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Bright modern extension interior with a large glazed wall, dining table and seating facing the garden

Blog: surveys and design

How much do 3D visuals cost in London?

By Property Architecture drawing team, chartered architectural technologists (MCIAT). Published . 3 minute read.

A 3D visual of a London extension, loft or new home costs £239 per view from us, with no VAT to add. It is drawn from the same model as your plans, so the picture and the drawings cannot disagree. A visual helps you and your neighbours see a design. It does not replace the drawings the council requires: plans and drawings must be drawn to an identified scale, and plans must show the direction of northGOV.UK planning practice guidance, Making an application.

From £239 total

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  • Fixed fees, no VAT to add

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    Key takeaways

    What a visual costs, and what sets the price

    Our fee is £239 per view. A view is one image from one camera position, such as the rear of the house from the garden or the new kitchen from the door. See our 3D visuals page for the choices.

    Three things move the price: how many views you want, whether the view is outside or inside, and how much of the surroundings must be modelled for it to read properly. A rear garden view of a simple extension is the simplest. A street view of a new house between neighbours takes more modelling.

    What the fee includesA view from a camera position agreed with you; Drawn from the same model as your plans; Checked against the drawings by a second person; Final image files; Views checked with you before they are finalWhat the fee includesA view from a camera position agreedwith youDrawn from the same model as your plansChecked against the drawings by a secondpersonFinal image filesViews checked with you before they arefinalFixed fee from £239, no VAT to add
    What our 3D visual service includes.

    What a visual does that a plan cannot

    A plan is accurate and hard to read. A visual is easy to read and has to be accurate in the right ways. Because ours comes from the Revit model that makes the plans, the window sizes, the roof pitch and the positions of walls are the same in both.

    That helps a decision before you spend more. Seeing the extension against the garden, or the loft windows against the roofline, is often the moment an owner changes a detail. It is far cheaper to change at this stage than on site.

    Red-brick house with a slate roof and roof windows, a low glazed extension on its garden side and a striped lawn in front
    A garden-side view shows how an extension meets the old house, which a plan does not. Photo: Scott Hayward, Pexels License

    Where a visual sits in a planning application

    The council's requirement is for plans, not pictures. plans and drawings must be drawn to an identified scale, and plans must show the direction of northGOV.UK planning practice guidance, Making an application. A visual is supporting material, and the council's local list may ask for it on some schemes: plans and other information may be requested through the local list where it is reasonable to do soGOV.UK planning practice guidance, Making an application.

    It is most useful where judgement is involved. In a sensitive place, the effect on the setting is assessed: an assessment of the significance of the assets affected, including any contribution made by their settingNational Planning Policy Framework, chapter 20, policy HE5. A visual shows that effect in a form an officer and a neighbour can both see. Our heritage statement work uses views for that reason.

    Showing neighbours what is proposed

    Neighbours judge proposals by what they will see from their windows. Councils use rules of thumb to test that, such as the 25-degree obstruction angle (the 25° obstruction angle as a basic measure of external obstruction to a windowRICS Built Environment Journal, 8 May 2024) or a borough's own: a multi-storey rear projection should not exceed 45 degrees from the nearest neighbouring habitable roomLondon Borough of Merton, Small Sites Toolkit 01: Design Guidance. A visual does not replace those tests, but it shows the result in a way that makes the conversation easier.

    For larger schemes the national policy expects engagement: proposals for major development should be informed by early engagement with neighbours and the local communityNational Planning Policy Framework, chapter 3, policy DM1. A clear picture is a good start for it.

    How the job runs, step by stepFree constraints check and a conversation about the views you want Then: Model built from the survey and drawings Then: Camera positions agreed with you Then: Views rendered and checked against the drawings Then: Views checked with you Then: Final images issuedFree constraints check and aconversation about the views you wantModel built from the survey anddrawingsCamera positions agreed with youViews rendered and checked against thedrawingsViews checked with youFinal images issued
    From model to finished views.

    The limits of a render

    A render shows a design in good light. It is not a photograph of the future, it cannot show materials exactly as they will weather, and it should not be used to argue a point the drawings do not support. We show the proposal honestly, and do not crop out a neighbour's window or inflate a garden.

    If you want the picture to go with a planning application, we draw it to the same scale and position as the elevations. Our planning drawings are the foundation.

    The figures, with sources

    What plans must show
    plans and drawings must be drawn to an identified scale, and plans must show the direction of northGOV.UK planning practice guidance, Making an applicationChecked 25 October 2026
    Information councils may require with an application
    plans and other information may be requested through the local list where it is reasonable to do soGOV.UK planning practice guidance, Making an applicationChecked 25 October 2026
    National policy on heritage assets
    an assessment of the significance of the assets affected, including any contribution made by their settingNational Planning Policy Framework, chapter 20, policy HE5Checked 25 October 2026
    Rule of thumb for obstruction of daylight
    the 25° obstruction angle as a basic measure of external obstruction to a windowRICS Built Environment Journal, 8 May 2024Checked 25 October 2026
    A London borough's rule of thumb for rear projections
    a multi-storey rear projection should not exceed 45 degrees from the nearest neighbouring habitable roomLondon Borough of Merton, Small Sites Toolkit 01: Design GuidanceChecked 25 October 2026
    National policy on engagement for major development
    proposals for major development should be informed by early engagement with neighbours and the local communityNational Planning Policy Framework, chapter 3, policy DM1Checked 25 October 2026

    Questions

    Is the price per view or per project?

    Per view. £239 buys one image from one camera position. Additional views are priced the same way, and we confirm the total in writing after the constraints check.

    Can I use a visual instead of drawings for planning?

    No. The council requires scaled plans. A visual is supporting material that helps people understand the design.

    Can you show different materials?

    Yes, if you tell us before the views are final. We show what you intend, honestly, and do not use a render to claim a result the drawings do not support.

    Will it show my neighbours' houses?

    Where they are relevant to the view, yes, modelled from the survey and public information. We do not leave them out to make a design look better.

    Header photo: A bright modern extension interior with a large glazed wall, dining table and seating facing the garden by Max Vakhtbovych, Pexels License.

    The fixed fee for 3d visuals

    Fixed fee
    from £239
    Total you pay
    from £239

    No VAT to add. The fee is fixed in writing after a free constraints check of your address.

    What you get

    • A view from a camera position agreed with you
    • Drawn from the same model as your plans
    • Checked against the drawings by a second person
    • Final image files
    • Views checked with you before they are final
    • More about our 3d visuals
    Request your fixed quoteCall 020 7131 9703
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    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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