Frequently Asked Questions.
Q. Are D.P.P Architects?
A.For anyone to legally call themselves an Architect they must have carried out period of study & obtained the sufficient working experience in such a role. There is a governing body that regulates this and is called the Architects Registration Board & an Architect must have registered and been accepted with them to use “Architect” in their title legally.
A majority of the time, if you see a company using the title or wording along the lines of “Architectural Services”, “Architectural Drafting”, they will be run by an Architectural Technician, Structural Engineer, Builder or someone else who has the necessary knowledge and ability to design buildings and offer good advice but does not have the relevant credentials to use the title “Architect”.
So in short
D.P.P are fully qualified and insured to carry out a survey of your property and draw up the necessary planning permission drawings (You do not need an architect), We are just legally not allowed to call ourselves “Architects”. Though we offer a excellent architectural service.
D.P.P would fall under the category of “Architectural Drafting / Services & Local Authority Submissions” as we offer an Architectural Service for the domestic sector. We do not get involved on site during the build or demolition, this is down to your builder and building control /building regulations once planning permission has been granted.
Q. Why should I use D.P.P over an architect?
A. Here at D.P.P we can offer you the high quality architectural drawings (at a vastly reduced price) We use the latest CAD and 3D design software to produce our planning permission drawings where some companies still use pencil and paper on a drawing board approach. I personally have over 17 years experience drawing on computers and here at D.P.P we have learned to offer you a less confusing system to the whole planning permissions scenario, we understand that the majority of our clients will have little if any experience at reading drawings, so instead of cramming loads of information onto one sheet of paper making for one confusing mess, all of our drawings whether you choose our 2D or 3d option will be on clearly detailed drawings making it easier for you the customer to understand your proposed development with ease. So whether you need planning permission for an extension, loft conversion, new garage, new conservatory our 3d drawings ensure that you can visualise your home easily and make sure your getting exactly what you want prior to planning permission submission.
Our drawing are available in most formats Adobe acrobat pdf, jped, gif, png. These can be put on a cd or on your own USB memory stick.
Q. How long will it be before I receive my Planning Permission drawings?
A. We aim to be as quick as possible so generally it will take around 2-3 days to turn a full planning drawing package round and deliver them to your home depending on the complexities of the job.
Q. I’d like to see the 3d model before submitting plans to my planning authority is this possible?
A. Yes. Simply ask us to come to your home where we can show you on our laptop the 3d model of your home. We can then rotate cut sections through and view your house from any angle imaginable.
Q. Do you always need planning permission?
A. Please visit the government guidelines on planning permission.
Or Simply try the easy to navigate Interactive House Guide by clicking the button below.
Or the interactive terraced home simply use the Interactive House Guide by clicking the button below.
Q. Do I need to meet Building Regulations?
A. Yes. There are 2 methods of gaining building regulations.
1. Submit Building Notice.
This is a simple form which can be obtained from your local council and completed by you and returned.
Click this button that will explain in full.
2. Full Building Regulation Drawings.
You can submit full building regs drawings for approval. Which will need to be created at extra cost.
Most councils charge the same for both options and will visit the site throughout the development to ensure that the builder is complying with current Building Regulations.
Q. Finding a good reputable builder?
A. We can advise and offer you the contact details of reputable local builders.
Q. How do I measure?
1) 8 meter – 10 meter standard lockable metal tape measure available from any DIY store.
2) A Pencil or pen, also an eraser for any errors.
3) An A4 pad of graph paper, the grid lines makes it much easier to sketch a more accurate plan and faster.
4) A Clip board or something to rest on for support when writing dimensions on your sketch whilst outside is always a good idea.
5) Digital camera.
Asking for assistance from a family member or friend will really make this process easier & a great deal quicker, they can hold the other end of the tape or read off dimensions as you write them down, & it’s good to have a fresh pair of eyes to draw your attention to missed details or measurement that can be easily overlooked. You can however measure your home alone; it would just be faster and easier with help.
C) Simply sketch your floor plan
Using your graph paper go from room to room on each floor around your home sketching out the basic floor plans including all of the walls, windows, and door locations, do all of this before you measure anything. It’s best to firstly sketch out the exterior walls, and then sketch the interior. Don’t worry too much about it being exact & to scale as the dimensions you add later & photographs will cover any issues that arise.
D) Right you now ready to start measuring the outside
When measuring try your best to keep your tape as level & free from bending as possible for more accurate measurements.
First of all measure the outside of your home, filling in all dimensions on your sketch for the main features like your window locations, door openings, any projections such as chimneys, porches, bay windows, etc., highlighting any location of joints between the original building & any previous additions you may have had.
Various obstructions such as trees, bushes, fences, walls may prove a problem & you may need to take individual measurements.
Top tip
Always try your hardest to measure in running dimensions whenever possible. Using your tape clip it at one corner of your home or get help to have it held in place & run the tape along the side of the building, reading the measurement & writing it on your sketch at each measurable feature as you move along the tape (basically so most measurements where possible are all taken from the same place). This will reduce the built up of errors that can be caused by measuring each feature separately.
E) Right your now ready to start measuring the inside
Begin by measuring each room’s 1) Overall width & length from wall to wall. 2) Floor to ceiling height. 3) Writing the flooring & wall materials. 4) Adding a note to the sketch what each room’s purpose is (i.e. kitchen, living room, bedroom etc.) In addition to this add dimensions to interior doorways, closets, airing cupboards, chimney breasts etc and any other key features you think may be relevant as you can’t give us too much information. This will allow us to solve any problems that may arise during the computer cad design stage. Do not worry about the minor features or your home such as wood trim and mouldings, furniture, sockets or any changes in materials etc. Just concentrate on the main fabric of the building. As you will have already measured the window locations & external doors from outside these do not need to be included again. The thickness of your walls will need to be measured & added to your sketch, these will vary from brick to timber stud walls throughout your home. This is simply done by measuring at places such as doorways and windows were you can obtain a wall thickness.
Top tip
Remember to use your digital camera as much as you can externally & internally, as photos are great for allowing us to see any missed information. Again you cannot send us too much information so click as many photos you see fit. It would help if you could spend a little time to rename each photo so we can locate the pictures about your home.
Finally don’t worry about carrying out this task it may seem daunting at first glance but it’s really not, just take your time and work through the steps above, if it’s unclear try reading the steps over again. Simply put if anything is missing or does not quite seem right we can easily phone & ask for you to measure again.
Once complete give the drawing a name. This needs to include your name & address of the building, it would be helpful if the names of those who measured up were added, & the date could be added. The original copy of your drawing with all of your dimensions you have just taken should be kept by you along with any other details.
Now simply scan your survey & email to us, remember to quickly check over the scan to make sure none of your detail is lost or too faint. You may wish to draw your plans up neater and go over your pencil lines with a pen for additional clarity. As an alternative to email you can also post your survey to us.
If you have any other questions or comments on our site we would love to hear from you. Please email us at info@dpplans.co.uk
