Drawing is a great way to express yourself. From the Mona Lisa to That Creepy Smiley Face That You Don’t Know Why You Drew, people have been painting and drawing forever. But with the rise of technology, much artistic expression has moved online.

So it’s no surprise that we’re also seeing a rise in digital drawing tools. And one of our favorites right now? The Chrome extension, [extension name]. This extension allows you to draw on any website. So whether you’re writing an angry blog post about your least favorite artist or editing your resume, it’s easy to add in some art. Best of all, the extension’s free!

But don’t take our word for it—check it out yourself!

Chrome Extension For Drawing

When people mention drawing tools, they typically mean things like pencils, pens, markers, chalk, or more recently, tablets and styluses. That’s appropriate, since people have used those tools to draw for years.

But the Chrome browser also can serve as an effective drawing tool when used with a well-chosen web app. All of the apps below let you use a mouse or touchpad to draw in Chrome on a computer; if your system has a touchscreen, these apps accept marks made with a finger or stylus as well. These apps let you sketch a process, capture a concept, or illustrate your thinking — all within a desktop web browser.

SEE: Multicloud: A cheat sheet (free PDF) (TechRepublic)

Google and several developers offer drawing apps that work in a browser. Google makes at least five drawing apps, although no single Google drawing app includes a full set of drawing tools. The other browser-based apps below are listed roughly in order of ease of use, power, and price. (The two apps at the bottom of the list are both full-featured vector graphic design apps.)

1. Google drawing apps

Google Drawings, Chrome Canvas, Jamboard, Google Keep, and Autodraw offer distinct drawing capabilities.

• Google Drawings works best to create diagrams, process maps, and other shape or frame-style layouts.
• Chrome Canvas supports freehand sketching in four styles (pencil, pen, marker, and chalk) and lets you draw on up to 10 different layers.
• Google Keep not only lets you draw a note, but also recognizes handwritten words in your drawn notes when you search in Keep.
• Jamboard, a collaborative app meant mostly for meetings, lets people draw in one or more rectangle-shaped frames.
• The AutoDraw app’s primary purpose is to find a professionally created image that corresponds to the lines you draw.

For more details about Google’s drawing apps, read Comparing and Contrasting Google’s Actual Drawing Apps by Tom Mullaney.

SEE: How to use four Jamboard features on the web (TechRepublic)

2. Limnu

Limnu is the most elegant and simple drawing app that works in a browser. It provides a limited set of colors, shapes, pens, and pen sizes, among other features. The app supports both private and collaborative boards, and also includes video-conferencing capabilities.

You can subscribe to the Limnu Pro Plan for $5 per month (or $50 per year) or the Limnu Team Plan for groups at $8 per person per month (or $80 per person per year). Get more details about Limnu pricing.

3. Sketchpad

Sketchpad supports a variety of pen types, shapes, text, and clip art. With support for layers, the apps lets you hide, duplicate, or delete any layer, in addition to moving a layer forward or backward, or to the front or back. Even better, Sketchpad is free to use online, although you may purchase a desktop version of the app ($4.95), which lets you save files offline.

4. Boxy SVG

Boxy SVG (scalable vector graphics) delivers a powerful vector design app. As the name implies, vector graphics scale, so the size of any images you create may be scaled up or down with no loss of resolution. The app includes a long list of drawing, text, object, and shape creation and manipulation tools.

You may subscribe to use the app from Chrome on Windows or macOS ($9 per month) or, on a Chrome OS device with access to the Chrome Web Store, buy the app for a one-time fee of $9.99.

5. Gravit Designer

Now offered from Corel Corporation, Gravit Designer (free) and Gravit Designer PRO ($49 per year) both provide professional vector-editing features. The paid version improves access to fonts, expands import and export options, and adds many other image edit options. The upgrade also adds cloud storage, with access to project version history.

how much for an architect to draw up plans for an extension

If you are thinking about doing some work on your home, whether it’s a conversion or an extension, you might need to use an architect.

Architects can draw up plans for your projects and give you advice about making the most of light and space.

They also know all about your local authority’s planning laws, so they will be able to advise you who you need to contact and what you should do.

In this guide, we’ll show you how much it costs to hire an architect, what affects that cost, how you can save money on architect’s fees, how to find and hire an architect and what questions to ask them.

Finally, we’ll answer some of your frequently asked questions.

