Usually not. You need someone who can design it, draw it, get it through the council and hand your builder a set of drawings that work. An architectural designer does exactly that — for a fixed written fee rather than a percentage of the build. Here's the honest difference, and when an architect really is the right call.
⚡ Get an instant estimate 📋 Book a £60 Initial Site Appraisal Meeting ⓘ Why an Initial Site Appraisal Meeting?In the UK, architect is a protected title. Under the Architects Act 1997 only someone on the Architects Registration Board register can use it, and getting there takes around seven years of study and practice. That protection is a good thing — it is why Mike will never call himself an architect, and why you should be wary of anyone who uses the word without being on the register.
What the law does not say is that you need one. There is no requirement to use an architect for a planning application, for building regulation drawings, or for an extension of any size. Councils accept drawings from anyone competent to produce them, and judge the drawings, not the letters after the name.
Mike is an architectural technician: BSc Architectural Design Technology, 25 years of domestic work, trading as Deeside Architectural Design since 2010. The technician's training is the technical half of building design — how a building is measured, drawn, approved and put together. For an extension, loft or garage conversion that is the whole job.
Measured survey, existing and proposed drawings, the planning application (or confirmation you don't need one), the full building regulation package your builder prices from, and dealing with the case officer and building control until it is approved.
One fixed written fee, agreed before any work begins. Extension plans from £750, loft conversion plans from £950. The £60 Initial Site Appraisal Meeting comes off it. The number you agree is the number you pay.
He doesn't build it, doesn't run your builder, and doesn't design show-piece houses from scratch. If your project is about the architecture rather than the extension, read the next section — he'll tell you the same thing at the kitchen table.
To the same councils, judged by the same case officers, under the same rules. Flintshire's public register lists 165 applications under Deeside Architectural Design since 2010, each with its decision attached. You can read them below.
Honestly: when the architecture is the point. A bespoke contemporary house. A large or unusual scheme where the design idea carries the planning case. A sensitive listed building where conservation officers expect a design-led argument. Or a project where you want one professional to design it, tender it, run the builder and administer the contract from start to finish. Those are real jobs, and a registered architect is the right person for them.
A rear extension, a loft with a dormer, a garage turned into a bedroom — those need to be well designed, approved first time and buildable without surprises. That is technician work, and paying architect fees for it is paying for a service you won't use.
Many architects price domestic work as a percentage of the build cost, or by the hour. Neither is wrong — but ask what it comes to in pounds before you start. On a £70,000 extension, 8% is £5,600 before the council has been paid. Mike's fee for the same extension is fixed and written down first.
| Item | Architectural designer (Mike) | Registered architect |
|---|---|---|
| Fee basis | Fixed, written, agreed first | Often % of build cost or hourly — ask for a written quote |
| Extension plans | From £750 | Varies by practice |
| Loft conversion plans | From £950 | Varies by practice |
| Planning application & building regs drawings | Included | Usually included; check the stages quoted |
| Running the build / contract administration | Not offered | Available as an extra stage |
| Council planning fee (if needed) | £585 Wales / £548 Cheshire | The same — set nationally |
Or just price yours right here ↓
Extension plans start from £750 and loft conversion plans from £950 — always as a fixed written fee, agreed before any work begins. The number you agree is the number you pay.
The £60 Initial Site Appraisal Meeting comes off that fee if you go ahead, so the visit effectively costs you nothing. Council and building control fees are separate throughout and paid directly. For the full picture on Welsh Permitted Development rules, see planning permission in Wales.
Once your fee is agreed, Mike returns and measures the house himself — no juniors, no outsourcing. This is the second visit; the earlier £60 Initial Site Appraisal Meeting comes off your fee.
Scaled drawings of your home as it is and as it will be — the documents your planning application stands on.
Prepared, submitted and handled for you — or confirmation you don't need one under Permitted Development, which saves you the council fee entirely.
The technical pack — structure, insulation, fire safety, drainage — that building control approves and your builder prices from.
Mike works to a fixed written fee, agreed before any work begins. Council fees are separate and paid directly — never through Mike.
| Item | Typical cost | Paid to |
|---|---|---|
| Mike’s fee — drawings & application handling | £750 – £1,800 by project | Mike (fixed, written) |
| Planning application (if required) | £585 Wales / £548 Cheshire | Your council |
| Planning Portal service charge | £149 | Planning Portal |
| Building control (approx.) | £450 – £2,000 by project | Council / inspector |
Or just use it right here ↓
Mike's fee plus the council fees for planning and building control — the full professional stage, before a builder is involved. Two taps for a figure — no obligation.
