We are asked a lot of questions, and luckily we save them all so that we can provide you with useful answers. The below questions are all ones we have been asked by you.

If there is something not covered below, drop us an email with your question and we will aim to add an answer on this page.

How much will my construction project cost?

The big question. In fact, its the number one question we get asked and cost is the number one worry our clients have before embarking on their project (we have collected and analysed the data). Its such a big and important topic that we are going to create a separate blog post to advise you on it.

Budget is always something we are happy to discuss in our meetings and is central to influencing what we design. There are so many clever ways to reduce costs with simple and effective design. Sometimes, its very satisfying to convince a client to not extend their house at all and show them what they want can be achieved with a clever re-jig!

We are also happy to provide advice on how to plan and manage project costs (all the costs that are in addition to the amount you pay your builder; fees, permissions, vat, contingencies).

Not enough space on this page to cover this one properly, suffice to say we can cover this in your first meeting and that a blog article is on its way!

How flexible is your service?

As flexible as you like. You can book just the one meeting with us, or you can book one hour with us every week for the next year (no one does that). You can also decide if you would like drawings produced by us after the meeting on an hourly rate (like the ones we share on our instagram) and we will always advise you how long we estimate they will take so you don’t get any surprises.

How many meetings do we need with you?

This is entirely flexible depending on what you need from us. Sometimes one meeting can provide you with the confidence you need for your project, mostly people like to follow up the first meeting with a set of drawings, but we also have a lot of clients that like to follow up with further meetings, to help with materials and interiors decisions, review planning application drawings they have had produced, have assistance with selecting their builder or answer questions that are being asked by the builder during construction (we’ve had quite a few where the builder joins too, and they find it very helpful).

So it depends, but the most important thing is we can discuss this in your first meeting and we always will give you honest advice, if we think there is someone better placed for other parts of your project we will always tell you.

Is your process creative if it is all done via video?

We’ll be honest with you here, we used to think that online wouldn’t work, we architects can be quite a traditional bunch when it comes to how to do things and we always thought design had to be done face to face. The Two Architects started after we did a test online design surgery with our studio Bradley Van Der Straeten, during one of the lockdowns and we were really surprised by the effectiveness of discussing design on screen.

Of course, on screen is never going to fully match face to face and seeing the property in real life, however the idea of this platform is to make our design services accessible. Cutting out the travel saves a lot of time (and therefore fees), but the added benefit of being on screen with you means there is an immediacy to our ideas, we are drawing them directly in front of you, and if you don’t like something you can tell us there and then.

We get it, online meetings are not for everyone, but as an initial investment, even the advice you get in just one meeting can make all the difference to your project, even if you don’t take it any further with us.

What if we don’t like your ideas?

Each meeting is paid for individually, which means our service is broken down into bitesize chunks, so you don’t have to commit to buying another meeting after your first one. But more importantly, if you are really not happy with your first meeting, we will give you your money back (we don’t want to tempt fate, but it hasn’t happened yet). Hopefully that shows you our confidence that we will be able to help you, as we have done with hundreds of our clients.

Who do I book my meeting with, George or Ewald?

We know what you are thinking, surely whoever is wiritng this article will say to book with them (book with George).

Hang on, surely the person writing the article will be smart enough to recommend the other person and save themselves lots of work?

Good point (book with Ewald).

Do I need to prepare anything before booking the meeting?

When you book your meeting via our scheduling page, you will have a form to fill in that will prompt a few questions for you to answer before the meeting. We always read these in advance of the session so that we are prepared in advance. On this form we also ask you to upload any information you have on the property, we recommend that you upload some photos and if you can any drawings you may have. Even if it is as simple as an estate agent plan from the sales particulars, that can be really useful for us to sketch over in the meeting.

I want to feel involved in shaping the final design outcome, is your service collaborative?

Absolutely. That’s the great thing about this process, rather than disappearing off to our studio to do the design work, we do it live with you on screen. It makes it fun and very efficient and immediate. If you are not liking something, you tell us straight away and we find a different solution.

I already have some ideas, but I would like them to be challenged, will you inspire us with new ideas?

We think that’s one of things our clients enjoy the most, we are

Can you help with interiors?

With our studio, we are always surprised when people ask us this question, because its one of the things we enjoy the most. Every project we share on our BVDS website has been designed by us, including the interiors. To be honest, we probably wouldn’t be doing our jobs if we didn’t get to design the interiors as it’s the combination of the look, feel, shape and character of the houses that makes them special. So we love it when people have question for us on The Two Architects about interiors, whether that’s discussing colours, finishes and materials, or products and furniture. We can also help you produce a fixtures fittings and finishes schedule, and invaluable document for getting prices from the builders and managing the works.

We are looking for someone who is available, how does your platform work?

Our availability is very transparent, you can visit our scheduling page and every available time slot is shown in the calendar. You can book just one at a time whenever suits you, or you can book loads in advance. The platform can get booked up, so we also have some meeting slots that we keep in reserved for existing clients only, this ensures that we can keep availability for existing clients that might need it, even if the platform is booked up.

Should I install an air source heat pump?

Air source heat pumps are a very efficient way to heat your home without using gas and there is a lot of positive press at the moment, praising them as the solution to the future phasing out of gas. However, if they are to be installed onto an existing home there are a few things that need to be considered, including the current performance of your property thermally (i.e is it well insulated) and the suitability of your current heat distribution system. We have good experience with upgrading homes for better energy efficiency and will be happy to provide you with advice specific to your home.

What can I expect from the first meeting, will I have a set of designs like the ones on your Instagram page?

The drawings that we share on our Instagram page are generally produced following a first meeting and use a set of measured survey drawings of the existing property as an underlay. These drawings are charged at our hourly rate of £165. During the meeting, we also produce drawings and ideas, sometimes lots, but these are usually not based on a measured survey.

Do you do in-person meetings?

Unfortunately, we cannot offer in person meetings. Our time dedicated to The Two Architects is limited and if we offered in person meetings, we wouldn’t be able to work with the number of clients that we currently do.

We are working on creating digital holographic avatars of ourselves to be able to offer them and expect to have those ready in the next 20 years or so. In the meantime, it is video meetings only.

We want to work with someone we like and who has a good sense of humour?

What do you call a kitchen appliance that has fallen out of love with agricultural machinery?

An ex-tractor fan.

Oh come on! That’s at least entry level Christmas cracker…