Frequently asked questions
Plain answers about the planning stage.
The questions homeowners actually ask before a renovation begins. We answer them in the same order we work through them with you, so the shape of the path is visible from the start.
What is the design and planning phase?
It is the phase that gets your project ready to build: brief, survey, design, planning, and tender. Get this phase in the right order and the build itself becomes a calmer, more predictable thing. We then build it, or you take the package to a builder of your own.
Where does The Plan Hub stop, and why?
We do not stop. We design it, take it through planning, and then build it. The same team manages the trades and runs the site. If you would rather use a builder of your own, the package is written so they can price it and start. The choice stays yours.
What is the difference between permitted development and a full planning application?
Permitted development rights allow some work without a planning application, subject to detailed limits and conditions. Those rights can be restricted by the property type, location, previous permissions or an Article 4 direction. Listed buildings may also need listed building consent. We check the property and the proposal before confirming the route.
What do I actually get from working with The Plan Hub?
A single thread from first idea to a contractor-ready package. One person owns that thread. You receive measured drawings, a coherent design, a planning submission where one is needed, and the documents needed to price and start the build. Everything in order, in one place.
What happens at a discovery conversation?
A relaxed call to listen, not to sell. You describe the home, the family, and what you are trying to change. We ask the questions that surface the things you have not thought about yet. By the end you have a clearer picture of the path. There is no pressure to continue.
Is the guidance you give me a fixed quote?
The package and its price are fixed before we begin. The guidance inside it is honest, not commercial. We will tell you when a design choice will cost you later, and when an idea is worth defending. Where statutory fees apply, those are the council's figures, not ours.
Can I do my project in phases?
Often, yes. A renovation can be designed as one coherent scheme and built in stages as budget and life allow. We will tell you when phasing is sensible and when it costs more than it saves. The design always considers the whole, even when the build does not.
How long is planning permission valid for, and how does that affect phasing?
A standard grant of planning permission is valid for three years from the date of the decision. To keep it alive, a material start must be made on site within that window. Phasing across longer timeframes needs careful planning so that consent is preserved.
What information should I have ready before our first conversation?
Nothing formal. Your address, a rough sense of what you want to change, and any constraints you already know about. Photos help. So does a budget, even a soft one. If you have nothing yet, bring the conversation, and we will draw the rest out together.
What happens after the design and planning phase ends?
You move into construction with a package that has been ordered, drawn, and documented properly. Our team manages the trades and runs the site from the same drawings. If you chose a builder of your own, they price against a single source of truth. We remain reachable for design questions throughout the build.
Do you subcontract the building work, or is it your own team?
The team that draws your project runs the build. An ARB-registered architect, a structural engineer, a surveyor and our construction director work as one team on every project, and the construction director runs the site and manages the trades through to completion. Your project is never sold on or passed to another firm partway through. If you would rather build with a contractor of your own, you can take our drawings and do exactly that. The choice stays yours.
How much does it cost to get started, and how do I know my budget is realistic?
We start with a fifteen-minute call with our discovery lead, at no cost, to hear what you are planning. If the Measured Project Survey is the right next step, it costs from £149 including VAT for homes of three bedrooms or fewer, or from £249 including VAT for four or more. A construction manager measures and photographs your property, we draw your existing floor plans, and an ARB-registered architect, a structural engineer and a surveyor review the project. Your cost meeting takes place within two weeks of the survey. Your written budget guidance follows within three working days. The fee is credited in full against the design fee if you proceed.
Who will I actually deal with during my project?
You deal with the same small team from first call to finished build. Our intake lead takes your enquiry, our discovery lead runs your discovery meeting, and our construction director talks you through your costs in person before anything is put in writing. Every stage ends with the next meeting booked in the diary, so you always know what happens next and who is responsible for it. You are never left chasing a switchboard for an answer.
How do you keep a project on time and on budget?
Overruns start in work priced without being properly understood. We measure the property, draw it, and put an architect, a structural engineer, a surveyor and a construction manager over the project before any number is given. Planning and building regulations are designed in from the start, decisions are recorded in drawings, and your budget guidance sets out costs, timelines and schedules in writing. We carry professional indemnity and public liability insurance for our construction work.