How does Architectural Drawings London compare with Fred and the Architects?

Fred and the Architects operates as a residential design practice. A residential practice offering design and planning services for domestic projects.

What do the statutory fees cost either way?

A householder planning application is £548 determined in 8 weeks, building control is typically £500 to £1,200 in London, and a party wall award with an agreed surveyor commonly runs £900 to £1,400 per neighbour.

Fred and the Architects vs Us | What Each One Includes

The short version

Fred and the Architects operates as a residential design practice. Which suits you depends on whether you want a defined drawing package at a known price or a broader service.

How does Fred and the Architects work?

A residential practice offering design and planning services for domestic projects.

Where that model is strong: Small-practice continuity: you usually deal with the same person throughout.

What to establish before you commit: Check capacity and programme, since small practices are more affected by workload peaks, and confirm whether building regulations drawings are in scope.

What do we publish?

Every figure below is on our pricing page and does not change with the size of your build. We do not quote a percentage of build cost, because it gives a designer an interest in a larger build.

Architectural Drawings London published position
Credential	MCIAT chartered architectural technologist
Fee basis	Fixed fee against a defined scope, never a percentage of build cost
Essentials package
Loft package
Mansard package
Complete package
Structural calculations
Party wall services
Turnaround	14–20 working days (Essentials, loft); 20–28 (Complete)
Officer-requested amendments	Included
Coverage	All 33 London boroughs
Positioning	Around 30% below typical London architect rates

What should you ask Fred and the Architects — and us?

The same ten questions work on either side, and the answers are what actually separate one quote from another.

Which drawings does Fred and the Architects include — existing, proposed, sections, elevations, a 1:1250 location plan and a 1:500 site plan?
If the case officer asks for an amendment during the eight-week determination, does Fred and the Architects charge for it?
Are building regulations drawings inside the Fred and the Architects quote, or a separate later stage?
Does Fred and the Architects include structural calculations, subcontract them, or exclude them?
Who serves the party wall notices on a Fred and the Architects project, and is the adjoining owner's surveyor fee budgeted?
Who is the named individual at Fred and the Architects doing the work, and are they on the CIAT or ARB register?
What professional indemnity limit does Fred and the Architects carry?
If the application is refused, does Fred and the Architects include the revised resubmission?
Who owns the drawings Fred and the Architects produces, and can you take them to another contractor?

What costs the same whoever you appoint?

Statutory fees go to the council, not the designer, and they are set nationally for England. No practice can discount them, so they should appear in every budget identically.

Statutory and third-party costs
Householder planning application	£548, 8 weeks
Larger home extension prior approval	£249, 6 weeks
Lawful Development Certificate (proposed)	£274
Listed building consent	No fee
Building control (typical London)	£500–£1,200
Party wall award, agreed surveyor	£900–£1,400 per neighbour

We publish this comparison because homeowners ask for it. We describe Fred and the Architects by its business model rather than asserting its current fees or performance — ask them directly and compare the answers against ours. Statutory figures are the England rates in force in 2026 under the Town and Country Planning (Fees for Applications) (England) Regulations.