What if I already have my own architect, drawings, or planning permission?
Bringing your own architect, drawings, or planning consents is a fully supported path. You hand over your technical pack, we match you with builders who quote against it, and you skip the design phase entirely.
Plenty of customers come to us with their own architect, their own drawings, and sometimes planning permission already granted. That's a fully supported path. Hand over your technical pack and you can skip the design phase entirely.
What you can hand over
Anything that helps a builder quote properly. Common examples:
- Architectural drawings (existing and proposed).
- Structural engineer's calculations and drawings.
- Approved planning permission, if applicable.
- A scope of works document.
- A procurement list or materials schedule.
- Quotes from specialist suppliers (e.g. for bespoke joinery, glazing, structural elements).
- Site assumptions or any technical notes you've agreed with your professionals.
The more complete your pack, the more accurate the builder quotes will be.
What happens next
Your planner takes your technical pack and uses it to brief the builders we match you with. Site visits happen as normal — even with full drawings, builders need to see the site to verify measurements, check feasibility, and identify anything not visible on paper. Quotes come back, you compare them, and you choose.
The Home Improvement Contract (HIC) is generated from the scope and quote that you and your chosen builder have agreed. The construction milestones, payment schedule, and warranty all run as they would on any Beams project.
Where Beams designers fit (or don't)
If you've handed over a complete pack, you don't need our designers at all. Our design team produces design intent — that's a layer beneath what an architect produces and beneath what you've already commissioned. If you want our designers to support a specific stage (for example, materials selection or finishes coordination), that's available as a paid service. Otherwise, we sit out of design.
How the contract works when you already have an architect
The standard Home Improvement Contract (HIC) can still be used when you bring your own architect. If your architect is taking the role of Principal Designer under the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 (CDM), we provide a customised version of the HIC where the architect is named as Principal Designer in place of the builder.
The customised HIC clarifies:
- your architect is acting as Principal Designer under CDM;
- your builder is acting as Principal Contractor only;
- responsibility for design coordination, design risk management, and design compliance sits with the appointed Principal Designer;
- the builder is only responsible for temporary works or contractor-designed elements within their scope.
In practice this is a schedule or amendment to the standard HIC clarifying CDM appointments and design responsibility — not a separate contract form. You don't need to negotiate anything different; the customisation is a recognised pathway and your planner will set it up.
What this means for you
Tell your planner up front that you have your own technical pack. Send it across as soon as you can. We'll move straight to builder matching and site visits, which compresses the timeline meaningfully. You're not paying for design support you don't need.
Related articles
- What Beams is and how it works
- How to get builder quotes
- Do I need an architect, a structural engineer, or both?