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Hancock Architecture Ltd

Brightlingsea, Essex

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About

Highly Considered and Detailed Design, Drawing, Planning Consultancy, Management, Construction Drawings and Eco-Architectural Design. All Designed in 3D and 2D CAD giving detailed material, colour and aesthetics to planners.
Currently offering fixed fee service up to 1st planning appeal and full collaboration and turnkey service offered for liaising directly with building control, party wall, engineers, surveyors, trades and suppliers offering the best value build possible for the design.

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Q&As

Proposals for garage conversions into living space is a very quick way to increase the habitable area of a home, it generally is the most cost effective even compared to creating an extension as drainage is often unaffected. As long as overlooking onto neighboring properties is not an issue generally planners are happy to agree on such proposals, and often if the material is the same as the main house, either existing or replacement - The planning can be applied for under Permitted Development Certificate, this means a smaller planning fee and a quicker turnaround for agreement. The downside is as this is a tick box exercise and you will have less freedom to create a structure which is more modern in its aesthetic.

Often garages are either prefabricate concrete or single skin brick. We have developed designs using modern insulating materials (Not Celotex) which achieve a lower U-Value (Building Regulation required and above, thermal performance). This means Timber garages and single skin brick garages dont need to be knocked down and rebuilt. This means a huge savings to create an economical conversion which could be as little as 25k cost. However I would always recommend rebuilding on a garage site, potentially reusing the slab floor and insulating it, creating new footings and well built walls with cavity insulation to create a space that would not require much heating or energy/Co². This does two useful things. Firstly, if the footings/foundations are slightly deeper than they need to be, the garage conversion can very easily be built over into further rooms as a second storey extension. again depending on overlooking and loss of light to neighbors.
Secondly, if the garage is converted and connected to the house -' ok your council tax may go up', but the equitable value as perceived by your lender and/or local estate agent will go up considerably. Making most extensions a worthwhile long term investment.

The ceilings just under lofts are generally a light timber structure which is only designed to connect into the roofing support, support the ceiling and allow some access or storage of light goods. If there is walking height in the loft e.g. 2m min you can generally build a loft conversion.

Most loft conversions require replacement of all the ceiling joists, or building just above the existing with a second set of joists. If there is walking height in the loft e.g. 2m min you can generally build a loft conversion. With a full rear dormer and possibly balcony master bedrooms with en-suite can be relocated to this part of the house and create valuable extra habitable space in your home. I have done a project recently where the height was not available in loft however I created a design which brought the ceiling down from 2.5m to 2.3m and the client now has a wonderful bedroom with a beautiful view of the sea in the distance, which could not be seen from other rooms in the house. Imagine what this has done to increase the value of the house?

I love solving problems, not just spatial and use improvements, they are also paramount, but in the technical details of how the proposal will be built. I work closely with engineers in part 2 technical design, post planning agreement, to ensure things are not just made up on the spot, on site by builders. This save time and money - even if there is a bit more time used up at the design stages to get this right first time.
I always let my clients lead the design and do not agree that a designers ego should prescribe the scheme. I give advice on what can be done based on experience and articulate perception of what is required through a multifaceted approach to understanding the clients values, lifestyle and goals which sit outside their brief but are observed and noted as part of that brief.

I worked for small, mid sized and large architectural practices, and studied my craft late in life. Working as an employee, my voice was often not heard due to others egos or my improvements held back by protocol, office politics or work flow dynamics. I dont agree with business hierarchy as for me collaborations and partnerships yield far better results, pride and enthusiasm is retained in all work, and this energy and positivity is relayed back to the client to give a far more positive experience under a time in their lives where stress and financial pressure can be at it worst.

I care about what I do, I know I do it well and in a completely different way to that of my competitors. My prices are a little higher than most, cheaper than others, but the value of work is often over and above the fee paid. Why? This is because I started my life as a software developer and still keep my finger in that pie every day. I utilise my own software tools and connect 3D design tools and 2D design tools together to create a design platform second to none. Less mistakes are made examining space in 3D which is based off accurate surveys. The planners get drawings elevations and perspective views in full colour, showing materials, light and shadows. This makes their decision making process easy as they do not have to imagine what a black single line represents. They see the finished article virtually represented. The client can also test the internal look , feel and aesthetics because my 3D models can be quickly filled with furniture and outputted as High resolution 3D rendered views which are further from illustrative and more photo-realistic. Very few practices offer this level of service - the ones that do are often very highly priced and will not entertain smaller schemes due to profitability. I work on my own but am considering growing the business with ground up taught staff. As the industry and universities seem to not offer the skill set level I would require in my business. My overheads are low and 99% of my work is private referral, therefore I do no marketing and have no costs for this in my business. This micro business model allows me to pass the savings on directly to my clients which they like very much. I have a word of advice for prospective clients however, make sure you can afford your dreams. There is nothing worse than being held back by your own finances and realistic view of the costs. Buildings cannot truly be costed prior to technical design even if planning design is approved. Building and materials is now very expensive and will only creep up, also the vast majority of contractors and subcontractors feel the pressure of taxation and rising costs and have to add high margins to materials and labour. Quite often now a small extension of 4m on the rear of a house can hit 50k in East Anglia, London 80k or more. If you as a client are willing to take on a proactive and time consuming role of project management and materials buying, controlling the logistics, you can make anything up to a 25-50% reduction in building cost! Wow - For more information simply drop me an email or give me a call, I am always looking forward to new projects and meeting new people who will become part of a long list of very satisfied customers.