Choose the architect who can show relevant roof-extension experience, is verifiably registered, explains the planning and technical risks for your particular home, and sets out a comparable written scope. Do not choose on a portfolio or fee total alone. First prepare a concise brief, speak to several suitable practices, check the named architect on the Architects Registration Board (ARB) Register, and compare proposals line by line before signing an appointment.
Start by defining what you need the architect to solve
A rooftop extension can mean very different things: a new room within a raised roof, a mansard-style alteration, a rear roof addition, a roof terrace, or a combination of internal and external space. The architect needs to understand the outcome you want before suggesting a form of construction. A clear brief also makes competing proposals easier to compare.
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Put the essentials in a short written brief
- The rooms or uses you want, such as a bedroom, office, bathroom or accessible living space.
- Your indicative project budget and whether it includes professional fees, surveys, structural work, approvals and construction.
- The property’s location, house type, number of storeys and any known roof or access constraints.
- Known restrictions, including a listing, conservation-area location, planning conditions, lease or freeholder issues, or rights affecting access.
- Your preferred timing, including any immovable date.
- Photographs, drawings or examples of roof extensions whose proportions, materials or daylight you like.
State what is non-negotiable and what is open to design development. If you do not yet know the budget, give a realistic range and say that it is provisional. An architect can test the brief, but cannot price or plan intelligently around an unstated limit.
Check that anyone called an architect is registered
In the UK, “architect” is a protected professional title. Use the ARB Register to verify the person you may commission, not just the practice name or a logo. ARB’s consumer guidance is unequivocal: if you cannot find the person on the Register using the details they supplied, they are not an architect. Registration is the statutory distinction; it does not by itself prove that a practice is the right fit for your project.
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How to carry out the check
- Ask each proposal to name the architect who will lead your project and provide the registration details used in the practice’s professional information.
- Search that person on the ARB Register before appointing them.
- Check that the name and details match the person you met, rather than an unrelated director or an office-wide registration claim.
- Record the date you checked and retain the proposal and correspondence with your project documents.
People who are not registered may still provide some architectural services, but they cannot lawfully use the protected title. A practice may also employ designers, technicians or assistants who are not architects. Ask who is responsible for the work and whether the registered architect will review and sign off the relevant stages.
Understand the difference between ARB registration and RIBA status
RIBA membership or chartered-practice status can be a useful additional credential, but it is not a replacement for the statutory ARB check. Treat RIBA membership as information about professional affiliation and ARB registration as the essential title verification.
Find practices with the right kind of experience
Search for practices that can demonstrate work comparable to your home and your constraints, not merely attractive large-house projects. A relevant portfolio might include roof alterations, extensions to similar terraces or semis, compact urban sites, listed or conservation-area work, or projects where neighbours and overlooking were significant issues.
Use several routes to build a shortlist
- Ask people who have completed a similar domestic project what the architect actually did and how communication worked when the design changed.
- Use RIBA’s Find an Architect service to identify practices offering residential work in your area.
- Search locally, then verify every person presented as an architect on the ARB Register.
- Look beyond photographs: read project descriptions for the brief, approvals, construction stage and the architect’s named role.
Invite several relevant practices to an initial conversation or proposal. A shortlist is more useful when every candidate receives the same brief, drawings and questions. Tell them whether you want only feasibility and planning work or a service continuing through construction; otherwise their fee comparisons will be misleading.
Judge the named lead, not just the practice portfolio
A large practice may show impressive work that was designed by someone who will not work on your project. Ask for the name and role of the lead architect, the day-to-day contact and the people responsible for drawings, planning discussions and site involvement.
Questions that expose the real fit
- Which projects in your portfolio are most comparable to this roof and this type of house?
- What did you personally do on those projects?
- Who will attend meetings, prepare drawings and answer queries?
- How many live projects will the lead architect carry while ours is progressing?
- What experience do you have with the local planning authority and with similar roof forms?
- How do you test a design against the budget before substantial technical work begins?
Listen for a method rather than a promise of a particular appearance or approval. A good first discussion identifies unknowns, explains what must be surveyed and separates a promising concept from an assumption that still needs confirmation.
Compare proposals on an identical scope
Do not rank architects by the bottom-line fee until you know what each fee buys. Ask every candidate to respond to the same brief and show the service in stages. The following comparison structure keeps omissions visible.
