I recently wrote about my tips on choosing an architect – hopefully it gave you some food for thought if you’re about to start a building project. But what if you’re not yet sure what you want to do to your house, or if it’s even possible to do anything, or if you’re just not sure about the moving/building dilemma?
Then you should definitely check out Architect in the House, a collaboration between Shelter and RIBA.
Shelter is the housing and homelessness charity for the UK; they do sterling work, and not only in terms of advising and supporting those who are homeless or in danger of becoming so. Shelter also campaign and lobby on a wide range of issues linked to housing; including improving standards in rented accommodation; reducing the number of homes standing empty; and building more houses so that homes – whether rented or bought – become more affordable. These are issues that affect us all – if we’re lucky, we’re affected indirectly, but, make no mistake – we ALL stand to benefit from the work Shelter does.
Shelter have teamed up with RIBA – the Royal Institute of British Architects – to offer homeowners the opportunity for a consultation with an architect, in exchange for a donation to Shelter. The suggested donation is £45, but you can give as much or as little as you like – and you don’t have to give anything at all, but that’d just be cheeky. This scheme is brilliant if you want some early stage advice, without any commitment, on the possibilities for changing your house. We took part in the scheme three years ago, and it gave us a really good basis for working out which of our ideas were feasible, and which were just mad fool crazy.
Taking part is really simple – you just need to sign up here, and Shelter will match you with a local architect, who will contact you directly to arrange a home visit at your convenience. And when you register, you’ll be entered into a draw to win a Warren Evans bedroom or a very funky brushed steel wall clock from Art Marketing. But a word of warning – the scheme is VERY popular and usually oversubscribed – we missed the boat the first time I tried to sign up and had to wait for the next year, so though the deadline is 21st August 2013, I’d sign up asap.
So head over to Architect in the House, sign up, and start your journey!
More information on the work of Shelter where you are:
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