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The safest way to find an architect for a UK extension or renovation is to start with a written brief, shortlist practices that have delivered genuinely similar homes, verify the named architect on the Architects Registration Board (ARB) Register, and compare written proposals on the same scope. Before any work starts, agree the stages, deliverables, responsibilities, fee basis, likely extras, insurance and complaints process in a signed appointment. Planning permission is project-specific and never guaranteed.
What to do first
Write down what you want to change, why the change matters and what the finished rooms must do. Add an approximate whole-project budget, preferred timing and any dates that matter, such as a planned move or school term. Gather photographs, existing plans and measurements if available. Note constraints including a listed-building designation, conservation-area location, shared or party walls, access limitations, trees, drainage, flood risk or previous planning decisions.
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Use the budget as a total project allowance rather than an architect-only figure. Ask each practice whether its estimate includes professional fees, surveys, structural or other consultants, application charges, construction and taxes. RIBA guidance also recommends allowing for the possibility that the home may need to be vacated and contacting architects early, because design, approvals and procurement can take longer than the building work itself.
Your brief is a basis for discussion, not a promise that a particular design, cost or permission is achievable. A good architect will test your priorities against the property, regulations, budget and programme, then explain the choices and risks.
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Build a shortlist that matches the project
Begin with practices whose portfolios show comparable domestic extensions or renovations, not merely attractive interiors. Similarity can mean the same building age, construction type, scale, site constraints or planning context. A practice that has delivered rear extensions to Victorian terraces may be a better fit for another terrace than a firm known mainly for new-build houses, even if both have polished websites.
Possible starting points include recommendations from people who completed similar work, local professional networks, and the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) Find an Architect and client-referral services. Treat a directory entry as a lead, not an endorsement. Ask every candidate whether it has capacity, when it could start and who would actually lead and deliver the work.
Shortlist questions
- How many comparable domestic projects has the practice completed recently?
- Has it worked with properties of similar age, construction, access and planning status?
- Who will be the day-to-day contact, and who will supervise delegated work?
- Can the practice take on the project within your preferred programme?
- Can it provide client references for completed, occupied homes?
Local planning familiarity is useful, but it should complement—not replace—relevant design and delivery experience. A local practice cannot guarantee a favourable decision, and an outside practice may bring stronger experience of the particular building type.
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In the UK, the professional title architect is protected. Search the individual’s name or registration number on the ARB Register before appointing them. Check the exact person who will be responsible for your project, not only the name of a practice or a partner shown in marketing material.
RIBA membership can be a useful additional credential, but it is voluntary and does not replace ARB registration. If a practice proposes that a non-architect designer will lead the work, ask who the registered architect is, what that person will supervise and where responsibility sits in the appointment.
Keep a record of the registration check and the name of the contracting party. If the named professional changes, ask for the replacement’s registration details and confirm whether the change affects the fee, scope or insurance.
Judge the evidence, not just the portfolio
Images show design outcomes, but they do not reveal how a project was managed. Ask to see work similar in type, scale, age and constraints. Request a short explanation of the brief, the services provided, the construction route and the architect’s role after planning.
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Follow up references
Speak with at least two recent clients where possible. Ask whether the architect listened, explained options clearly, responded within agreed times, controlled changes and helped the client understand cost movement. Ask what the client expected to be included but later discovered was outside scope. A reference should cover the working relationship and delivery discipline, not just whether the finished extension looks good.
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Check who will do the work
Ask for the names and roles of the people likely to work on your project. Establish how often a senior architect will review progress, what is delegated, and how the practice handles holidays, staff changes and contractor queries. Your first meeting may be with a director who will not produce the drawings; get the delivery arrangement in writing.
Use the first meeting to test fit
Speak with more than one shortlisted practice. Send the same brief and core information to each so that the responses are comparable. Explain your priorities in plain language: daylight, accessibility, energy performance, storage, connection to the garden, future adaptability or a firm completion date.
Ask whether the initial meeting is free and what it includes. Architects are not obliged to provide free time, and detailed design advice should normally be treated as paid professional work. A short introductory conversation can establish fit; do not expect a developed scheme without an agreed commission.
