Architectural Services

A well-designed home extension can give a house a new lease of life by opening out a cramped kitchen or adding an extra bedroom to accommodate a growing family. We will discuss your requirements with you and suggest possible solutions, whether this is replacing an existing cold and damp 1960s extension or building out into your garden.

We can advise at an early stage whether your loft is suitable for conversion and check whether you have enough space for a new staircase. Any loft conversion will need building regulation approval. We can guide you through all the relevant regulations and prepare and submit your application.

We can offer advice on the internal layout of your premises, whether this be the most efficient way to add new bathrooms to your guesthouse or the opening up of an existing space to forma workshop area.

Should you require to build new premises or extend your existing buildings, we will gain an understanding of the way your business operates and work with you to produce a design that makes the most efficient use of the space available.

Much of our local building stock was built over 100 years ago. From the Victorian terraces of the region’s market towns to the farmhouses of the surrounding countryside, we are surrounded by a building stock rich in heritage that acts as a showcase of traditional building techniques. When working with these historic buildings, we believe it is important to be sensitive to the design of the original built elements. By understanding the techniques used by the original builders these buildings can be meaningfully preserved and continue to be interesting and inviting spaces for current and future inhabitants.

Proposals for additions to or alterations of Listed buildings make for exciting projects calling for sensitive and thoughtful design.

We would research and establish an understanding of the history and development of the existing building before discussing the options available to develop it with you. We would then approach the local Planning Department Conservation Officer and liaise with them to create a proposal which compliments and enhances the quality and integrity of the existing building whilst establishing its own character and validity as a21st-century addition or alteration.

We have experience preparing the necessary Heritage Asset Statements and all of the design and paperwork that is required for Listed Building Applications.

Although local planning policies vary, it is likely you will need some form planning approval. If your project will need planning permission then, as part of our design process, we will liaise with the local planning department and establish a design and choice of materials that would be most likely to gain permission whilst also responding to your design ambitions. We would also highlight any other issues that may influence whether permission will be granted and find solutions to them.

Once we have discussed your project in detail and agreed a design with you, we would prepare all the necessary drawings and forms to submit an application to the planning department.

Most building work will require some form of building regulation approval. This is an entirely separate process from planning approval and will often be required even if planning approval is not needed. The building regulations are concerned with the design and construction of many different elements of any building. We can guide you through any regulations that apply to your scheme submit an application for Building Regulation Approval to your local council should one be required.

The involvement of an experienced surveyor/ engineer during the construction phase of a project can be hugely beneficial and can help to ensure that the quality of work is to a high standard and that costs are kept under control. We can provide technical drawings and specifications giving more detail about the construction of the building. We can also offer assistance in obtaining tenders and arranging for a formal building contract to be used. Once construction has started we can administer the building contract and carry out regular site inspections with attention to the timing, cost and quality of the building work.