Mike’s fee covers the complete design and approvals stage:
Why the range? Every home is different. The lower end covers a straightforward project — standard drawings, no planning application needed. The higher end covers larger or more complex work — a full planning application, more detailed drawings, or structural design to coordinate.
Before any work begins, Mike gives you a detailed written fee proposal — so you know exactly what you are paying and what it covers. The number you agree is the number you pay.
Only if planning permission is needed. Wales charges £585 for a householder application and Cheshire West & Chester £548 — the fee is set nationally, so it does not vary between Welsh councils. Paid directly to your council, never through Mike.
The service charge for submitting a planning application online. It also only applies if permission is needed, and it is charged per application submitted.
This one always applies, permission or not. It is calculated on floor area and subject to the final design — smaller projects sit toward the lower figure, larger ones toward the higher. Paid to the council's building control team or a private approved inspector, never through Mike, and he gets you an exact quote once the design is finalised.
* Only payable if planning permission is needed. Mike determines that at the Initial Site Appraisal Meeting — before you commit to anything.
Design and approvals only. This is what it costs to get your project drawn and approved — it does not include your builder’s costs for the actual building work.
If your project turns out to be Permitted Development, the council planning fee and the Planning Portal charge do not apply at all — up to £734 you simply do not pay. Mike checks that for free at the Initial Site Appraisal Meeting.
Read more about extension plans →
Already built it without approval? Regularisation →
Guide figures only. The £60 Initial Site Appraisal Meeting is not added to these figures — it comes off Mike's fee when you commission the work. Council fees correct at July 2026; building control charges vary by council and project — full details in the FAQs. Mike confirms everything in a written fee proposal before any work begins.
Or have Mike email this estimate to you — no obligation.
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Couldn't send just now — call Mike on 07703 786 460 or email [email protected].
£60, and it comes off your fee when you go ahead. Mike comes to the property to understand the scope of what you want to do and advise you accordingly — then sends a written fixed fee afterwards.
Every planning application Deeside Architectural Design submits goes onto the council's public register — under the practice name, with the decision attached, permanently. It's free to search and it isn't curated by us. What the register cannot show you is the other half of the work: the projects that qualified as Permitted Development, needed no application at all, and saved the client the council fee. Those leave no public trace. So the number below is the part you can check — not the whole of it. Before you decide whether the fee above is worth paying, go and read it.
Submitted to Flintshire County Council under Deeside Architectural Design since 2010 — every one searchable, with its decision attached.
Many projects qualify as Permitted Development, need no application, and never reach the register. The 165 is the work that required permission — not the count of jobs done.
Deeside Architectural Design Limited, incorporated January 2010, and 25 years of drawings behind it. Companies House no. 07128221.
Open Flintshire's planning register, put Deeside Architectural in the Agent field, and read every decision — including the ones that didn't go our way.
Search Flintshire's planning register →
Figures taken from Flintshire County Council's public planning register, August 2026.
No. There is no legal requirement to use an architect for a planning application or building regulation drawings. You need someone qualified to design the extension, draw it to scale, get it approved and produce the drawings your builder works from. For a domestic extension, loft or garage conversion an architectural designer or technician is usually the better-value route.
"Architect" is a protected title — only someone on the ARB register may use it, after around seven years of training. An architectural designer or technician is trained in the technical side of building design and specialises in drawings, planning applications and building regulations. Mike is a BSc Architectural Design Technology graduate and an architectural technician, not a registered architect, and never calls himself one.
When the architecture itself is the point: a bespoke contemporary house, a large or unusual scheme, a sensitive listed building, or a project where you want one professional to run the whole build. For an extension that needs to be right, approved and buildable, that is usually more than the job needs.
Usually, and more predictably. Many architects price domestic work as a percentage of the build cost or by the hour. Mike's fee is fixed and written down first — extension plans from £750, loft plans from £950 — and covers the survey, drawings, planning application and building regulation package. Council fees are the same whoever draws the plans.
Yes. Anyone can act as agent on a householder application. Mike has submitted them to Flintshire County Council for 25 years, and the public register lists 165 applications under Deeside Architectural Design since 2010 — searchable above.
Mike Williams, BSc Architectural Design Technology, based in Hawarden and trading as Deeside Architectural Design Limited since January 2010. Extensions, lofts and garage conversions across Flintshire, Wrexham, Denbighshire, Chester and the Wirral.
Two taps on the estimator gives you a realistic figure. When you're ready, the £60 Initial Site Appraisal Meeting comes off your fee if you go ahead.
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