Questions worth asking
- What are the main opportunities and constraints you see from the information supplied?
- Which surveys or consultants are likely to be needed before design can be finalised?
- Which stages do you recommend for this project, and where could your service end?
- What decisions will you need from us, and by when?
- How will you report progress, costs, risks and changes?
- How do you work with builders, structural engineers and building-control professionals?
- What happens if planning is refused, delayed or approved with conditions?
Notice whether the architect asks useful questions about how you live, listens to constraints and explains uncertainty. A confident promise of a guaranteed approval or fixed construction cost before surveys and design is a warning sign.
Compare proposals on an identical scope
There is no universal architect fee tariff. ARB guidance and RIBA materials describe percentage, lump-sum and time-charge approaches. A lower headline number may simply cover fewer stages, fewer visits or more exclusions. Ask each practice to price the same deliverables and state assumptions.
| Comparison area | Questions to ask |
|---|---|
| Relevant experience | Has the practice delivered similar extensions or renovations and dealt with comparable property constraints? |
| Design approach | Do its examples and early ideas fit your priorities, budget and aspirations? |
| People and capacity | Who leads, who produces the work, who supervises it and when can the practice begin? |
| Stages and scope | Are briefing, design, planning, technical information, tendering, construction and handover included or excluded? |
| Fee basis | Is the fee fixed, percentage-based or time-based? What assumptions, expenses, taxes, revisions and additional services apply? |
| Communication | How often will updates arrive, through which channel and from whom? |
| Delivery support | Are site visits, contract administration, payment certification, snagging and handover included? |
| Risk and terms | What insurance, responsibilities, cancellation, dispute and complaint provisions apply? |
Ask for a written schedule showing the fee for each stage and the trigger for each payment. Confirm whether consultant fees, measured surveys, structural calculations, energy assessments, applications, printing, travel and other expenses are included. Check whether VAT applies to the quoted figures.
Choose the service stages deliberately
Architectural services can be commissioned narrowly or across the full project. A typical sequence described by RIBA starts with the brief, moves through design development and planning documentation where needed, then technical drawings, tendering, construction and handover. Your appointment should say exactly which of these you are buying.
Brief and feasibility
The architect tests the brief against the site, budget and constraints, identifies information gaps and may outline options. Confirm whether measured surveys, feasibility sketches or initial cost advice are included.
Concept and developed design
The architect develops the chosen approach, coordinates relevant inputs and refines space, appearance and performance. Ask how many design options or revision rounds are included and what counts as a client-led change.
Planning submission
If an application is needed, clarify who prepares drawings, forms, statements and supporting documents, who submits them and who answers planning queries. Confirm whether application fees and specialist reports are additional.
Technical design and building regulations
Planning drawings may not contain enough information to build. Technical information can include construction details, specifications and coordination with structural or other consultants. Establish whether building-regulations documentation is included and who submits it or responds to building-control comments.
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A tender service may involve preparing documents, inviting selected builders, answering queries, analysing returns and advising on appointment. Ask how many contractors will be approached and whether the architect checks exclusions and qualifications in the returns.
Construction and contract administration
Site involvement varies widely. Define the frequency and purpose of visits, whether the architect administers the building contract, certifies payments, assesses variations, records defects or coordinates practical completion. If the practice stops at tender, identify who will handle those tasks.
Handover and aftercare
Confirm whether the service includes a defects inspection, handover information, operation manuals or assistance with outstanding items. State when the appointment ends and what later advice will cost.
Establish which approvals may apply
Ask early about planning permission, building regulations and any listed-building or conservation-area requirements. The answer depends on the property, location and proposal. Some modest extensions may fall within permitted development, but that possibility is not a project-specific determination; limits and conditions still matter.
Your architect can advise and prepare applications, but cannot promise the result. The Architects Registration Board states: “No architect can guarantee planning permission, which is granted at the discretion of the planning authority.” Confirm the relevant local authority’s current requirements and allow time for requests for further information or amended drawings.
