Working with Stephen Donald Architects Ltd for your home.

Grand Designs Live 2008
Project Precedent Study

Working with
Stephen Donald Architects Ltd
for your home.
Whether you are planning to build a new house,
to alter or extend your present home, to employ
a builder or just do it yourself, it makes sense
to consult us

Before: dark and dingy stairs and landing had no After: new rooflight transforms stairs
natural light                                    and landing into a light airy space

Before: roof to bedroom 3                          After: new rooflight and clerestory
                                                   windows

New rooflight and clerestory windows within a prefabricated steel frame, provide natural light to
bathroom and landing

Grand Designs Live - Ask An Architect
Introduction

2
SDA first took part in Grand Designs Live - Ask An Architect, at the NEC
Birmingham in September 2006.

The exhibition offers the general public the opportu-
nity to sit down with an architect, talk over their resi-
dential projects and get tailor-made answers to their
queries. Whether it be a query involving a planning is-
sue, or how to maximise the use of a particular space,
this indispensible source of advice is available to the
public absolutely free.

Architects Account

One of my early consultations was with a couple from London, Danny and Emma,
who had just exchanged contracts to buy a house prior to their marriage. They
presented me with some basic, unscaled estate agents plans and discussed the
requirement to open up the dull and dingy ground floor rooms, comprising front
and rear reception rooms and kitchen directly connected to a bathroom. The
aspiration was to create a much lighter and more spacious environment without
increasing the floor area!. The other aspiration was to rationalize the use of
space at first floor level, incorporating a new bathroom, whilst retaining a good
sized 3rd bedroom….

We discussed the feasibility of meeting their aspirations and I sketched out some
ideas for reorganising the spaces overlaid on the estate agents plans. We dis-
cussed potential budgets and time scales, and I advised them on the range of
architects services which they would require, and outlined the scope and scale
of associated fee charges.

Some 3 months after our preliminary meeting, Danny and Emma re-contacted
me in January 2007 confirming that the purchase of the house had been accom-
plished after they had just returned from their honeymoon.

                   They enquired if I was still interested in helping them create
                   their own ‘Grand Designs’ for their dream house…. The rest,
                   as they say, is history…

Project Commences - January 2007

4
The property at Vicarage Crescent,London SW11, is located in a residential
area close to Battersea High Street, and is a two-storey house situated in a
terrace of similar houses occupying a site area of approximately 120m2,

The property was a 3-bedroom house, with cramped ground floor accommoda-
tion, with the only bathroom, inconveniently located on the ground floor and ac-
cessed directly off the kitchen.

The main ground floor accommodation consisted of two small reception rooms,
and a small dark kitchen with little natural light.

Our client did not wish to extend the property, but spatially re-organize the inter-
nal spaces in order to more efficiently use the present footprint of the building.

Our proposed solution was firstly to remove the bathroom downstairs in order to
create a large family kitchen. New rectangular windows in the northeastern cor-
ner of the kitchen, positioned between low and high level kitchen cabinets pro-
vide additional natural task light to the kitchen work surfaces. Elsewhere on the
ground floor a small w.c + wash basin was tucked under the existing staircase.

The bathroom was moved to the first floor in place of an existing store and oc-
cupying a small part of bedroom 3. A new fully glazed rooflight was placed over
the bathroom, extending to the gable wall, and four high level clerestory windows
provide natural light to both the bathroom and landing. This is of a pre-fabricated
steel structure exposed both externally and internally and creates the impression
of ‘alfresco bathing’!

Additional items incorporated into the project during the contract period include
a glazed balustrade to the landing and staircase, high spec media installation +
lighting, replacement of all windows, as well as an entirely new roof!

Ground floor during early stages of construction   Ground floor after the renovations: New large
                                                   open plan living/dining space and kitchen, is light
                                                   and spacious.

