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The right architect for a small renovation or extension is not necessarily the practice with the biggest portfolio. Choose the person who has completed projects close to yours in size, construction type, budget and approval route; can explain exactly what you will receive for the fee; communicates in a way your household can work with; and will put the appointment, assumptions and responsibilities in writing before starting.
A small project does not automatically require a full-service commission. You might need a one-off feasibility review, a concept and planning package, technical drawings for a permit, tender support, or administration through construction. The safest choice is the architect whose service matches the decisions and risks you actually face.
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Start with a written project brief
Write the brief before contacting practices. It gives every candidate the same information and makes vague promises easier to spot. The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) says, “The ultimate success of your project depends on the quality of your brief.”
Your brief does not need to be a polished design document. It needs to state what the household is trying to achieve, what is fixed, and what is still open to discussion.
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| Brief item | What to record |
|---|---|
| Project goals | For example, an additional bedroom, a larger kitchen, better daylight, accessibility, or improved thermal performance. |
| Budget | Your realistic construction budget, whether it includes professional fees and taxes, and the maximum amount you could fund if the scope changes. |
| Design character | Materials, proportions, references, features you value and features you definitely do not want. |
| Sustainability priorities | Energy use, fabric-first upgrades, low-carbon materials, renewable systems, reuse of existing elements or targets for operating costs. |
| Constraints | Site access, party walls, heritage or conservation restrictions, trees, drainage, neighboring properties, occupancy and any known defects. |
| Decision makers | Everyone who must approve design, cost or programme decisions, plus the person who will give the architect day-to-day instructions. |
| Success criteria | How you will judge the finished result: floor area, storage, privacy, accessibility, energy performance, completion date or staying within a defined budget. |
Include photographs, a simple plan if you have one, the address, approximate age and construction of the house, and any surveys or previous applications. Tell candidates what you already know rather than assuming they will discover it for free.
Check your jurisdiction before shortlisting
Registration, use of the title “architect,” planning or permit drawings, professional-indemnity insurance and contract law vary by location. Identify the country, state, region or municipality governing your project and confirm requirements with the local regulator and permitting authority.
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What UK homeowners should verify
In the UK, the title “architect” is protected by law under the Architects Act 1997. Check the individual or practice through the Architects Registration Board (ARB) register. RIBA’s Find an Architect service can help build a location-based shortlist, but membership of a professional body is not a substitute for checking the statutory register.
What homeowners elsewhere should verify
Use the equivalent professional regulator in your jurisdiction. Ask what registration is required to prepare or submit drawings, who may sign or seal documents, whether local permits require a licensed professional, and what insurance is customary. A portfolio from another country may show design ability but does not prove that the architect understands your local approval process.
Build a shortlist of three to five relevant practices
Use professional directories, recommendations from people who completed similar work, local builders with a good reputation and referrals from surveyors or other construction professionals. A recommendation is a starting point, not evidence that the architect is suitable for your job.
Ask each candidate for examples that match as many of these characteristics as possible:
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- the same kind of work, such as an extension, loft conversion, internal reconfiguration or renovation;
- a comparable construction method and age of building;
- a budget in the same broad range;
- the same planning, permit or heritage pathway;
- projects completed recently enough that the current team and working methods are still relevant.
Look beyond photographs. A beautiful image does not tell you whether the project stayed within a realistic budget, obtained approval, dealt with surprises or reached completion. Ask for two or three client references and obtain permission to contact them directly.
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Interview candidates at the house
Invite the strongest candidates to see the property when practical. The site visit reveals access, existing conditions and constraints that a video call can hide. Ask whether the initial conversation is free. A short introductory meeting may be complimentary, while detailed feasibility or design advice can be chargeable; agree that boundary before sharing a request for work.
Questions about experience and approach
- Which completed project in your portfolio is most comparable, and what was difficult about it?
- What approval route did that project use, and what local issues affected the design?
- How do you test whether the brief and budget are realistic before developing a scheme?
- How do you present options and record decisions when several household members are involved?
- How do you handle an unexpected condition, a requested change or a tender that exceeds the budget?
Questions about people and capacity
- Who will be the named project lead and our day-to-day contact?
- Who produces drawings, specifications and applications, and who checks them?
- When could you start, and what other commitments might affect our programme?
- How quickly do you normally acknowledge questions, and how are urgent decisions handled?
- Will the person we meet remain involved through the stages we appoint?
