Appointment with Planning Office - Preparation

Hello forum community,

we are planning a single-family house, possibly with a granny flat and a double garage. As laypeople, we have already created a CAD drawing and know how the house should look.

The first appointment with the planner is coming up soon, who will professionally correct/optimize our drawings accordingly and "translate" them into a submission-capable plan with structural engineering, etc. Since we can award some trades entirely within the family, we are building without a general contractor and would have to find individual companies for some trades.

Do you have any tips on what we should place great importance on regarding the planning? Are there certain things that definitely should be included in the planning contract? As a layperson, can I even tell if a planner is "reliable" or not? How do I protect myself against massive budget overruns? Is a corresponding contract mandatory, or does a planner start on a "handshake"?

It would be great if you could share some practical tips for preparing for this appointment :)

As laymen we have

who professionally correct/optimize our drawings accordingly

I consider that unwise. It would be better to go to an architect with a room program, must-haves, priorities, etc. without a drawing. The mere draftsman just cleans up your laymen’s(!) planning and only questions and improves static or similar errors, but not your possible misplanning. How do you come, if you call yourselves laymen, to the conviction of managing the floor plan alone? Have you considered all details? For example, raw structural dimensions adjusted to plaster dimensions? Taken standardized cabinet depths? Stair length/steps? Wouldn’t you rather post the plan here? Who is the "planner"? An architect? A draftsman? I still see some pitfalls here...

Is there already a purchased plot of land? How large is it?

Is the plot of land flat?

Is your planner an architect? Does he have references?

How big will the house be?

Budget for the house? Be sure to tell the planner.

Are you familiar with the BY building regulations?

Have you adhered to the development plan (if there is one)?

Is a self-employed civil engineer who runs his own planning office. More than what you mentioned should our amateur work definitely not represent. Although we have certainly considered and incorporated the topics you mentioned, it is by no means a professionally correct planning.

Therefore, it is also important to us that the planning is not simply "traced" but much more a professionally clean and efficient planning should be created. The drawing should serve as an orientation, as you have already described, for basic room layout, priorities, etc.

This could certainly lead to misunderstandings! Already a very good hint, I will clearly emphasize this in the conversation and probably will not hand over the detailed drawings either.

Is a freelance civil engineer who runs his own planning office.

Then he has certainly already planned other houses. How do you like the references?

I consider that unwise. It would be better to go to an architect with a room program, must-haves, priorities, etc. without a drawing. The pure draftsman just redraws your amateur(!) planning neatly and only questions and corrects static or similar errors, but not your possible faulty planning.

How do you, considering yourselves amateurs, come to the conviction to create the floor plan on your own? Have you considered all the details? For example, raw construction dimensions compared to plaster dimensions? Used standardized cupboard depths? Stair lengths/steps? Would you not rather post the plan here?

Who is the "planner"? An architect? A draftsman? I still see quite a few pitfalls here...

He is a self-employed civil engineer who runs his own planning office.
Our amateur work definitely is not supposed to represent more than what you have mentioned. Although we have indeed considered and incorporated the topics you mentioned, by no means is this a professionally correct plan.

Therefore, it is also important to us that the planning is not simply "traced," but rather a professionally sound and efficient plan should be created. The drawing is intended as guidance, as you described, for the basic room layout, priorities, etc.

That could certainly lead to misunderstandings! A very good hint already; I will make that very clear in the discussion and probably not hand over the detailed drawings either.

Is there already a purchased plot? How big is it?

Is the plot flat?

Is your planner an architect? Does he have references?

How big will the house be?

Budget for the house? Make sure to tell the planner.

Do you know the building regulations (BY building code)?

Have you adhered to the development plan (if there is one)?

The plot is available, 1800m², slope of 6% across the house width and 9% across the house length.
The planning office was recommended to us by acquaintances who have already worked with him, but in the multi-family house/commercial sector. I will ask for single-family house references.
As it stands today, 240m² living space with a granny flat. The granny flat is mandatory. Living space is possibly optimizable. Unfortunately (or fortunately), we both work permanently from home office, without two offices that unfortunately no longer works. Two children’s rooms are also necessary.
The budget is 500k after buffer and own contribution by us and the family; a separate thread will follow regarding how we can realistically calculate this best.
I would say that I am now well familiar with the building code, at least with regard to the various approval processes I have studied well, and the resulting risks regarding liability and responsibility are also well known to me.
There is a development plan; we intend to fully comply with it.