Had Enough Of Experts

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The process of creating or adapting your home should be fun and rewarding. However, people can easily become alienated from this process by the officious language of architects, planners and builders. Or skeptical about spending money on design that could go towards the build. Or frustrated about hiring people to tell you what you already know. Or doubtful about professional competence when it comes to things like damp and fire safety. Or seduced by the promises of AI. Or fed up with planning restrictions and regulatory red tape. Does home-making need to be so complicated?

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TJA’s Response

 

TJA does not pander cynicism, or the populist simplifications of expert-deniers. However, TJA is interested in empowering people to shape their built environment. TJA use drawings as a collaborative tool with which constraints and opportunities can be explored and understood.​​​ We advise on resourcing to suit different needs, from multi-disciplinary projects to self-builds. We are excellent communicators, who enjoy building relationships based on respect and purpose. We find routes to compliance that suit the project aims. We value our time and believe that good design pays for itself in the long term: Unlocking potential, helping you align your vision with a realistic budget, avoiding overspending on unnecessary works, specifying durable materials, gathering accurate builder bids, increasing energy efficiency, and making maintenance intuitive and un-costly. ​​​​​TJA recognises that making a home, or adapting it to new circumstances, is a big moment in anyone's life. And that choosing who you work with really does matter.​

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Credentials

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TJA is a RIBA chartered practice. The practice began with projects for people adapting to new ways of working and being at home in 2020. The architecture of domestic life remains the focus of the practice. A phonecall with one of our current or former clients is easy to arrange. A lot of our work comes from existing clients recommending us, or inviting us to explore subsequent projects with them.

 

Your Home

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Early thoughts typically concern costs, project milestones, resourcing, site challenges, site opportunities, conflicting requirements, planning queries and general curiosity. To start making sense of these things TJA offer an initial consultation face-to-face, on site, or via videocall. This provides some guidance on project milestones, cost planning and getting started and can involve some initial sketches if relevant. If moving forwards feels right then a plan of work can be agreed. ​RIBA’s Plan Of Work sets out six milestones, where each provides an opportunity to pause and review the evolving picture of cost, time and quality. TJA’s full architectural services deliver each of these milestones as shown in the domestic project example below. To suit different needs the work can cover a range of requirements or be trimmed to a lite programme.

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Domestic Project Example

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RIBA Stage 1: Preparation & Briefing

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• Ask the right questions to understand your needs and ambitions.

• Help you procure a measured building survey and produce a set of existing drawings.

• Produce photo survey of all areas relevant to the project. 

• Define strategy for pricing the works. Identify project costs and resources required at different work stages.

• Assess the heritage setting, planning considerations and planning precedent. Define strategy for securing statutory consents. Review title deed.

• Define key milestones and plan work. 

 

RIBA Stage 2: Concept Design

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• Appraise site constraints and opportunities. Reviews with you to define ‘Client Requirements’ and vision.

• Produce design options and conclude with a set of general arrangement drawings at 1:100 with key measurements and key materials described. 

• Create moodboard of reference imagery for key areas.

• Produce schedule with which to seek outline cost advice by others. 

• Advise on available funding that your project may be eligible for.

• Identify and arrange any site investigations that may be required. 

• Seek pre-app advice from the local planning authority, ahead of submitting a planning application.  

• Advise you about duties under BR & CDM (health and safety). 

 

RIBA Stage 3: Design To Planning

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• Develop concept drawings into full set of general arrangement drawings at 1:100 with key measurements and materials described.

• Prepare a Design & Access Statement to explain the design thinking to the planners. 

• Prepare a Heritage Statement document analysing the significance of heritage assets affected by proposed development and include an impact assessment. 

• Prepare a planning application form and submit planning documents. 

• Support you in securing additional assessments or documentation if required e.g daylight assessment, tree survey, ecology survey, etc.

 

RIBA Stage 4: Design To Tender

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• Develop the planning-approved drawings into tender drawings that can be priced by builders. 

• Develop a design specification, outlining building materials, systems and components.

• Support you in arranging a party wall survey if required.

• Discharge any planning conditions as required.

• Support you in providing documentation for any funding applications.

• Prepare pre-construction information as required under BR & CDM (health and safety). 

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Stages 5 & 6: Construction & Handover

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• Support you in the process of choosing a builder.

• Support you in choosing and administering a building contract.

• Develop the pricing drawings into a construction drawing set.

• Depending on the building contract, fulfil the role of Principal Designer and provide builder and homeowner with information as appropriate under CDM regulations.

• Depending on the building contract, follow on-site progress and respond to any queries the builder might have regarding the drawings or specification.

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