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1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors| Comparison area | What to ask for | Evidence to look for |
|---|---|---|
| Comparable experience | Which roof alterations or extensions resemble your property and constraints? | Named projects, the lead architect’s role and an explanation of relevant lessons. |
| Planning approach | How will the practice assess the site, policy and permission route? | A site-specific assessment, identified risks and a plan for responding to planning comments. |
| Design and technical scope | Which drawings, specifications, calculations and approvals are included? | A staged list of deliverables with clear exclusions. |
| Team and availability | Who is your contact and who will do the work? | Names, responsibilities, expected response arrangements and realistic start timing. |
| Fees and extras | Is the fee fixed, percentage-based or hourly, and what can increase it? | Payment stages, assumptions, revision limits, consultant charges and change rates. |
| Construction involvement | Will the architect help tender, administer the contract or visit site? | Specific activities, visit frequency or triggers, reports and the point at which the service ends. |
| Communication | How will decisions, changes and approvals be recorded? | A clear meeting, drawing-review and change-control process. |
Rapport matters, but it should follow evidence. A personable meeting cannot compensate for a vague scope, an unavailable lead or an unexplained fee.
Understand what planning advice can and cannot establish
Planning requirements depend on the precise design and the property. The official permitted-development guidance reviewed for England says that roof alterations involving the creation of balconies are not permitted development and require planning permission. That statement does not decide the route for every rooftop extension.
Listed-building status, a conservation-area location, conditions attached to earlier permissions, removal of permitted-development rights and the exact roof form can all change the analysis. The UK nations also have different planning systems and guidance. If your home is outside England, ask the architect to apply the rules of the relevant nation rather than relying on an England-specific explanation.
Ask for a site-specific planning assessment
Your architect should confirm the likely permission route with the local planning authority and identify what remains uncertain. Ask the written proposal to explain:
- Whether the concept is being tested as permitted development, a householder application or another route.
- Which property designations, previous permissions or local policies have been checked.
- How the design will address overlooking, privacy, daylight, massing, materials, neighbour impact and roofscape where relevant.
- What information the planning submission will include and who will prepare it.
- How the practice will respond to questions, amendments, a refusal or a request to redesign.
Hiring an architect does not guarantee planning permission. A responsible proposal describes risk and the response process, rather than promising an approval. Confirm whether planning fees, specialist reports and additional design work after a refusal are part of the quoted service or charged separately.
Specify the service stages in the appointment
An architect’s involvement can run from briefing and feasibility through design, planning, technical information, tendering, construction and handover. You may not need every stage, but the appointment must say which stages are included and where the service ends.
Briefing and feasibility
Confirm whether the architect will visit the property, measure existing conditions, review your information, test options and identify constraints. Ask how many feasibility options or review rounds are included and what you will receive: sketches, drawings, a written appraisal or an outline cost check.
Planning advice and application
State whether the architect will select the planning route, prepare drawings and supporting documents, submit the application, communicate with the authority and handle revisions. Clarify whether planning charges and specialist reports are excluded. Define what happens if the authority asks for changes beyond the included revision allowance.
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Building Regulations information
Planning approval and Building Regulations approval are different matters. If Building Regulations drawings, specifications or submission support are required, list them explicitly. Ask who will coordinate structural information and how comments from building control will be incorporated.
Structural engineer and other consultants
Rooftop work commonly requires structural input, but the exact need depends on the scheme. The appointment should say whether the architect will recommend, appoint or coordinate a structural engineer and whether that consultant’s fee is included. Apply the same clarity to surveys, energy or specialist reports if they become necessary.
Technical and construction drawings
Do not assume that planning drawings are sufficient to build from. Identify the drawings, details, schedules and specifications included at the technical stage, and say whether revisions caused by contractor queries are covered.
Tendering and contractor selection
If you want help obtaining prices, specify how contractors will be invited, what tender documents they receive, how questions are answered and whether the architect will prepare a tender comparison. A design-only appointment may stop before this point.
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Decide whether the architect will administer the building contract, inspect progress, certify payments, record defects or attend handover. “Site involvement” is too vague on its own: state the expected visit frequency or trigger, the purpose of each visit and what is not being inspected. If you appoint the architect only through planning, say explicitly that construction-stage services are excluded.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Read the fee basis and exclusions carefully
ARB identifies fixed fees, percentage-based fees and hourly rates as possible methods. None is automatically better. A fixed fee is only comparable when the scope, assumptions and revision limits are comparable. A percentage basis needs a clearly defined construction-cost basis and an explanation of what happens if the cost changes. An hourly arrangement needs rates, estimated hours or a spending limit and regular reporting.
