RAR Architectural Services

For most domestic extensions, no. Extensions are a technical problem more than a conceptual one — the value is in accurate survey work, buildable detailing and getting through planning and Building Regulations without delays. That's the specialism of an architectural technologist. RAR is run by Alistair Oliver, who holds a BEng in Mechanical and Architectural Engineering and works daily in commercial BIM coordination, so your extension is detailed to the same standard as large-scale construction

Feasibility and pre-application advice starts at £125. Planning drawings for a single-storey rear extension start at £750, and a full planning and Building Regulations package starts at £1,500. These are design fees only. The council's own householder planning application fee is £548 in England from 1 April 2026, with no VAT, plus a £91.02 Planning Portal processing charge unless you pay the council directly. Building control charges are separate again. We quote a fixed fee in writing.

Local authorities have eight weeks to determine a householder application from validation. Allow two to three weeks before that for survey, design and preparing the submission. A lawful development certificate is typically determined in the same eight weeks but carries no risk of refusal on design grounds.

Yes to both. Planning permission and Building Regulations approval are separate consents, and planning drawings alone are not enough to build from. We produce the full technical package — sections, construction details, insulation and ventilation specification, and structural coordination with your engineer — for submission to building control. We also produce tender drawings detailed enough for several builders to price the same scope, which is usually where clients save the most money, and we