The journey to transform an idea into a building has five independent but interlinked Stages.
Click on the numbers below to find out more about each of them.
Stage One: Visualise
Establishing, Designing & Gaining Consent
Stage One takes your project from an idea to the point where you have a design that meets your needs, you have a reasonably good idea of costs and timescales and you have permission to carry out the work.
We also offer the option of a 3D digital model of your design. We find it a valuable tool to help our clients visualise their design more easily, as well as a useful addition to the information we submit to local planning authorities when seeking planning permission.
At the start of this Stage, we will give you a copy of Making it Happen. It’s our guide to the journey your project will go on and how it will unfold so you always know where you are and what the next steps will be.
“We met Communion regularly to fine tune the design and look at it in terms of cost implications, planning implications and get a sense of where things were going. It was a collaborative process.”
Tim
Stage One steps:
- Consultation Meeting
- Site Survey
- Design Meeting 1.1
- Design Meeting 1.2
- Pre-planning Enquiry
- Pre-planning Review
- Planning Application
- Oversee Application
- Issuing of Consent
Key Deliverables of Stage One:
- Surveying the existing building to produce accurate measured drawings. On larger projects we tender this work to ensure that you gain absolute best value for money.
- Preparing proposed design options based on your needs, wants and desires.
- Considering views, light and flow.
- Working with you to discuss the options and developing one of them to create a design that you are excited about.
- Looking at precedents to inform the look and feel of the project.
- Providing initial budget costings which seek to give you a “ballpark” level of investment required to deliver the project.
- Considering the energy aspects of location, size and orientation.
- Submitting a Pre-Planning Enquiry, negotiating on your behalf and applying for Planning Permission.
- Overseeing the Application while it is in for planning and responding to any queries that need to be addressed.
- Providing a Project Programme so you can make appropriate arrangements for planning the project.
