Architectural drawing fees vary widely, so the numbers you find online rarely compare like for like. Our fixed fees start at £515 for a garden room and £765 inc survey for a rear extension, with every price on the pricing page. Five factors move the fee for your own project, and revisions are included until your council decides.
Planning drawings cost different amounts for different projects because the drawings themselves are different. A straightforward single-storey rear extension on a freestanding suburban house needs a modest drawing set; a basement beneath a listed terrace in a conservation area needs detailed sections, heritage-sensitive elevations and supporting documents the first project will never require. That is why a published price is a starting point for the simplest standard case, and why the scope behind it matters as much as the figure.
We publish prices: £825 inc survey for householder planning drawings, £765 inc survey for a single-storey rear extension and £200 for a measured survey, all on the pricing page with what each includes. Where your project is larger or more complex, we assess it free and confirm a single fixed fee in writing that does not move.
This guide explains the five factors that determine what architectural drawings cost, so you can read any quote — ours or anyone else's — and know exactly what you are paying for and where extras usually appear. It also sets expectations on process: a valid householder application runs to a statutory 8-week determination (13 weeks for major schemes), with a 21-day public consultation period, so the drawings must be right before that clock starts.
Every credible quote for planning drawings is built from the same ingredients. Here is what moves the number and why.
A porch is not a wraparound extension, and a loft dormer is not a basement. More floors, more structure and more design decisions mean more drawing time — the single biggest driver of cost.
Accurate proposed drawings need accurate existing drawings. A small flat measures quickly; a large, extended or irregular property needs a fuller measured survey, and that effort is reflected in the fee.
A householder application needs plans, elevations and a site plan. Add sections, roof plans, streetscape elevations or building regulations detail and the drawing count — and the work — rises.
Conservation areas, listed buildings, Article 4 directions and borough policies under the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 demand extra care and sometimes extra documents. Permitted development is set nationally by the GPDO 2015, but where your property sits changes what your council will ask for.
The quiet decider. If revisions are chargeable, an optimistic headline fee can grow with every council comment. If revisions are free until approval — as ours are — the quote you accept is the amount you pay.
Council application fees, structural calculations to Part A and specialist reports (arboricultural, flood risk) are separate from drawing fees everywhere. A trustworthy quote itemises them upfront rather than surfacing them mid-project.
Our planning drawings start at £515 for a garden room, £765 inc survey for a loft, £765 inc survey for a rear extension and £825 inc survey for a householder planning pack. Each is a fixed fee agreed in writing, and the full list with inclusions is on the pricing page.
| Service | Fee (total you pay) | Scope |
|---|---|---|
| Garden room or outbuilding | From £515 | Drawings and the 2.5m height rule check |
| Loft conversion | From £765 inc survey (£565 if you supply measured drawings) | Survey, drawings and submission |
| Single-storey rear extension | From £765 inc survey (£565 if you supply measured drawings) | Survey, drawings and submission |
| Householder planning drawings | From £825 inc survey (£625 if you supply measured drawings) | Survey, plans, elevations, design statement, submission |
| Wraparound extension | From £1,225 inc survey (£1,025 if you supply measured drawings) | Survey, planning drawings with structural design, submission |
| Measured survey | From £200 | Laser-measured floor plans |
Prices are the total you pay, survey included where a visit is needed, and were last checked on 24 October 2026. Council planning fees are separate and paid to the council.
Tell us about your project and get a fixed, no-obligation quote back within one working day. If you don't need planning permission at all, we'll tell you that too — for free.
Planning drawings cost is set by five things — project scale, survey needs, the number of drawings, your council's requirements and the revisions policy — so compare the scope of any quote, not just the headline figure. Before accepting any quote, check it confirms:
Prices are published, and our quoting process confirms the exact figure for your property — quickly, and without obligation.
Complete the quote form or call 020 7864 7245 with your postcode and what you want to build. It takes minutes and costs nothing.
We review your property, your borough's policies and any constraints — conservation area, Article 4, listed status — that shape what your drawing package must contain.
Within one working day you receive a single fixed fee with the full scope itemised: survey, drawings, submission and our free-revisions-until-decision guarantee.
No pressure and no expiry games. Compare the scope line by line against any other quote — that comparison is exactly what this guide equips you to make.
When one quote for architectural drawings comes in far below the rest, the difference is almost never efficiency — it is scope. The classic patterns: no measured survey, with drawings traced from old floor plans that fail validation; 'planning drawings only', with the site location plan, block plan or sections your council requires sold back to you later; and chargeable revisions, which turn every council comment into an invoice. Each gap is invisible on day one and expensive by week six.
The other pattern to watch is the drawings-versus-outcome gap. Some providers deliver files; their responsibility ends when the PDFs arrive in your inbox. But drawings have one purpose — approval — and a package that gets refused is worthless at any fee. Ask every provider the same question: what happens if the council pushes back? If the answer involves further fees, the headline price is a down payment, not a total.
Our position is simple. The price is published, the fee is fixed in writing, the scope covers everything your council's checklist demands, submission and case-officer liaison are included, and revisions are free until you have a decision. That is what a planning drawings quote should look like — see every price on the pricing page or request your fixed quote.
Our fixed fees start at £515 for a garden room, £765 inc survey for a rear extension and £825 inc survey for a householder planning pack. Where your project goes beyond the standard case, the fee depends on its scale, the survey needed, the number of drawings, your council's requirements and the revisions policy. We confirm a written fixed quote within one working day.
Every service we price, with what each fee includes and whether it is a fixed fee or a starting price, is on our pricing page. Every price is the total you pay, with the measured survey included where a visit is needed. Council application fees are separate and paid to the council.
A complete quote covers a measured survey, existing and proposed floor plans, elevations, any required sections, a site location plan and block plan, application preparation and submission, and case-officer liaison. Crucially, it should state the revisions policy in writing. Missing items are where cheap quotes recover their margin.
Often, yes — and it is the most common source of surprise costs, because councils frequently request amendments during an application. Our revisions are free until your council issues a decision, so the fixed fee you accept is the full amount you pay for the drawing service.
No — the council's application fee is a statutory charge paid to your local planning authority and is separate from any provider's drawing fee. A transparent quote itemises it clearly. We calculate the correct fee for your application type and handle payment as part of the submission.
Usually, yes. The measured survey, design decisions and CAD models from the planning stage carry directly into the building regulations package, so one team doing both avoids duplicated work — and duplicated cost. We quote the stages together or separately, whichever suits your project timeline.
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