Do you need an architect or an architectural designer?

You've decided you want to extend, convert or build something, and somebody has told you that you need an architect. So you've looked at a few websites, maybe had a bit of a shock at the fees, and now you're wondering whether there's another way to get the drawings done and the approvals sorted without spending thousands before a single brick gets laid.

There is. And the answer for most domestic projects in Derbyshire and across the country is an architectural designer.

But the two are not the same thing, and it is worth understanding the difference properly rather than just going with whichever one is cheaper, because on certain types of project the distinction genuinely matters and on others it does not matter at all. We get asked about this constantly, so here is a straight answer.

The title "architect" is protected by law in the United Kingdom. The Architects Act 1997 makes it a criminal offence for anyone to practise or carry on business under the name "architect" unless they are registered with the Architects Registration Board, which is known as the ARB. To get on that register you need a minimum of seven years of education and professional training, including two degree-level qualifications and a period of practical work experience, followed by a professional practice examination. It is a long road and it is deliberately difficult because the title carries legal weight and public trust.

An architectural designer does not hold that protected title. What they do hold, in most cases, is years or decades of practical experience in designing buildings, preparing drawings, obtaining planning permission and Building Regulation approval, managing the process from start to finish and working directly with builders on site. Many architectural designers have completed formal qualifications in architectural technology or building design. Some have worked in architects' practices before setting up on their own. The difference is the registration and the title, not necessarily the quality of the drawings or the ability to get your project through the council.

This is not about one being better than the other. It is about what your project actually needs.

There are situations where an ARB-registered architect is the right choice and sometimes the only choice. If you are working on a Grade I or Grade II listed building, the complexity of the consent process and the heritage sensitivity of the work means you want someone whose training specifically covers conservation and historic building work in depth. Large commercial developments, public buildings, projects with complex structural engineering, and buildings where the design itself is the point, a one-off contemporary house on a difficult site, for example, are all projects where the depth of an architect's training pays for itself.

Some institutional clients and some planning authorities prefer to see an architect's name on the drawings for larger schemes, though this is a preference rather than a legal requirement. And if you are working on a project abroad then the architect title often carries regulatory weight that an architectural designer's credentials may not.

But here is the thing. The vast majority of domestic building projects in this country do not fall into any of those categories. Extensions, loft conversions, garage conversions, new build houses on straightforward plots, internal alterations, change of use applications, these are the bread and butter of what people actually want done to their homes, and they do not require an architect by law or by practical necessity.

Everything that you would expect from the person handling your project. We survey your property, produce detailed measured drawings of what is there now, design what you want to build, and produce the drawings and documents needed for planning permission and Building Regulation approval. We handle the application process, deal with the council, respond to any queries or objections, and if the application gets refused we know how to resubmit or appeal because we have done it hundreds of times before.

Once the approvals are in place we can help you find suitable builders, get prices from them so you can compare properly, and stay involved while the work is on site to make sure what gets built matches what was drawn. We work early alongside builders to estimate the rough price difference between options, because there is no point designing something beautiful if you then find out it costs twice what you expected and have to start again.

The drawings are the same standard. The planning applications go through the same process. The Building Regulation approval follows the same technical requirements regardless of who prepared the submissions. What you are paying for is the expertise to get your specific project designed, approved and priced, and for most domestic projects an architectural designer can do that just as well as an architect and often more efficiently because domestic work is what we do day in, day out.

This is usually where the conversation starts, and honestly it is a reasonable place to start because the difference can be significant. Architects' fees for domestic projects typically run higher because the overheads of maintaining ARB registration, professional indemnity insurance at the levels the registration requires, and the structure of a traditional practice all feed into what they charge. An architectural designer's fees for the same scope of work are generally lower, sometimes substantially so, because the business model is different even though the deliverables are the same.

We are not going to quote specific figures here because every project is different and anybody who gives you a price without seeing the property and understanding what you want is guessing. What we will say is that when you ring us for a free initial consultation, you will get an honest conversation about what the project involves and a no-obligation price within 24 hours. If it turns out your project is one of the rare ones that genuinely needs an architect, we will tell you that rather than take the work and get out of our depth, because a project that goes wrong costs everybody more than the fees saved.

Whether you go with an architect or an architectural designer, there are a few things worth checking. Professional indemnity insurance is the big one. If something goes wrong with the design, with the approvals, with the build, you want to know that the person who did the drawings has insurance to cover it. We carry £1.5 million of professional indemnity cover and are happy to confirm that to any client who asks, because it is the sort of thing that only matters when it matters and by then it is too late to wish you had checked.

Experience on projects like yours is more important than qualifications on a wall. Ask to see examples of similar work. Ask whether they have worked with your local planning authority before, because every council has its own way of doing things and somebody who has submitted fifty applications to Amber Valley Borough Council or Derby City Council knows things that somebody submitting their first one does not, regardless of what letters they have after their name.

Ask how the process works. Will you see drawings before anything is submitted? How many revisions are included? Do they get prices from builders for you or leave you to find your own? Do they stay involved once the builder starts, or does their job end when the approval comes through? These are the questions that separate a good experience from a bad one, and they have nothing to do with whether the person is an architect or an architectural designer.

We have been designing buildings across Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire since 2000. Over a thousand projects, domestic and commercial, from single-storey rear extensions to industrial units. We handle everything from the first consultation through to the builder starting on site, and we stay available and involved throughout the build because things come up and you want someone who knows the drawings to answer them.

Chris Froggatt is an architectural designer and architectural consultant with over 26 years of experience in the industry. He does not force designs on clients. You comment on the drawings, and if the first option is not right we produce alternatives until it is. We work alongside builders early to make sure the design fits your budget before you commit, because finding out at tender stage that the project costs twice what you expected is something that should never happen and does not need to.

If you are planning a project and you are not sure whether you need an architect or an architectural designer, give us a call on 07773 899 597 or drop us an email at abds@abds.biz. We will tell you honestly which one fits your situation, and if it is us we will have a price with you inside 24 hours.