Architects, surely, are for the grander schemes in life: that stunning new-build house, the folly in the grounds of a country estate. Most of us would never consider enlisting the services of an architect for a more humble project, such as a small extension.

That’s what Des and Ann Ryan thought before they decided to try out Architect in the House — an advice scheme run by the Royal Institute of British Architects (Riba). The Ryans were considering a modest remodelling of their 1960s detached house in Shepperton, Middlesex.

“We had an old garage at the back of our house,” says Des. “All it was doing was serving as a shed. Realising this was a waste, and having a kitchen that was too small, we started to think that maybe we could extend into it. We weren’t envisaging a massive scheme, but even so we thought we could benefit from the advice of an architect; unfortunately we couldn’t get anyone to come and look at what must have sounded like a minor piece of work.”

Then Ann found a way of guaranteeing that an architect would come and inspect their humble garage. She chanced upon a magazine article that mentioned the Architect in the House scheme, part of the national Architecture Week. For a minimum donation of £25 — many give more — to the housing charity Shelter, anybody can get in touch with Riba and book a qualified local architect to call in and offer up to an hour’s advice. For people who have never used an architect, it ’s an unintimidating introduction to the services architects can offer even the smallest home.

The Ryans e-mailed Riba, who put them in touch with Duncan Foster, whose practice is in nearby Surbiton. “I take on a certain number of site visits as part of the scheme every year,” Foster says. “I come up with ideas, and then it’s up to the people involved what they do with them.

“Many people already have builders involved, or are thinking about having something done. I stay for at least an hour and just chat things through. Many find that it can be of real benefit to have somebody give them a professional opinion.”

In the Ryans’ case, the consultation led to a dramatic change of plan. “Duncan looked at the garage and explained how much work would need to be done to allow it to be incorporated into the house,” says Des. “For a start, its fabric was just a single skin, and it would also need a new roof. He suggested that we should think about knocking it down completely instead and building an extension that went right across the back of the house.

“Once he’d gone and we thought about the idea, we realised that he was right. We decided to see if he would be prepared to get involved and to take things further.”

The cost of the more ambitious scheme was much higher, but Des and Ann were excited enough about Foster’s proposals to start looking at raising their investment. “It developed a momentum of its own,” says Des, “and we just decided to go with it, and to see how much things would cost. Duncan came back to us with three rough plans drawn up, which were far better than we had envisaged. The one we chose effectively opened up the whole of the back of the house and gave us far better access to the garden, which we both love.”

The final cost of building the extension was £83,425, plus Foster’s fee, which, following Riba guidelines, was 11% of the contract value. For this, he was involved throughout the entire procedure, not only providing detailed drawings for the scheme, but also taking everything through the planning stage, selecting materials, arranging the design of an underfloor heating system, employing builders and carrying out site visits to check on the work. He was also on hand for the unexpected problems, and fired the first set of builders when he decided their work wasn’t up to scratch. He employed a new team that proved much more satisfactory.

Hold-ups with planning permission and the problem with the builders meant that the whole process from start to finish took about 18 months — slightly longer than average — but Des and Ann are delighted.

“The extension is not only wonderful to look at,” says Des, “but it has transformed the house, and everything has been so well thought through. For example, there is a reflection pool outside that throws light on to the ceiling, and a skylight allows light to flood in from above, making the rest of the house, which is north-facing, much brighter and more attractive than before. Outside, we have also got a courtyard and a decking area that links the enlarged kitchen with the garden. The extension has become our favourite part of the house, and we find that we’re using it more than our main living room.

“It’s amazing how it has all come together: we have ended up with something much better than we had ever originally anticipated.”

Architecture Week 2005, June 17-26, 020 7973 5246, www.architectureweek.org.uk. To arrange a consultation as part of Riba’s Architect in the House scheme, register at www.architectinthehouse.com

Duncan Foster, 020 8390 7555, www.duncanfosterarchitect.co.uk

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