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Neighbours and checks

Architectural drawings review in London

An independent drawing review is a written check of someone else's drawings by a chartered technologist who had no part in producing them. We review sets for London homes from £289 and report what is missing, what contradicts itself and what a council or builder is likely to query, while a fix still costs an afternoon.

From £289, no VAT to add

  • MCIAT chartered
  • £2m PI insured
  • LABC Partnered
  • Fixed fees, no VAT to add

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We use it to check conservation areas and constraints.
Pick the council that decides your application.
A few lines: what you want to build, and anything the council has already said.
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    Architectural model of a four-storey London stucco townhouse in its terrace, with a portico, area railings, sash windows, a cornice and chimney stacks
    The house as it stands: four storeys over a lower ground floor.Existing Proposed worksAn illustrative model, built for this page.

    How we work on architectural drawings review

    Seven steps from first call to approval.

    The same model cut through the middle: every floor, the stair, the chimney breasts, the new mansard, rear extension and basement in section
    Section through the model: every floor on one datum.

    1. Enquiry and constraints check

      We check the property against conservation areas, listed status, Article 4 directions, tree preservation orders, flood zone and planning history. We choose the right route and send a fixed quote.

    2. Measured survey

      We survey the house on one datum: rooms, levels, boundaries, drains, trees and the neighbours' windows that the 45° and 25° tests depend on.

    3. Design options

      We model the house in Revit and show you options in 3D and plan, with the planning strategy and the precedents in your street.

    4. Design frozen

      You choose an option in writing. Nothing changes after this without your say.

    5. Independent check

      A second chartered technologist checks every sheet against the council's validation checklist and the policy. A senior review signs it off before anything is submitted.

    6. Submission

      We prepare the forms, certificates, fee and documents and submit through the Planning Portal.

    7. Officer liaison

      We answer the planning officer and make any amendments within five working days, at no charge until approval.

    Free redraws until approval. Every drawing set is checked independently, and the checker is never the person who drew it.

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    When a second reader earns the fee

    The usual trigger is doubt. Builders' quotes for one set come back far apart, a council has returned an application, or the plans and the specification seem to describe different houses. A review answers the doubt with a numbered list.

    Designers and contractors use it as a final read before issue. Whoever drew a sheet reads what they meant to draw, and a fresh reader sees what is actually on the page, which is what a builder will price and an officer will assess. That gap is the reason the practice's own rule is that the checker is never the drafter.

    If you only need a narrower check, see our planning drawings review for a set about to be submitted, or existing drawings verification for drawings of a building as it stands. We report to you and do not redraw. If you want changes made afterwards, our planning drawings team can take them on without obligation.

    House extension under construction with scaffolding, new glazed doors and building materials

    What the reader checks, in order

    Consistency comes first. Does the floor plan match the elevations, are dimensions the same on every sheet, and does the section show the structure the plan implies? Mismatches of this kind are behind most of the costly questions asked on site.

    Validity is second. National guidance sets a baseline for application drawings: Drawn to an identified scale; plans show north. Councils may only ask for more within limits: Local validation requirements must be proportionate and backed by a development plan policy. We test a planning set against both, so you know whether it risks being returned as invalid.

    Third is the permitted development case, where there is one. The technical guidance carries its own caution: Householder PD technical guidance dates from Sep 2019; check drawings against the current Order. We check the drawings against the Order as it stands now.

    Last is the specification. Products named without a performance, items in a schedule that are not on any drawing and notes that contradict one another are ranked by consequence, so the expensive items are fixed first.

    Designers now carry legal duties

    Since the Building Safety Act changes, design work has carried personal obligations. Regulation 11F states the competence duty: Designers must have the skills, knowledge, experience and behaviours to do the work. The duty falls on the person who designs as well as the person who builds.

    Enforcement is real, and the penalty is set in law: Contravening building regulations: on indictment up to 2 years' imprisonment or a fine (or both). Set against that, a review before construction is a modest cost, and it leaves a dated record that someone independent checked the information.

    On larger projects the client may also need a principal designer to coordinate the work. A drawing review is the smaller first step, and it often shows whether that larger step is needed.

    Older drawings and changing standards

    Technical guidance moves, and a set drawn last year can already lag. On fire safety: AD B 2026 amendments (second staircase at 18 m+, evacuation lifts) apply from 30 Sep 2026. Any detail that relies on the earlier text should be tested against the amendment before work begins.

    Energy is the next shift: AD L and AD F 2026 take effect 24 Mar 2027. A project that starts after that date may be assessed under the newer standards, so a build-up drawn to the earlier U-value table can need revisiting. The report names the date that matters for each item and leaves you to decide how far to build ahead of it.

    If sheets then need revising, our building regulations drawings service can update them, and our structural calculations service can reissue the engineering.

    Price and the report you receive

    A review starts from £289, and rises with the number of sheets and the complexity of the project. We confirm a fixed figure once we have seen the set, and you decide whether to go ahead.