How Much Do Architects Charge?
You can see from the table below that architects have different ways of costing a project. Mid-sized projects are often charged on a fixed fee basis.

FEE STRUCTURE SERVICE ESTIMATED COST
Fixed Fee Site Survey £300 to £500
Drawings and plans for planning permission (extension or conversion) £2,000 to £4,000
Drawings and plans for planning permission (new build) £3,000 to £5,000
Drawings and plans for building regs approval
(extension of conversion) £3,000 to £6,000
Drawings and plans for building regs approval
(new build) £5,000 to £8,000
Percentage of Build Costs Extension or conversion costing £150,000 12 percent (£18,000)
Extension or conversion costing £300,000 11 percent (£33,000)
Extension or conversion costing £500,000 10 percent (£50,000)
New build costing £150,000 8.7 percent (£13,050)
New build costing £300,000 8 per cent (£24,000)
New build costing £500,000 7.3 per cent (£36,500)
The architect will see what work needs to be done and quote you a price for the work. Site surveys, drawings and plans are often fixed-fee projects.

Larger projects, as you will see from the table, are charged on a percentage basis. They will charge you a certain percentage of your build costs and cover building projects like conversions, extensions, and new builds.

Small projects are often billed by the hour. An average hourly rate for an architect is between £50 to £100.

When you need an architect, use HouseholdQuotes. Simply fill in the online form and tell us briefly what you need.

We’ll find architects in your area to give you no-obligation quotes for your building project.
Comparing Quotes Could Save You Up To 40%:

Click To Get Quotes
What Affects the Cost of Hiring an Architect?
There are several different factors which will affect the cost of hiring an architect.

The Nature and Complexity of Your Project
If your project is small and all you require are plans or a site survey, then your costs will be less. If, however, you are converting your home, or having a new build and you want the architect to draw up the plans and project manage the job, then you are going to have to pay more.

Whether You Need Planning Permission or Building Regs Approval
If a job requires planning permission or building regs approval, it is normally more expensive because the architect has more paperwork and/or calls and visits to make.

Whether You Choose an Independent Contractor or a Large Firm
An independent contractor is likely to be cheaper than a large firm. Using someone local might also be an advantage as they will know the area and the people in the planning department of your local authority.

Location
If you live in London, the surrounding area or the South East of England, services are always more expensive than in other parts of the UK. You should add between 10% and 20% to any costs quoted for services in this guide.

What Are the Steps an Architect Will Take When You Hire Them for a Project?
Step One
The first step will be for your architect to visit your home, meet with you and do a feasibility study to make sure that it is possible to make the changes you want to make to your property.

Step Two
Your architect will then draw up design options for you to approve. You might be given a choice of designs.

Make sure you want the designs your architects have come up with. It will be expensive to change your mind once the building work begins.

Step Three
Now is the time to apply for planning permission if you need it. Building regulation documents will also need to be drawn up.

At this stage, you may also need the help of a structural engineer. If you are knocking down walls and changing the structure of your home, you will need a structural engineer.

A structural engineer will make that the structure of your property isn’t compromised by the changes you want to make. If you need steel beams, for example, they will tell you the measurement and weight you need to have to provide strength and security for your home’s structure.

If you need planning permission, it can take between four and six weeks for the planning department to go through the proposal and give their decision.

Step Four
When you have planning permission and approval from building regulations, your architect will draw up the plans for your builder.

Step Five
The work will begin.

Step Six
You may also need other tradespeople to finish off your project. Depending, what you are having done, you may need:

An Electrician
An electrician will install new lighting and any new wiring you need. Electricians charge on average between £30 and £55 an hour or £240 to £440 a day.

A Plumber
If you are having a kitchen extension or a new bathroom fitted, then you will need a plumber. Plumbers on average charge between £40 to £80 an hour or £320 to £680 a day.

A Heating Engineer
If you need to install a boiler or move radiators a heating engineer will be able to do this for you. Heating engineers charge on average between £30 to £60 per hour or £240 to £480 a day.

A Plasterer
A plaster will charge on average between £15 to £25 an hour or £120 to £200 a day.

A Painter and Decorator
If you need a painter and decorator once the work is complete you can expect to pay on average between £15 to £22 per hour or £120 to £176 a day.

You’ll probably find that most traders may also give you a per-project fee for their work.

Is There Any Way to Save Money on Architectural Fees?
If you have a small or medium-sized building project you could hire an architectural technician instead of an architect.

