What Homeowners Always Ask on the Discovery Call — and What They Should Ask Instead
Almost every homeowner opens their Discovery Call with the same question, and it’s almost never the most useful one to lead with. Here’s what people tend to ask first, why it makes complete sense that they do, and what the better version of that question actually looks like. If you haven’t booked yours yet, our guide to how the free consultation actually works covers what to expect before you even pick up the phone.
Question 1: ‘How Much Will It Cost?’
Fair enough, cost is obviously what’s on everyone’s mind, and asking about it first makes complete sense. The trouble is timing, not the question itself.
Asking for a number before anyone knows the planning route, the structural situation, or the actual specification means whatever answer you get back is really just a guess. A homeowner asking ‘how much will this cost?’ before it’s clear whether they’ll need a planning application, piled foundations, or a structural knock-through is, in effect, asking a question nobody can honestly answer yet.
The better version: ‘What do you need to know from me to give me a realistic cost?’ That’s the question Kirkwood actually works backwards from, establishing the planning route, the structural complexity, and the specification first, and only then arriving at a realistic cost worth trusting.
Kirkwood’s view Most of the time, homeowners simply don’t realise what actually has to happen before a build cost can be fixed: the architectural plans, the structural engineering, and ideally the building regulations drawings too. If a builder’s happy to quote off nothing more than a look around the garden, that’s a red flag Kirkwood would flag immediately. Even a builder willing to give a fixed quote from a set of architectural plans alone is being unprofessional, because if the foundations turn out to need piling, that alone can shift the total bill by £10,000 to £15,000. There’s genuinely no way of knowing the foundation situation until the structural engineering drawings and calculations are done. Kirkwood’s advice is straightforward: don’t spend money on structural calculations until the council’s approved the project. Architectural plans are all that’s needed to get approval, work with the team, get that approval, and only then does it become sensible to start spending on structural engineering. That said, on the Discovery Call itself, if a homeowner shares the size of the extension and roughly what they’re after- not the flooring, not the kitchen, not underfloor heating- Kirkwood can give a guidance figure that’s usually accurate within £3,000 to £5,000, depending on the size of the job. Kirkwood knows the cost per square metre for different types of extension, and that’s usually far more reliable than anything a homeowner’s found from an online calculator, which tends to vary wildly and isn’t much use at all. |
Question 2: 'Will My Neighbour Object?'
There’s usually a story behind this one. When someone asks it, they’ve often already got a fair idea of the answer: the neighbour’s difficult, the relationship’s a bit strained, or there’s a specific objection they’re bracing for.
Here’s the reassuring part: a council takes a neighbour’s objection seriously, but it doesn’t automatically block approval on its own. Planning decisions turn on planning merits, not on personal history between two households. What actually matters is whether the extension complies with the relevant rules.
The more useful question: ‘Is my extension likely to need a planning application, and if so, what will the council actually be looking at?’ That’s the question that gives Kirkwood something to actually assess, rather than just a worry to reassure someone about.
Kirkwood’s view In practice, the only real way a neighbour can cause a problem is by insisting on their own party wall surveyor, and the person extending the property always covers that cost, regardless of who the neighbour chooses. Beyond that, it’s genuinely rare for a neighbour to cause an issue with planning itself. The bigger risk tends to be the surveyor rather than the neighbour: if someone appoints a surveyor who’s billing by the hour and has every incentive to drag things out, that’s where delays actually creep in. One case worth knowing about: an extension that fully complied with permitted development, but the homeowner didn’t want to bother putting it forward for formal approval. Kirkwood always advises getting it confirmed either way, PD or not. Once it was built, a neighbour complained, the council came out, and decided it did need a formal application after all, meaning the project went through exactly the process Kirkwood would have recommended at the outset, except now at extra cost to the customer. |
Question 3: 'Do I Need to Hire Someone With That Registered Title?'
Short answer: no, there’s no legal requirement for a registered professional carrying that specific title for a house extension. But there’s a question underneath that question: ‘Do I actually need proper design input?’ and the answer to that one is yes, without question.
From there, the conversation usually moves on to the three professional stages that genuinely do matter: design, structural engineering, and building regulations. Kirkwood provides all three in-house, which means one team and one point of contact rather than three separate companies to coordinate between yourself.
The better question to ask: ‘What professional input do I actually need, and what does that cover?’ That gets to the real issue far more directly than the original question ever could.
Kirkwood’s view It’s a fair question, and the honest short answer is no, there’s no legal requirement to use someone carrying that specific registered title for a house extension. What people are really asking, underneath the question, is whether their project is in safe hands. That’s better judged by what’s actually included in the service than by the letters after someone’s name: full planning drawings, structural calculations, and building regulations drawings, produced by a qualified team. Once that’s explained, most homeowners relax noticeably; the worry was never really about the title, it was about whether the job would be done properly. |
The Discovery Call covers all of these questions — and the ones most homeowners don’t know to ask. Book yours for free. |
Question 4: 'How Long Will It Take?'
This one’s actually a good question; the problem is usually context, not the question itself. Most people ask it without separating the design and planning stage from the actual build.