    The report numbers each finding, ties it to a sheet and a reason and grades it from must-fix to advisory. Anything that could invalidate an application, anything a builder would query and anything that conflicts with a regulation is marked. A short call walks you through it.

    We report only on what we are shown. If a drawing relies on an engineer's design or a survey that was not supplied, the report says so instead of assuming it exists.

    How a review runs

    Send the drawings and any specification as PDFs, with the address and the stage of the project. We agree scope and price in writing before starting.

    A chartered technologist who had no part in the drawings reads every sheet and writes the report.

    Local rules sit behind the drawings

    Councils apply the national rules differently, and what a validation officer expects in one borough can be optional in another. Our council pages set out designations and decision patterns, for example architectural drawings in Camden, and the full list is under architectural drawings by area. Sets that need corrected elevations and sections can go on to elevation and section drawings.

    The national rules in figures

    Figures with their unit, period and source
    MeasureValuePeriodSource
    PPG Making an application, para 023Drawn to an identified scale; plans show north—gov.uk
    NPPF Aug 2026, policy DM2(2)Local validation requirements must be proportionate and backed by a development plan policy—gov.uk
    MHCLG technical guidanceHouseholder PD technical guidance dates from Sep 2019; check drawings against the current Order—gov.uk
    Building Regulations 2010 reg 11F(1)Designers must have the skills, knowledge, experience and behaviours to do the work—legislation.gov.uk
    Building Act 1984 s35(4), substituted by Building Safety Act 2022 s39Contravening building regulations: on indictment up to 2 years' imprisonment or a fine (or both)—legislation.gov.uk
    2026 amendments to Approved Document BAD B 2026 amendments (second staircase at 18 m+, evacuation lifts) apply from 30 Sep 2026—gov.uk
    AD L Vol 1 2026, p.2AD L and AD F 2026 take effect 24 Mar 2027—gov.uk

    A blank value means the figure has not been published, not that there are none. Check your own address with the council.

    Architectural drawings review: the fee in writing before you commit

    From £289, no VAT to add. Send the address and anything you already hold, and we confirm the fixed fee in writing before any work starts.

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    Building regulations, layer by layerPart A: structure: Approved Document A: Structure, 2004 edition incorporating 2004, 2010 and 2013 amendments. Part B: fire safety: All dwellings: fire detection and alarm system minimum Grade D2 Category LD3 (BS 5839-6), mains-operated smoke alarms to BS EN 14604. Part L: insulation: New elements in existing dwellings, limiting U-values W/(m²·K): roof 0.15, wall 0.18, floor 0.18, windows 1.4 (or WER Band B), doors 1.4. Part K: stairs: 2.0 m clear headroom over stairs. Full plans application: Building control body must decide a full plans application within 5 weeks, or longer if agreed in writingPart A: structurePart B: fire safetyPart L: insulationPart K: stairsFull plans applicationABCDE

    Building regulations, layer by layer

    The Approved Documents that shape most house projects, from structure to the application itself.

    A · Part A: structure
    Approved Document A: Structure, 2004 edition incorporating 2004, 2010 and 2013 amendments
    B · Part B: fire safety
    All dwellings: fire detection and alarm system minimum Grade D2 Category LD3 (BS 5839-6), mains-operated smoke alarms to BS EN 14604
    C · Part L: insulation
    New elements in existing dwellings, limiting U-values W/(m²·K): roof 0.15, wall 0.18, floor 0.18, windows 1.4 (or WER Band B), doors 1.4
    D · Part K: stairs
    2.0 m clear headroom over stairs
    E · Full plans application
    Building control body must decide a full plans application within 5 weeks, or longer if agreed in writing

    What you receive

    Loft plan marked up by a second technologist during an independent review
    Sample drawing. Independent review: a loft plan marked up by the second technologist before submission.
    Pencil resting on a dimensioned technical drawing beside a scale rule
    Under the loupe
    Drag the loupe across the sheet.

    Questions

    What is an independent drawing review?

    A written check of a drawing set and specification by a chartered technologist who did not produce them. It looks for missing information, contradictions between sheets and conflicts with the regulations.

    How much does a drawing review cost?

    From £289. The fixed price depends on the number of sheets and the complexity, and we confirm it after seeing the set.

    Can you review drawings made by another firm?

    Yes, that is the main use. We report to you, not to the firm that drew them, and we redraw nothing unless you ask.

    Will a review stop my application being refused?

    It lowers the risk of an invalid or weakly argued application, but nobody can promise a council's decision, which rests on policy and the officer's judgement.

    Does the review cover the new energy rules?

    We flag where a set relies on guidance that is changing. For energy: AD L and AD F 2026 take effect 24 Mar 2027.

    Sources and dates

    City of London skyline glowing at dusk across the Thames under a dramatic orange sky

    Tell us about your property.

    We check the constraints, then send a fixed fee. Messages before 3pm get a reply the same working day.

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