They are not as highly trained as an architect and that’s why they don’t take on large construction projects, but they are still skilled at what they do.

You should also try to use an independent contractor rather than a large firm. Their overheads will be lower, and they can charge less than a big company.

Do your research so you find an architect that designs buildings that match your vision. Contact a few architects and compare your quotes.

When you need an architect, use HouseholdQuotes. Fill in our online form (it takes less than a minute).

Tell us briefly what you need, and we’ll find local architects to give you no-obligation quotes for your home improvement project.
Comparing Quotes Could Save You Up To 40%:

Click To Get Quotes
When Do I Need an Architect?
You can use an architect for any home improvement project, large or small. For example, if you want to create more light and space in your home but you’re not sure how to achieve it, an architect can help you.

Some of the most common projects that involve an architect are:

New builds
Basement conversions
A basement conversion can cost you from £1,000 to £6,000 per square metre, depending on the type of conversion. If you want to know more about the costs of converting your basement have a look at our guide.

Garage conversion
A standard garage conversion should cost between £5,000 to £7,500; it will cost more if you then add a bathroom or kitchen to the space. You can read our guide if you want to know more about garage conversions,

Loft Conversion
A loft conversion can cost between £21,000 and £44,000 depending on the size and design you choose. You can read more about the cost of converting your loft in our guide.

Building an extension
You can read all about the costs of building an extension in our guide. Depending on the type of extension you choose you will be looking at between £1,000 and £3,000 per square foot.

Vaulting a ceiling
If you need to heighten your ceiling or you just want to make a design statement you can install a vaulted ceiling. The costs on average are between £13,000 to £18,000 depending on the height and style you choose. Read more about vaulted ceilings in our guide.

Knocking down walls and creating a new living space
Removing a load-bearing wall to create a larger space has become very popular as householders like the benefits of open plan living.

Reforming kitchens and bathrooms
Modernising or increasing the size of your kitchen or bathroom will add value to your home. A new bathroom will cost on average between £2,750 to £6,500 and a new kitchen on average will cost around £8,000, but you can spend thousands more.

Dealing with building projects in listed buildings or a conservation area
If you live in a listed building or a conservation area there will be regulations regarding what you can and can’t do to your home. An architect will be able to explain the restrictions and help you get things done in compliance with planning rules.
Comparing Quotes Could Save You Up To 40%:

Click To Get Quotes
What Does an Architect’s Day Look Like?

A typical day for an architect might begin with reading and answering emails and organising the tasks for the day.

By mid-morning, an architect may be on the computer drawing up plans or designing a particular project.

After lunch, the architect might have a site visit with a client. This might be a project that’s already underway or one which is in the pipeline.

Back at the office there might be a team discussion amongst other members of the office about a project or working on projects including phone calls and meetings with clients.

How Do I Find and Hire an Architect?
It’s always useful to get personal recommendations. Ask family, friends, and work colleagues if there’s an architect, they can recommend to you.

Search the website’s of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) or the government’s Architects Registration Board.

You can also use HouseholdQuotes. Fill in the online form and tell us briefly what you need.

We’ll then find architects in your area to give you no-obligation quotes for your building project.
Comparing Quotes Could Save You Up To 40%:

Click To Get Quotes
Ensuring the Professional Is the Right Fit
Asking questions is a good way to find out more about an architect and his business. You’ll soon find out if you’re going to get on with each other and if the architect can create your vision.

We suggest asking the below questions:

Do you have a website? A website will tell you the type of projects they work on and the services they provide. They might also have case studies from past projects and testimonials from previous clients.
Do you have experience in the type of project I need? If you want to use an architect that has done something similar to your project in the past you can ask this question. However, if you look at an architect’s website you can normally see what they do.
What are your qualifications? By asking this you will know whether the person is an architect or an architectural assistant.
Do you belong to any professional organisations?
Can you manage my entire building project? If you want an architect to manage your building project you need to make sure that you are talking to an architect and not an architectural technician.
Do you have Public Liability Insurance? An architect should have public liability insurance. An architectural technician may not need it.
Final Checklist
The below checklist walks you through the best steps to take to find a professional architect to help you with your projects:

Write down what you want to do
Decide how you want an architect to help you
Find an architect (HouseholdQuotes can help you with this)
Compare quotes and pick the architect that suits you
Ask for a free initial consultation
Appoint the architect to help you with your project

Conclusion

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