The current coronavirus pandemic creates challenges for all of us in both our domestic and work lives. I am very lucky to have a fully equipped office at my home so there is no restriction on my office based activities.
I continue to work for my clients on all current projects and I'm also able to undertake consultations, offering initial advice by telephone or video calls, preparing fee proposals and in many cases commencing work on new projects during the current lockdown period.
I'm able to offer the following services for new projects during the current restrictions on movement:
Feasibility
I'm able to prepare outline proposals based on photographs provided by clients, plans that may be available from house sales particulars, and using digital Ordnance Survey plans. I can prepare pre-application enquiries for submission to local planning departments and undertake drainage searches with the relevant sewer authority.
Design and Planning
If you have a set of architectural drawings of your property, prepared by me or by others, I can use these as the basis of design drawings that will be suitable for a planning application. These drawings could be in hard copy, PDF format or in a CAD format.
You may have bought a site with outline consents and now want to proceed with detailed designs. In most cases this work can be commenced without delay.
Building Regulations
If you have planning permission and a set of architectural drawings for your project, in hard copy, PDF or CAD format, I am able to prepare building regulations and construction drawings.
Passivhaus & Low Energy Consultancy
If you have partly developed designs, or even a fully developed design with planning permission, but now wish to pursue a Passivhaus or low energy solution I can offer advice regarding the orientation and overall shape of the proposed building. I can run calculations using the Passivhaus Planning Package energy software to model the performance of the building, advising what will be required to meet your energy target.
Project Management
If you have fully or partly developed proposals for a building project I can review proposals and offer initial advice before preparing tender documents, approaching contractors and obtaining tenders for the work.
Now is the ideal time to tender construction projects as the majority of contractors are restricted in their site activities and are therefore able to dedicate more time to office based activities such as tendering.
Site Appraisals
I am able to make unaccompanied visits to potential sites in order to offer initial advice and put together fee proposals. Under legislation introduced by Welsh government a person can 'travel for the purposes of work ......... where it is not reasonably practicable for that person to ........ provide those services, from the place where they are living'.
I am using this right to travel very conservatively and the few trips out of the office that I have made have been both essential to a project and have not involved contact with others.
Don't Delay
Its natural to slow down and put things on the backburner whilst we are all stuck at home, but the current restrictions are a great opportunity to think about what you might need form your new home or extension and to get things underway.
Life will soon return to normal, and with it the restrictions on our time. Use this downtime productively and get ahead of the curve.
Very few businesses are geared up for huge spikes in demand, as we've witnessed recently in our supermarkets, so its not a good idea for everyone to wait until movement restrictions are lifted before getting their building projects underway. It's likely that the surge in demand after the 'lockdown' will result in some professional services being as hard to find past and toilet paper were before it.
Please get in touch to discuss how I can get your project underway.
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