Advice Hub / Budgets & fees
Understanding your project budget and architectural fees
Money is easier to discuss when everyone means the same thing by “the budget”. The builder’s price, the architectural fee and the total you need to complete a project are different figures.
You do not need a perfectly prepared budget to speak to Built Together. It helps to tell us what you would be comfortable spending overall, what you hope that will cover and which improvements matter most. We can then discuss a sensible scope for the next stage of work.
Begin with the whole project
Before thinking about individual products or finishes, list the categories your project may need. Not every item applies to every home, but it is useful to make deliberate allowances rather than discover missing costs later.
| Budget category | What to consider |
|---|---|
| Property or land | If relevant, keep purchase and associated costs clear and separate from the building budget. |
| Surveys and investigations | Measured information, condition, ground or other specialist investigations suited to the project. |
| Professional services | Architectural work and any separately appointed engineering, cost, planning or other advice. |
| Applications and approvals | Relevant application and building control charges, plus any other project-specific requirements. |
| Construction | The new work, alterations to the existing building, temporary works and making good. |
| Services and external work | Connections, drainage, paths, terraces, landscaping and access works where required. |
| Fittings and finishes | Items such as kitchens, bathrooms, lighting and flooring, identifying anything outside the builder’s scope. |
| Living arrangements | Storage, temporary facilities or alternative accommodation if needed. |
| Tax and contingency | The applicable VAT treatment and an allowance for uncertainty, identified explicitly. |
The important point is to avoid counting an item twice or leaving it out altogether. If a builder includes the bathroom fittings, those same fittings should not also appear as a separate full allowance elsewhere.
Why an early estimate will change
At the beginning, the design may only establish the broad extent of the work. Construction details, investigations and selections add information over time.
An initial allowance can help compare options, but it is not a contractor’s agreed price. A more developed cost plan and a priced construction scope answer different questions at different stages.
Ask what each figure is based on, when it was prepared and what it excludes. If it assumes straightforward foundations or standard finishes, record that. The next stage of investigation or design can then test the assumption.
What architectural fees relate to
Architectural work may begin with a focused feasibility study or continue through design, planning, technical information and agreed construction support. The fee depends on the work being commissioned.
Relevant factors include the complexity of the building and site, the extent of alterations, the information already available, the number of options being explored, coordination with consultants and the involvement needed during construction.
A relatively small alteration can need careful design if it changes structure or involves a sensitive building. Floor area alone does not describe the amount of professional work.
Fees can be structured in different ways, such as a fixed amount for a defined scope, time charges or a percentage basis. The proposal should explain the method used for your appointment. No single fee structure tells you whether two offers include equivalent work.
Compare scope before comparing the total
When reviewing an architectural proposal, look for answers to these questions:
- Which stages, drawings and other deliverables are included?
- How are design options and revisions allowed for?
- Who commissions and pays for surveys and other consultants?
- Are application charges and expenses included or separate?
- What happens if the brief changes or further work is required?
- What construction involvement, visits or contract-related services are included?
- When are payments due, and is VAT included where applicable?
For example, a proposal ending with a planning submission is not directly comparable with one that also includes coordinated technical drawings. Both may suit a particular need, but they lead to different next steps.
Agree useful moments to review cost
Budget discussions are most useful while there is still room to respond. Consider a review when choosing the preferred concept, before a substantial design commitment and when construction prices are available.
Ask whether a quantity surveyor or other appropriate cost adviser would help, especially where the project has significant unknowns or a firm spending limit. A builder’s early input can also be useful, provided the level of information and the basis of their view are clear.
If the developing cost is too high, return to the priorities. Reducing the extent of structural work, simplifying a shape or delaying a less essential element may be worth exploring. Cutting isolated finishes at the end may not address the main cost drivers.
Use contingency for uncertainty
Contingency provides room for issues that are not fully known, particularly in existing buildings. Its size should reflect the investigations completed, the complexity of the work and the risks that remain.
Keep a distinction between this allowance and upgrades you already know you would like. Spending the contingency on optional choices early leaves less room to respond if the building reveals something unexpected.
Likewise, phasing can help with timing and expenditure, but repeated mobilisation and work to protect completed areas can affect the total. Compare the practical consequences before assuming several phases will cost the same as one continuous build.
Check taxes and project-specific charges
VAT treatment varies with the work and how supplies are made. Confirm the position with an appropriately qualified tax adviser and the relevant suppliers before relying on a relief or reduced rate in your budget.
Some developments also involve infrastructure charges or other contributions. Where Community Infrastructure Levy applies, a self-build exemption has conditions and an application process. It should not simply be deducted from a budget on the assumption that it will be granted. Check the requirements before commencing work.
Questions about costs
Can you give a reliable build cost from a photograph?
A photograph can help introduce the project. It cannot establish hidden condition, structural requirements, specification or the complete scope. We can explain what information would make cost advice more useful.
Is a price per square metre enough?
It can be a broad comparison tool, but it may miss extensive alterations to the existing house, access difficulties or a high level of fit-out. Ask exactly what area and work the rate includes.
Is the first conversation free?
Yes. The first conversation is free of charge. We’ll discuss your priorities, answer initial questions and explain how we can help. From there, we’ll arrange a site visit to understand the property and explore the next steps, explaining its scope and any charges beforehand. Surveys, design and other professional work are agreed separately.
Let’s talk about priorities as well as numbers
Tell us what you want the project to achieve and what you have allowed for so far. We can help you identify the questions to resolve and an appropriate next stage of architectural work.
Discuss your project, email us or call us.