Frequently Asked Questions
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After completing your purchase on the Preview Studio website we will send you confirmation email with tips on how to record a good video for photogrammetry processing, and a link to upload your video once you've done it.
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A video from your phone is good enough - the key is to walk around slowly (including turning slowly while always moving forward) and to walk around your entire home twice. It is also best to shoot the video during the day, with all the curtains drawn and lights switched on to provide as much light as possible. We've found best results from shooting the video in 'landscape' format (with your phone held sideways), rather than portrait.
When you complete your purchase on the Preview Studio website you will be sent a confirmation email with more detailed tips on how to record a good video, and a link to upload your video once you've done it.
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The video you upload to the Preview Studio website should include every corner of every room in your house, which is why doing two circuits is essential. If, on your first visit to a room, you walked around clockwise, on your return walk around anti-clockwise. If on your first visit you captured the skirting boards but couldn't really see the mouldings very well, on the return tilt the phone in the opposite way.
Don't worry about clutter or mess - that can actually be helpful, especially things that are pushed up against the walls!
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The standard Preview Studio service is 10 working days, but we also offer 5 and 3 working day rush services.
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You can request one round of revisions as part of the Preview Studio standard service, assuming the brief remains broadly the same. For additional rounds of revisions beyond the first, or for big changes to the brief (if you started off wanting a loft extension but changed your mind and wanted a rear extension instead, for example) then you can purchase additional design options.
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As part of the core Preview Studio service, we respond to the written brief you submitted along with your order.
We do offer a video consultation service as an optional extra, in which case you can choose to have the video meeting after receiving the initial plans.
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We provide rough cost-estimate ranges as part of the standard Preview Studio service, based on the size of the extension or renovated area, the inclusion of kitchens or bathrooms, and your location in the UK among other factors. The low end of the cost range assumes a low end specification, and the upper end of the range a high end specification.
These are very rough estimates, and if you move your project forward you should get a detailed cost-estimate based on the final design, and your final material and fixture choices.
Even then, you will only know the true cost of the work once you get tender prices back from the contractors.
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Preview Studio specialise in residential extensions and renovations. For commercial properties, please contact us to discuss your project in detail.
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No problem! Preview Studio documents include clear plan drawings, and for something even easier to understand we offer rendered 3D plans as an optional extra. We try to explain everything in plain English, and any advice we offer is in a clear 'question and answer' format.
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Preview Studio will work on sites anywhere within the United Kingdom.
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Our main tool for creating 3D models and generating the plan drawings is Sketchup, a very popular software within the architectural world. For the visualisations in the Preview Packs, we're using the latest AI image-generation software.
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Preview Studio don't take projects through the planning process or construction, but we can provide recommendations for architects to contact in your region
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Check out our Case Studies page to see examples of previous work.
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Yes, we offer a 14-day money-back guarantee.
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Our designs are compliant with local building regulations of the site, though it is worth remembering that many (and perhaps most) of the regulations will relate to work done at later, detailed design stages.
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Our proposals are based on your brief, and what you have told us you value in a home. Each Preview Pack includes a set of visualisations that show how the same essential design can be realised in a variety of styles, so you can see which one suits your taste the best.
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We specialise in extensions and renovations to individual homes - if that describes your project then Preview Studio can handle it!
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Typically quotes are sought at a much later stage, when more detailed information is available, and the design is less subject to change. For that reason, if using your Preview Studio sketch design to get quotes we would recommend being as specific as possible in the information you provide to avoid the kind of ambiguity that leads to misunderstandings, and be prepared for the quotes to change as more detail is added to the design at a later stage by your designers.
As well as the Preview Studio sketch design you would also want to provide a list of materials, fixtures and fittings, typical construction details (such as accredited construction details for Part L) and as clear and detailed written specification as you can create.
Ready to get your Preview Studio pack?