give your project structure and help you clarify your main objectives.
It will set out your essential requirements and allow you to invite architects to quote for services. Once your project is underway, you can refer to your briefing document to make sure you’re achieving your goals.
Don’t worry if your brief isn’t perfect. Its ultimate purpose is to convey your main requirements to prospective architects and form an appointment. Once you have appointed an architect, they will help you refine your brief in line with your budget and timescale constraints.
Your brief should establish:
Here’s what to include in a little more detail.
Provide your contact details, full site address, site photographs, estate agent floor plans and any other drawings you have in your possession which may be useful to show the extent of the existing site.
State your overall budget. In addition to build costs, you will need to factor in professional fees, VAT and other project costs.
Do some research on projects that are similar in scope and finish, and try to get a feel for costs. Many of the projects featured on Designs in Detail outline cost information.
Don’t worry if you’re unsure about what you can build for your budget. Be as open as possible. As you start to engage with architects, they will advise if your requirements are broadly feasible.
It’s important to be realistic about your budget and heed professional advice. If you insist on including requirements that are likely to exceed budget costs, you’ll struggle to appoint consultants and get your project started.
Find more information on costs in the below articles
How much does it cost to build a home extension in the UK?
How much do architects cost in the UK?
How much does planning permission cost in the UK?
Good design is about problem solving. Identifying what works and doesn’t work in your property will help your architect develop the optimum design solution for your needs.
If renovating an existing home, list out its most appealing features, i.e. the things that made you want to buy it in the first place. For example, existing room proportions, orientation of rooms relative to views and sunlight, and architectural features and details. Then identify the problems, the things that are hindering your day-to-day enjoyment of the property. This could be inadequate views and access to the outside, rooms that are disconnected from others, limited facilities or poor organisation of space.
If building a new home, list out the opportunities and constraints of the site. These include views, orientation, natural features, proximity to neighbouring buildings and privacy.
An architect will carry out their own site analysis once appointed, but your intimate knowledge of the site will be just as important.
List out your main functional requirements and preferred sizes of rooms, including the number of bedrooms and bathrooms, living-dining-kitchen requirements and any other uses you would like to incorporate into the future design.
You may have specific pieces of furniture which you want to integrate into the plans – say a large dining table or piano.
Think about how you would like to live in the space and the inter-relationships of rooms. Do you prefer open-plan or individual rooms? Or maybe a combination of both?
Do certain rooms need to be next to others? If you have young children, you may want the children’s bedroom next to yours. If you work from home, you may want to include a designated study in a quiet part of the house.
Do you like to entertain? Would you like to provide a space for guests to stay?
You should also think about how you might use your home in the future – children grow, parents get old, individual needs evolve. Flexibility of space may be important to you.
And don’t forget storage. Do you have enough? Do you need more in certain areas? Think about the items you need to store and where they need to go.
As well as the practical considerations, think about the look and feel of your project.
Are you aiming to create something visually striking, or calm and understated?
Is there a particular view to the outside you would like to orientate certain rooms towards?
Would you like to better connect your home to the outside and blur the boundary between inside and out?
Are there any architectural features you would like to include? Maybe a built-in window seat overlooking the garden or sliding pocket doors to open and close different spaces?
Are there any specific materials you would like to incorporate?
Do you want to achieve any energy performance targets above current building regulations? For example, Passivhaus or EnerPHit.
Are there any sustainable materials and building systems you’re interested in? You may be looking at lowering your site’s carbon footprint.
Select images of projects you like which are similar in scope to what you’re looking to create.
Write a brief note below each image describing why you like it. For example, the internal layout, choice of materials or how the glazing introduces natural light. This will allow the architect to better understand your requirements.
The project images featured on Design in Detail include descriptions and links to many of the materials and products contained within the images.
State when you would like to start and complete your project.
The architect will draw up a more detailed programme following their appointment, but it is important to initially include any key dates that are pertinent to your circumstances during the briefing stage. For example, planned family events, lender obligations, grant requirements or any local constraints that could delay construction (think protected wildlife that may be resident on your site).
Architects generally organise projects around the RIBA Plan of Work which sets out the various stages of the design and build process.
For more information on how long residential projects take, refer to the articles below.
How long does it take to build a home extension?
Once you’ve drawn up your brief, finding the best architect for your project should be your next priority. Good architects are in high demand, and it can be difficult to find the right one to take on your project.
For each project featured on Designs in Detail, you will find links to the architect’s website and other consultants involved. Another place to start is RIBA’s website.
Initially reach out to gauge general interest and availability. You can then follow up by sending your briefing document and arranging a meeting on site. Successful architecture is born out of trust between client and architect. Meeting face to face will give you an opportunity to see if the architect is the right fit, while it gives the architect a chance to better understand your needs and explain how they will approach the project.
If you have a positive meeting, the architect will send you a fee proposal outlining their scope services, associated fees and availability.
If the architect’s fee proposal is acceptable to you, the next stage is to put the agreement into writing.
RIBA’s Domestic Services Contract is suitable for appointing an architect for home renovation projects.
The RIBA Standard Professional Services Contract is appropriate for larger projects, such as one-off new-build houses, where more detailed contract terms are needed.
The architect will help you prepare the contract and answer any queries.
This article is a useful guide to how much architects cost in the UK.
Do architects charge for an initial meeting?
Most architects do not charge for the initial client meeting as the purpose is to understand your general requirements and gauge client-architect compatibility. An architect will not charge for services unless a fee has been agreed in advance.
How much does an architect cost in the UK?
For residential work, UK architects will charge in the region of 8-16% of build costs for full services (conception to completion on site). Fees are dependent on the level of service and size, complexity and quality of the project.
How much does an architect charge for an extension?
Fora £250K household extension and refurbishment project, UK architect fees will be in the region of 12% of build costs for full services, excluding VAT.About 4.5% of this would cover services to planning, a further 4.5% to technical design stage (including building regulations drawings) and a final 3%for project management.
How much does an architect charge for a new house?
An architect will charge about 9% of build costs to carry out full services for a new-build house costing in the region of £500K.
How much does an architect charge to draw up plans?
For most types of residential work, architects will charge about 3-5% of build costs to draw up plans for planning application and building regulations approval.
How much are architect fees for a small extension?
For a household extension and refurbishment costing £100-150K, architects fees will be about £14,000 plus VAT for full services – feasibility to completion on site. About £5,000 of which will cover planning, a further £5,000 for building regulations and tender and £4,000 for site management services.
A drawings-only service to planning stage can be as little as £2,500 plus VAT for typical small-scale domestic extension.
Credits - Main image - Photo by Jan Kahánek on Unsplash
About the author: Aron Coates is an architect with over two decades of experience, encompassing projects ranging from the restoration of historic buildings to the design of contemporary homes.
The information provided in this article is intended for general guidance and educational purposes only. At Designs in Detail, we advise you appoint a skilled residential architect to provide specific expert advice for your project.
