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The key is to create a flexible scheme that takes you right through the day and caters for the different uses of the space. Natural light is a fantastic asset to any home, office or commercial premises, but the quality of the light depends heavily on the aspect of the room;

 

North facing: cold and harsh rather than direct sunlight. Artists choose north-facing studios because the light gives truer colour rendition.

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East facing: bright first thing in the morning followed by long shadows and no sun later in the day. Use artificial lighting to control glare and maximise the available natural light in north- and east-facing rooms.

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South facing: warm light all day, although it changes throughout the day and year. The midday sun is usually so bright it flattens everything out. Choose south-facing rooms to areas you spend a lot of time in such as kitchens and living rooms.

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West facing: sunlight at the hottest part of the day, which can cause glare. In the late afternoon, you'll get long shadows and softer light.

 

You may not realise you've got bad lighting but you'll recognise the symptoms: headaches, sore eyes and frustration at not being able to see what you're doing. Good lighting will make a space feel spacious, clean and welcoming.

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The statutory determination period for validated planning applications, which local planning authorities should not exceed, is 8 weeks for standard planning applications, 13 weeks for unusually large or complex applications, and 16 weeks if the application is subject to an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).

The determination period can be extended with agreement of the applicant in writing. If the determination period is exceeded, the applicant can appeal to the Secretary of State, although this in itself can take some time.

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A Measured Building Survey is conducted to produce an accurate, scaled model of a specified building. An ArchiWest surveyor will visit your property or premises to record the existing measurements of the building. They’ll also take a range of photographs, so that the recorded space can fully visualised. Once this has been completed, those measurements are then turned into a set of existing drawings. Depending on the type of development you are carrying out, these can include floor plans, elevations, a section, site plan, and roof plan.

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On-site measurements will be taken with a variety of instruments to produce the model at the required accuracy. These often include: laser scanners, disto's, total stations etc. The on-site measurements will then be processed and interpolated into a useable format in 2D or 3D.

 

 

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The cost of a Measured Building Survey is generally worked out from the length of time spent on site and the time taken to accurately produce 2d floor plans or 3d building models; this can vary depending on the detail required. Other factors that can affect this are: the complexity of the building, the experience of the Building Surveyor required and the addition of specialist equipment. Please contact us for an exact price.

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