Start with the outcome you need

Explain what is not working in the current property and what a successful result would change. For an extension, describe the rooms you want, how they should connect to the garden and whether the family will remain in the home during works. For a conversion, explain its proposed use and what existing access, daylight and headroom are like. A useful brief names priorities and constraints; it does not have to prescribe a finished layout.

Gather reliable information about the property

Send the property address and postcode, clear photographs of each affected room and the outside of the building, and any existing floor plans, estate-agent plans, surveys or previous approval drawings. Label approximate measurements as approximate. An estate-agent plan can help frame a first conversation but should not be assumed accurate enough for a submission or construction package.

Photograph the areas where new work meets the existing house: roof slopes, eaves, drainage, side access, neighbouring windows and changes in ground level. If a measured survey is needed, its scope can be agreed after the initial review. Do not guess a dimension simply to complete a form.

Identify the right drawing stage

A feasibility or concept package explores whether a useful layout can fit, what information is missing and which options merit development. Planning drawings describe the proposal for the relevant planning route. Technical drawings contain the additional construction and coordination information required for the agreed Building Regulations and build stage. The latter is a separate scope and may depend on structural design, surveys and specialist input.

A quotation should identify the exact deliverables, number of options and revisions, what the client supplies, whether submission or authority fees are included, and what happens if surveys reveal a constraint. Compare drawing packages by scope rather than by the word “plans”.

Check location-specific approvals

Planning permission and Building Regulations approval are separate checks. Some proposals may fall within permitted development rights, subject to conditions and restrictions; these cannot be confirmed from a generic diagram. The rules and submission routes differ across the UK nations, and site-specific restrictions may apply. Confirm the route for the actual address before relying on an assumption.

A practical first message

Include the address, type of property, a short statement of your aim, a few photographs, any existing plans and your preferred timescale. State whether you need feasibility, planning drawings, technical drawings or advice on which stage comes first. AS Global can then propose a defined remote drawing scope and explain which local checks or appointed professionals may be required.

Related guidance

Explore our UK online architectural drawing service at https://architectural.services/uk/online-architectural-drawings and start a project enquiry at https://architectural.services/project-enquiry. For the distinction between planning and technical drawings, read https://architectural.services/blog/planning-drawings-vs-building-regulations-drawings-uk.

Official guidance

For the separate approval routes, see https://www.gov.uk/building-regulations-approval and https://www.gov.uk/guidance/when-is-permission-required.