Hear ‘6 to 9 months’, and it’s easy to assume that’s how long until the kitchen’s finished. In reality, that’s how long until the builder even starts. The fuller picture, in Kirkwood’s own experience: the architectural design stage typically takes around 2 weeks, structural engineering a further 2 weeks, and the council usually takes 6 to 8 weeks to approve a project. On top of that comes the time to appoint a builder and the build itself, which varies considerably with size. Add it together and a realistic total from first call to finished extension usually lands somewhere around 6 to 9 months, sometimes longer depending on the scale of the build.
Setting that expectation properly on the very first call saves a lot of frustration down the line; nobody wants to be the person who assumed they’d be done by summer and is still mid-build in October.
Kirkwood’s view Most people simply don’t know how long the whole process actually takes going in, which is exactly why Kirkwood covers it thoroughly on the Discovery Call. As a rough guide: the architectural design stage takes around 2 weeks, structural engineering another 2 weeks, and the council typically takes 6 to 8 weeks to approve a project. On top of that, Kirkwood talks through how long the build itself is likely to take, which obviously varies a lot depending on size, but that’s all covered on the call, so nobody’s left guessing. |
The Questions Kirkwood Asks That Homeowners Never Expect
This is really the heart of the whole call. Rather than just answering what homeowners bring to the table, Kirkwood asks a handful of questions most people have never actually thought about, and each one changes something real about how the project gets designed.
Kirkwood’s view 1. What’s your budget? Homeowners quite often come into the call with no real figure in mind — no sense of a top end, or a number they don’t want to go over. Kirkwood helps them actually find that number on the call, starting with typical costs for the type of project, an extension, a loft conversion, a garage conversion, whatever it happens to be, and working from there until they’ve got a figure they’re comfortable with. 2. When would you ideally like this finished? Kirkwood works backwards from that date, helping homeowners understand realistic timescales, how long everything’s actually going to take, and when they’d need to start the architectural process to have a real chance of hitting that date. 3. Do you intend to stay in the property long-term, or are you looking to make it a good investment? Kirkwood can design an extension in a lot of different ways depending on the answer. Sometimes someone’s got their dream home in mind and isn’t especially bothered about resale value, in which case the design reflects that. Other times, someone wants a lovely home but also wants to know it’s a sound investment, and the design is shaped with that in mind too. 4. Do you already have a reliable builder, someone whose work you’ve seen, and who’s been recommended by someone who’s actually used them? This matters because if the answer’s no, Kirkwood would suggest at least arranging a site visit with one of its own vetted, highly recommended builders. Kirkwood can only take a project so far itself- architectural design, structural engineering, building regulations, planning- but for the actual build, the best it can do is put homeowners in touch with builders it’s genuinely confident will do a good job. If someone’s already got their own builder lined up, that’s fine too, but a free quote and site visit from one of Kirkwood’s recommended builders costs nothing to arrange. |
There’s really no wrong question to bring to a Discovery Call. You don’t need to prepare anything or worry about asking the ‘right’ thing first; every question, even the ones that turn out not to be quite the right starting point, leads somewhere useful. Kirkwood’s job on the call is simply to work out what you actually need and map out how to get there.
Book a Free Discovery Call
No, you don’t need a registered professional carrying that specific title for a house extension. What you do need is proper planning drawings, structural engineering, and building regulations drawings, and Kirkwood produces all three in-house for extensions across Chelmsford, Brentwood, Billericay, Wickford, Basildon, Rayleigh, Leigh-on-Sea, Southend, and the surrounding areas of Essex.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should I ask when I first contact a design company about a house extension?
Start with the planning position: will this need full planning permission, or does it fall under permitted development? Then ask about the process itself: what professional stages are actually involved, and what does each one cost? Kirkwood works through both of these on the free Discovery Call, alongside a realistic cost estimate built around your specific project rather than a generic figure.
What is Kirkwood's Discovery Call?
It’s a free, no-obligation conversation lasting roughly 30 to 45 minutes, done over the phone or by video. Before the call even happens, Kirkwood’s already looked into the property, planning history, past applications, and what’s been built nearby, so from the first minute the conversation is about your actual home rather than generalities. It covers your likely planning route, honest cost ranges from design through to build, the design options open to you, and what happens if you decide to move forward.
Do I need to prepare anything before the Discovery Call?
Not really, no. There’s no need for drawings, measurements, or photos. Kirkwood does its own homework on the property beforehand. Turning up with a rough sense of what you’re hoping to achieve is genuinely enough; plenty of people arrive at the call still unsure exactly what they want, and working that out together is part of what the conversation is for.
How much does the Discovery Call cost?
Nothing at all. There’s no charge and no obligation attached to it whatsoever. By the time it’s finished, you’ll have your planning position, a realistic sense of likely costs, and a fixed fee for the design package, all without spending a penny.
What happens after the Discovery Call?
If you’d like to go ahead, Kirkwood arranges a full measured survey and design work begins from there. If you’re not ready yet, that’s completely fine too; nothing further happens unless you get back in touch. Plenty of people have their Discovery Call and come back to Kirkwood months or even years later, once the timing actually suits them.
Can I have the Discovery Call online or by phone?
Yes, most calls happen this way rather than in person. Phone, Teams, Zoom, Google Meet, FaceTime, or WhatsApp all work, with nothing to download beforehand. Since Kirkwood’s already researched the property remotely before the call starts, doing it online is just as useful as meeting face-to-face would be at this stage.
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