Test the working relationship
Notice whether the architect listens, explains trade-offs plainly and distinguishes a confirmed fact from an assumption. You will make hundreds of decisions together. A candidate who is technically impressive but evasive about fees, availability or responsibility can create more risk than a smaller practice with a clearer process.
Follow references and, if possible, visit a finished project
Ask former clients specifically about communication, responsiveness, handling of changes, budget management and the period after construction started. Ask what they wish they had put in the appointment. A visit to a completed project, with the owner’s consent, lets you assess workmanship, detailing, light, storage and how the design has aged rather than judging only presentation images.
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“Full service” is not the only professional option. RIBA notes that architects may provide one-off consultations or early-stage advice for projects below the level at which a wider service is typical. You can commission stages separately or combine them, provided the boundaries and handovers are clear.
| Service | What you may receive | Useful when | Decision to clarify |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-off consultation | A site discussion, feasibility observations or a written opinion on options and risks. | You need an informed first view before spending on drawings. | Is advice verbal or written, and may you rely on it for a later application? |
| Feasibility and concept design | Brief development, measured information review, options, initial layouts and an outline cost discussion. | You are unsure what can fit, what is worth pursuing or whether the budget is plausible. | How many options and revisions are included? |
| Planning or permit package | Drawings and documents required for the relevant application, with submission support if included. | The design is defined and the main risk is obtaining approval. | Who answers authority questions and handles revisions after a refusal or request for changes? |
| Technical design | Detailed drawings, specifications and information needed for pricing and construction. | Builders need coordinated information, or the work has significant technical complexity. | Which construction details, schedules and consultant information are included? |
| Tender and builder selection | A tender package, invitations, comparisons and assistance evaluating quotations. | You want comparable bids and help assessing exclusions and qualifications. | How many builders will be approached, and who makes the final appointment? |
| Contract administration and site services | Site visits, records, payment or progress administration and assistance with defects or completion, as defined in the appointment. | You want professional oversight after a builder is appointed. | How often are visits made, what is inspected, and what is outside the service? |
If you buy only drawings, you remain responsible for coordinating later decisions unless another professional is appointed. Confirm who checks dimensions, coordinates structural or specialist information, responds to site questions and records changes.
Compare fees and scope together
RIBA states that fees vary with “the location and complexity of the project and level of service expected from the architect.” Professional guidance reviewed for this subject does not establish a reliable typical percentage or average residential fee, so do not use an invented benchmark to judge a proposal.
Architects commonly price work as a percentage of construction cost, a fixed sum, an hourly charge or a combination. Each method can be fair; the important issue is what triggers payment and what work is included.
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| Fee method | Ask how it works | Main comparison risk |
|---|---|---|
| Percentage | Which construction-cost definition is used, when it is recalculated and what happens if the budget changes? | A lower percentage may still cost more if the service is wider or the construction value rises. |
| Fixed fee | Which stages, meetings, revisions, applications and deliverables are included, and what is treated as additional work? | A low fixed sum can conceal a narrow scope or strict limits on revisions. |
| Hourly or daily | Who works at each rate, how time is recorded, whether a cap applies and when you receive updates. | The final cost is uncertain unless assumptions and a spending limit are clear. |
| Combined method | Which stages are fixed, which are time-based and how the methods interact. | You may compare unlike proposals if one candidate includes later services in the fixed part and another does not. |
Request a written fee schedule that lists every stage, deliverable, meeting allowance, application or consultant cost, reimbursable expense, tax treatment, payment date, validity period and additional-service rate. Ask for the fee method and amount for each stage; where a figure is not established, the proposal should say so rather than implying certainty.
Use a like-for-like comparison sheet
Put each proposal in the same columns: service stage, deliverables, exclusions, assumptions, fee, expenses, programme, named staff and change-control procedure. Mark “not included” and “to be confirmed” explicitly. Price alone is not comparable when one architect stops at approval and another remains responsible for tendering and construction support.
Verify qualifications and risk protection
Check registration with the relevant regulator before signing. Ask for evidence of professional-indemnity insurance where it is applicable in your jurisdiction, including the period of cover and any material limitations that affect the proposed work. Confirm the legal entity named in the appointment, not just the trading name on a portfolio.
Ask how the architect allocates responsibility among structural engineers, energy specialists, surveyors and other consultants. The appointment should state who engages each consultant, who coordinates their information and who pays them. Do not assume that an architect’s involvement makes every design or construction defect their responsibility; liability depends on the agreed services and applicable law.
