DESIGNING YOUR BASEMENT

The design process for a basement involves a number of defined stages in order to arrive at a successful design. It needs to both meet with a client’s aspirations for their home and provide the necessary information to deliver the construction.

If you can’t describe what you are doing as a process, you don’t know what you are doing”

— W. Edwards Deming

The steps in the basement design process can be summarised as follows:

1. SITE SURVEY

To be able to understand the potential of a building to accommodate a basement, it is necessary to undertake an investigative survey of the building. This information is then annotated onto a CAD drawing to offer a 3-dimensional picture of the structure.

2. FEASIBILITY STUDY

This investigative study takes account of the limiting constraints of such detail as existing structure, natural light, planning guidelines, fire compliance, access/egress, neighbouring properties, conservation, logistics and not least of all, our client’s brief. With the benefit of this study we can identify the potential for accommodation and the route for securing the required consents.

3. PREADVICE REPORT

Worthwhile advice can sometimes be secured from the local planning authority through their Pre-Advice service. This information can offer insight into their perspective on the potential  of the site for a basement development.

4. CONCEPT DESIGN

We then move forward to work up proposed floor plans and elevations based upon client preferencesand taking account of the responses from the Local Authority and Structural Engineer.

5. PLANNING APPLICATION

This is the stage where planning applications are compiled. Read more about the planning application process.

6. DEVELOPED DESIGN

Once we have secured your approval of the concept design, this next stage adds additional layers of information to the project and fine tunes the layouts that you have approved.  We produce general arrangement drawings and integrate the structural engineer’s design.  We also coordinate designs by suppliers and 3rd party specialists.

7. TECHNICAL DESIGN

At this stage we will provide drawings, final construction details, schedules and specifications. These drawings will include electrical and plumbing plans and will be used for a building control application and in due course will be installed by our construction team.

We will also integrate the structural engineer’s design and co-ordinate designs by third party specialists, for example, drainage engineers. 

Design and Build. Simple.