                                                   View of new kitchen

Project Timetable
Stephen Donald Architects Ltd

6
Late September 06 - SD meets Danny and Emma at Grand Designs Live,
                    NEC Birmingham
Mid January 07 -    SD meets Danny and Emma at their house for a detailed
                    briefing session and preliminary site survey
End January 07 -    Terms of architects appointment agreed and signed
Mid February 07 -   Scheme design submitted and agreed
End February 07 -   Planning application submitted
March 07 -          Potential building contractors interviewed
April 07 -          Planning consent granted + building regulations applica-
                    tion submitted
May 07 -            Contractors invited to tender for the works
June 07 -           Building regulations approval granted + selected con-
                    tractor appointed: John Clark Building Contractor
July 07 -           Building contract works commence
November 07 -       Building contract completed including additional works
December 07 -       Fitting out contract complete + client handover
January 08 -        Final account settlement: £115,000

Project Specific Services Provided By
Stephen Donald Architects Ltd

Before Construction
Preparation
1. Visit the property and carry out an initial appraisal
2. Assist the Client in preparing the Client’s brief
3. Identify alternative solutions for the project
4. Advise on the need for services by other consultants or specialists

Design
1. Survey and prepare measured drawings of site
2. Arrange investigation of structural conditions
3. Prepare a preliminary design and discuss with Client
4. Develop the final design
5. Prepare an approximate estimate cost
6. Submit the final design proposals and approximate cost for approval
7. Make an application for detailed planning permission

External wall to kitchen before renovations          External wall to kitchen after renovations

New windows to kitchen set within exposed structural steel frame

Project Specific Services Provided By
Stephen Donald Architects Ltd

8
For Construction
1. Tender Action
2. Prepare documents required for tendering purposes
3. Advise on builders to be invited to tender for work,
Invite, appraise and report on tenders
Construction Work
1. Advise on the appointment of a builder
2. Prepare the building contract and arrange for it to be signed
3. Provide the builder with the information required for construction
4. Visit site to see that work is proceeding generally in accordance
with the contract
5. Certify payments for work carried out or completed. Advise on
anticipated final cost
6. Provide or obtain record drawings showing the building and its
services, and give general advice on maintenance
Construction information
1. Co-ordinate and integrate any designs provided by others
2. Prepare drawings and other information required for construction
3. Prepare : (a) a specification (b) schedule of works
4. Make an application for Building Regulations approval
5. Advise on an appropriate form of building contract, its conditions and
the responsibilities of the Client, the Architect and the Contractor
Other Services
1. Produce scale models and special drawings
2. Exceptional negotiations in connection with statutory requirements
3. Preparing a schedule of dilapidation’s
4. Services in connection with party wall negotiations*
5. Structural Engineering*
6. Environmental Services Engineering*
7. Planning Appeals*
8. Interior Design + Detailing
9. CDM- Construction Design Management Consultancy*

*Services provided by other specialist consultants

New first floor bathroom features clerestory windows and rooflight which also provide much needed
natural light to the adjacent landing

New kitchen incorporates space previously        ‘Alfresco’ shower area
taken up by ground floor bathroom - whilst new
windows between high and low level cabinets
provide natural task light to work surfaces

Client Testimonial -
Danny Knight + Emma Staeck

10
We first went to the Grand Designs Show in 2006. At that point we had
just had an offer accepted on our dream home - one which was a renova-
tion project! We took with us to the show, just the real estate agents’ floor
plan and booked a free appointment with an architect hoping to get some
ideas. It was here that we met Stephen Donald, an architect from London,
with great ideas and someone with whom it was easy to form a rapport,
Perfect!

Months later we completed on our home and decided to call Stephen to see what
he really could do. Stephen came around and within days had come back to us
with drawings and vision that we would never have achieved in years (all at no
upfront cost!). We bit the bullet and hired him to project manage our develop-
ment.

Stephen tendered a few builders and we worked with him to determine who we
should appoint as it had to be someone we all could get along with and com-
municate easily with. Because Stephen had worked with them all previously it
meant they came with an element of trust - that in itself was worth a lot.

Once the building work started (Stephen obtained all building permissions for
us) Stephen would regularly come to site to check on progress. If we had any
questions about how things were looking or how things fitted with the vision for
the final result Stephen and his team at SDA were only an email or phone call
away.

As the project ran it’s course Stephen’s role naturally took a back seat and we
increasingly worked with the builder but there was comfort in the fact that SDA
were there if needed. All additional costs were however run through Stephen so
he was always the arbitrar in issues of finance.

From start to finish the build took 9 months - yes it was over budget and over
time scale but most of that was down to changes we made and a wet British
summer. Would I do it again? Most definitely - although I wouldn’t live on site
again! Stephen did warn us... If you have any questions please feel free to con-
tact us and we’d be more than pleased to show off the finished result.

Danny Knight & Emma Staeck

s                  d         a
architects + design consultants
Ground Floor
45 mitchell street
london
EC1V 3QD

tel                     020 7490 0665
fax                     020 7490 1455
email                sda@sda-net.com
web                  www.sda-net.com