Hi Clara, you will definitely need planning permission to do any building work be it minor alterations or major renovations. Depending on the position and conditions of the site and the structural changes you plan on making you might need a structural engineers approval on the plans. However this is wholly depending on the extent of the structural changes so I will need a little more information. As for the planning stages, your builder will need a plan from which to quote and build so you could have him on stand by so that he knows to allow for your work in his diary while the plans are being drawn up. If you use a qualified interior designer they can also draw plans to a certain size and most architects also do interior design as a add on to their service so it is completely up to you and your preferences, you could make use of one or both. Your project stages would be as follows: 1- Meeting with designer / architect to discuss your needs, the builder can be present here. 2- They will present you with a concept design based on this meeting 3- Once the concept has been approved they will prepare a set of plans for planning permission and construction. 4- Plans submission for approval and issue to the builder for costing as well as the engineer if needed. 5- Upon approval of the plans site work can commence and the designer / architect will do periodic site visits to ensure all work gets carried out to plan. (This service is normally optional so you could choose to manage the building work yourself) 6- Prior to final hand over the designer will come in and prepare a snag list to eliminate any minor mistakes (If you manage the building work yourself this won't be done by the architect or designer) 7- Completion and move in. As confusing as the whole process is, I hope I've shed some light on your questions. If you need any further advice - check out the BetterSpace site (betterspace.co) - we'd love to assist you further with your project.

Hi Gus, we are mid side return build currently and had exactly your dilemma last year when we were talking about the work we wanted to do. Ultimately we figured it came down to whether we were willing to pay to avoid the project management & associated stress! So we had a number of ‘design & build’ companies come to visit, talk over and quote for the work, in addition to working out costs of managing the various components separately. After breaking down all the moving parts (architect, structural engineer, party wall surveyor, planning application, builder, plumber, electrician, plasterer, tiler, building control, drainage, tree survey - off the top of my head!) we opted to go with a D&B (project management) company to carry out & coordinate everything for us. Our reasoning included: they have experience, can anticipate things we probably wouldn’t even consider or know about, have access to all the trades, can put a team together which suited our timeline, can coordinate all the trades (and know when to!) at the relevant times, they do it full time (rather than us working at the same time), etc... So in short, it boils down to whether you want to pay for someone to take care of things for you! After we did a number of the elements for our wedding and wishing after the fact we’d just paid to not have to deal with it - we took that on board for this somewhat larger project and went with a D&B company. So far so good.... fingers crossed it remains this way!

I agree with all the advice above and would add, when you have the plans, consider going to see your neighbours in person, (especially the one which will be most affected). Do this before the plans are submitted, or if you have a diplomatic architect, ask them to speak to your neighbours to just talk them through what you plan to do. It usually goes down better than the planning consultation letter just landing on their laps. If they ask, don't feel you have to agree to any concessions there and then, tell them that you don't have any expertise but "of course you can discuss it with your architect". Leave the architect to handle anything contentious as you want to remain on good terms with your neighbour and the architect won't have anything to loose as they don't have to live next door to them. When it comes to the building work, ensure that there is excellent insulation in the roof. There are now super thin insulations that are effective (if you need it to be thin) but go for more than the regs require. Also ensure that the roofing is done superbly, good flashing details, adequate falls etc as this is what lets down roof terraces. Ensure that there is power, water (power safely near the water for irrigation if that is what you are going to have) and if you need it check your internet signal and provide a booster (perhaps in the hall) if it is not good enough. This summer has shown that outside workspace can be a real benefit. When it comes to the finish material, consider Millboard (https://millboard.co.uk/samples) I used the 'enhanced grain' finish. I have used it on three jobs and I am very happy with this relatively lightweight, low maintenance, good quality (not cheap) product. Ensure that there is access to inspect the roof should you need to and clear leaves (it is amazing how many will find their way in-between even tiny gaps) You will probably need less light than you might think (consider your contribution to light pollution). Consider if you can have solar powered lights and water capture for watering plants and avoid outdoor speakers as these really will annoy your neighbours. I love roof terraces as they are usable for so much of the year, often warmer than a lower garden in the winter. Good luck with it. Regina.

That’s a job for your solicitor. However it separately seems like you are unhappy with the quality of the loft conversion- you might consider getting a builder to quote for the work you want to do to it in order to make a decision on how to proceed.