Items to require in the fee schedule
- The amount or calculation method for each stage.
- When invoices are issued and when payment is due.
- Whether VAT applies and how it is shown.
- Included meetings, site visits, options and drawing revisions.
- Planning, building-control or other statutory charges that you pay directly.
- Consultant fees, surveys, specialist reports, printing or travel that sit outside the architect’s fee.
- Hourly rates or agreed rates for additional work.
- What triggers a variation, such as a changed brief, planning redesign, delayed decisions or additional authority requirements.
Ask for an example of a change instruction. You should know how you approve extra work before it starts, not after an unexpected invoice arrives.
Agree how approvals and other professionals will be coordinated
Write down who is responsible for each submission and coordination task. For example, the architect may prepare and submit planning drawings while a structural engineer supplies calculations, and a building-control body may assess Building Regulations compliance. The appointment should identify interfaces, information deadlines and who resolves conflicting comments.
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Ask how the architect will keep a decision log, issue drawing revisions and identify the current version. Rooftop projects can change quickly when a survey reveals an existing structure or when a planner raises a concern. Version control and written approvals reduce the risk of building from superseded information.
Use a written appointment, not an informal promise
Before work starts, sign an appointment that incorporates the agreed proposal and any amendments. It should identify the parties, property and project, and then set out:
- The brief and assumptions about the existing building.
- The named lead architect, project team and communication route.
- Stages, deliverables, programme assumptions and client decisions required.
- Planning, Building Regulations, structural and other consultant responsibilities.
- Fee method, payment schedule, VAT treatment, expenses and additional-work rates.
- Revision allowances and the process for approving variations.
- Ownership or permitted use of drawings and information.
- Insurance information and what happens if either party wants to end the appointment.
- How delays, disputes, a planning refusal or a major redesign will be handled.
Read the termination and suspension provisions as carefully as the design scope. If you stop after planning, establish what information you can use to appoint another professional and what fees remain due.
Recognise warning signs before you appoint
- The person calling themselves an architect cannot be found on the ARB Register.
- The practice will not name the lead architect or explain who will do the work.
- The portfolio contains no comparable roof or extension work and the discussion avoids your constraints.
- The proposal promises permission rather than explaining a risk-based planning process.
- The fee is a single total with no stages, deliverables, exclusions or variation procedure.
- Planning drawings, technical information and construction support are treated as interchangeable.
- Consultant appointments and statutory charges are left ambiguous.
- Communication commitments are verbal only, with no defined decision or drawing-issue process.
A practical selection process from brief to signature
- Write the brief. Set out use, budget range, location, restrictions, timing and design references.
- Build a relevant shortlist. Use referrals and RIBA’s Find an Architect service, then verify proposed architects on the ARB Register.
- Send identical information. Give each practice the same brief, photographs, drawings and questions.
- Hold an initial conversation. Test how each candidate identifies unknowns, planning risks, structural questions and budget pressures.
- Request a staged proposal. Require named people, deliverables, programme assumptions, fee basis, exclusions and construction-stage options.
- Check references intelligently. Ask former domestic clients whether the named lead was involved, how changes were priced and how problems were communicated.
- Compare like with like. Make a table of included stages, revision allowances, consultant coordination, planning work and site services before comparing totals.
- Clarify unresolved points in writing. Ask for revised wording rather than relying on a meeting recollection.
- Sign the appointment. Do not authorise surveys, applications or substantial design work until the scope and fee arrangements are agreed.
Questions to ask at the final meeting
- What is the biggest planning uncertainty on this property, and how will you test it?
- What information do you need from me before the first design stage can start?
- Which parts of your proposal are assumptions rather than included deliverables?
- How many design options and revisions are included?
- When will I know that the concept is exceeding the budget?
- Who appoints and pays the structural engineer and other consultants?
- What exactly happens after a planning refusal or a request for redesign?
- What will you do during construction, and what will you not do?
- How are decisions, drawing revisions and extra fees approved?
The best choice is the architect whose relevant evidence, availability, planning method, scope and fee logic remain clear after these questions. The appointment should leave you knowing what will happen next, who is responsible and what would cause the price or programme to change.
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