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RIBA’s 2025 “12 Golden Rules” says appointment terms must be “clear, agreed and recorded in writing before the commencement of any professional services.” RIBA also identifies poorly drafted appointments as a major source of disputes.
At minimum, the appointment should cover:
- the client, architect and any consultant parties;
- the brief, project address and stated budget assumptions;
- services and deliverables for every appointed stage;
- the programme, key decisions and what happens if information is late;
- your responsibilities, including access, instructions, surveys and timely approvals;
- fees, expenses, taxes if applicable, payment dates and interest or suspension provisions;
- how changes to the brief, additional revisions and authority requests are priced and approved;
- insurance, liability limits and responsibility for consultant information;
- copyright ownership or the licence you receive to use drawings for this project;
- suspension, termination, handover of documents and payment on termination;
- complaints, mediation, adjudication, arbitration or court arrangements applicable to your jurisdiction.
Read the appointment against the fee proposal. If a promise made in the meeting is absent from both documents, ask for it to be added. Do not let work begin on the assumption that the paperwork can be completed later.
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After interviews, score each practice against the same criteria. A simple one-to-five scale is enough if you write the evidence beside every score.
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| Criterion | Evidence to record |
|---|---|
| Relevant experience | Completed projects matching building type, scale, construction method and local approval history. |
| Service scope | Stages included, deliverables, exclusions and who carries responsibility between stages. |
| Communication and fit | Clarity, listening, decision-making style, response expectations and named project lead. |
| Capacity and programme | Earliest start, current workload, staffing continuity and realistic stage durations. |
| Fee transparency | Method, assumptions, expenses, additional services and change-control wording. |
| Risk protection | Registration, relevant insurance, liability terms and reference feedback. |
Give greater weight to the criteria that threaten your project most. A household facing a tight approval deadline may prioritize local approval experience and capacity; a technically complex renovation may prioritize surveying, coordination and construction-stage support.
Warning signs that deserve a pause
- The candidate cannot identify a comparable completed project or explain what they personally did on it.
- The proposal contains a single total with no stage-by-stage scope, assumptions or exclusions.
- The architect promises approval, a fixed construction price or a completion date that depends on others without explaining the uncertainty.
- The person selling the service will not say who will actually run the project.
- References are unavailable, unusually vague or unwilling to discuss budget and changes.
- You are asked to authorize substantial work before a written appointment is agreed.
- Registration, insurance, consultant responsibility or copyright terms are treated as irrelevant questions.
One unresolved question is not proof that a practice is unsuitable. It is a reason to request a written answer and compare it with the alternatives.
A practical selection sequence
- Write the brief. Record goals, budget, character, sustainability priorities, constraints, decision makers and success measures.
- Confirm the jurisdiction. Identify the regulator, title rules, permit requirements and any local professional obligations.
- Find three to five candidates. Use directories, referrals and recommendations, then remove anyone without relevant project evidence.
- Send the same information. Provide the brief, photographs, address, known surveys and the service stages you are considering.
- Hold interviews and site visits. Confirm experience, capacity, day-to-day contact, communication and whether the first meeting is free.
- Check references and credentials. Speak with former clients, verify registration and request applicable insurance information.
- Request comparable proposals. Require stage-by-stage scope, deliverables, fees, expenses, assumptions, programme and change control.
- Score the proposals. Compare evidence and risk, not just the headline price.
- Negotiate the appointment. Resolve exclusions, consultant roles, client duties, copyright, liability and termination before accepting.
- Sign before work begins. Keep the signed appointment, fee schedule, brief and agreed programme together.
What you should do after appointment
Give the architect one clear route for instructions, identify who can approve cost and design decisions, and respond within the agreed time. Keep a decision log and ask for written confirmation when the brief, budget or programme changes.
When a change is proposed, require four things before authorizing it: the reason, effect on design, effect on cost and effect on programme. Ask whether the change requires a revised application, consultant input or additional architect time. This disciplined record protects the relationship and makes later fee discussions less contentious.
At each stage gate, approve the information you are actually ready to carry forward. Moving into technical drawings, tendering or construction with unresolved scope decisions is a common way for a small project to become disproportionately expensive.
The bottom line
Choose the architect who can demonstrate relevant completed work, understands your local approval route, has the capacity to serve your programme, communicates clearly and offers a written scope that matches your risk. Buy only the stages you need, but define every handover and responsibility. Verify registration and applicable insurance, compare fees alongside deliverables, and sign a clear appointment before any professional service starts.
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