Which architects in Guildford do AI assistants actually recommend?

We put the 14 questions a person in Guildford asks before choosing architect — cost, specialism, who to use, how to check them — to Claude and ChatGPT, 5 times each, 140 answers in all, and recorded every firm the answers named. 30 firms in Guildford were checked against those answers. 8 of them were named at least once. The rest were not recommended in a single answer.

The league table

Firms are ranked by the number of answers that named them, then by how many different questions. The assistants do not give identical answers twice, so a difference of one or two mentions is noise; being named on questions a rival is absent from is not.

The questions we asked

1. Do I need a full architect or would an architectural technologist be enough for a house extension?
2. How much do architects in Guildford typically charge for a two-storey extension design?
3. Is it cheaper to hire an architect for the whole project or just get planning drawings done and manage the build myself?
4. What's the difference between using a small independent architecture practice near Guildford versus a national design-and-build chain?
5. Should I compare quotes from architects in Godalming and Guildford before choosing one, or is that overkill for a loft conversion?
6. I've just bought a period cottage near Shalford and want to extend it sympathetically - who handles listed building consent locally?
7. We're planning a self-build on a plot off the A281 near Cranleigh - do I need a local architect familiar with Waverley planning rules?
8. How do I check if a local architect near Guildford is actually RIBA registered and not just calling themselves an architect?
9. Are there reliable reviews or case studies for independent architects working around Surrey, or is it all word of mouth?
10. What accreditations should I look for to make sure an architect near Guildford is reliable for a residential project?
11. My planning application for a rear extension in Merrow got rejected once already - which local firm has experience appealing decisions?
12. What's the process for getting planning permission and building regs drawings done for a garden studio?
13. Which architect near Guildford has the best reputation for barn conversions rather than just standard house extensions?
14. Which is better value near Farnham - a sole-trader architect or a small multi-person practice for a full renovation?

How this was measured

• Date: 22 September 2026. This is one day, not a trend; the index is re-measured monthly.
• Sample: 14 questions × 2 assistants × 5 runs = 140 answers. 30 firms checked.
• Assistants used: Claude (Anthropic’s Sonnet model, through its API, with web search); ChatGPT (OpenAI’s gpt-4o-mini model, through its API, with web search — not the model inside the ChatGPT app). Answers from these programming interfaces can differ from what the consumer apps show.
• Counting: a firm is counted when its name appears in an answer. Names are picked out of the answer text automatically, then matched to the firm list.
• Limits: the assistants vary between runs, so small gaps are noise. Firms that were not named may still be recommended by an assistant or a question we did not ask. National chains are left off the list.