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Planning approval and building-regulations approval are different matters. A design can receive planning permission yet still require technical changes for construction or building control. Put responsibility for each submission, response and fee in the appointment, and identify any specialist adviser required for matters such as structure, trees, ecology, heritage, drainage or party walls.
Make the appointment unambiguous
Do not allow professional work to begin on an informal promise that the details will be settled later. ARB recommends understanding the contract and confirming changes to scope or fees in writing. The appointment should identify:
- The client and the architect or practice that are parties to the agreement.
- Every service and deliverable by stage, including explicit exclusions.
- Who performs, checks and supervises the work and your named contact.
- The fee calculation, payment stages, expenses, VAT and rates for extra work.
- Each party’s responsibilities, information deadlines and any stated limits.
- Insurance cover and how evidence of cover can be requested.
- Cancellation rights, termination consequences and ownership or licence of documents.
- How disputes are handled and how to make a complaint.
- The frequency and channel for progress, cost and programme updates.
- Whether the architect receives commission or other benefits from suppliers or contractors.
The RIBA Domestic Professional Services Contract is one relevant option for homeowner appointments; the RIBA contracts page lists the domestic architectural-services form with 2024 and 2026 amendments. Read the actual version and project amendments you are offered. A template does not automatically cover every property, procurement route or consultant arrangement.
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Budget for uncertainty without losing control
Separate the construction budget from professional fees and allowances for surveys, consultants, applications, taxes, financing, temporary accommodation and moving or storage. Ask the architect how the design will be tested against the budget at each stage and what information the estimate relies on.
No fee structure removes the need to manage scope. Under a percentage fee, a changing construction estimate can change the fee; under a lump sum, additional services and client-requested changes may still be chargeable; under time charges, the final amount depends on the hours and rates. Require written approval before out-of-scope work proceeds, except where an urgent safety issue requires immediate action.
Red flags and recovery steps
Promises of guaranteed permission
Ask the practice to explain the planning basis, risks and alternatives instead. Record that the authority makes the decision.
Unclear identity or registration
Pause until you know which registered architect is responsible and which legal entity will contract with you.
A very low fee with no exclusions
Request a stage-by-stage scope and compare it with other proposals. Missing technical, tender or construction services may explain the difference.
Pressure to start before signing
Insist on written terms, fee basis and responsibilities before commissioning surveys, drawings or applications.
No named delivery team
Ask for the person who will do the work, supervision arrangements and cover for absence.
References that cannot discuss delivery
Seek another reference or choose a practice willing to let clients describe communication, changes and budget management.
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After meetings, score each practice against the same criteria and write down evidence rather than impressions. A useful decision record includes:
- Project-fit evidence: comparable homes, constraints and outcomes.
- Professional status: ARB registration of the responsible individual.
- People and capacity: named team, start date and continuity arrangements.
- Scope: stages, deliverables, exclusions and construction involvement.
- Commercial clarity: fee basis, payment points, expenses, VAT and change control.
- Communication: agreed update rhythm, responsiveness and reference feedback.
- Risk terms: insurance, complaints, disputes, cancellation and responsibilities.
Choose the proposal that gives you the best understood fit and manageable risk, not automatically the smallest total. If two practices remain close, ask both the same final questions and request any clarification as a written revision to the proposal.
What happens after appointment
Give the architect one authoritative brief and identify who in your household can approve decisions. Agree how decisions are recorded, how quickly you will respond and how changes are priced. Provide documents promptly, but do not assume that information supplied informally has changed the contract.
At each stage, ask for the current design, budget position, programme, outstanding decisions and known risks. Before a planning submission, confirm the drawings and property information. Before tendering, confirm that the technical package and specification match the intended quality. During construction, keep instructions, variations and payment recommendations in the agreed channel.
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Further reading
RIBA Books lists A Domestic Client’s Guide to Engaging an Architect by Nigel Ostime, published by RIBA Publishing in 2017. The 48-page guide covers appointment mechanisms, fees, project stages, project-management responsibilities and a client checklist. It is optional background reading, not a substitute for checking the ARB Register or understanding your signed appointment.
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