Posts

The SW15 Postcode Check That Decides Everything Before Your Putney Project Begins

Image
Extension Architecture has been based at 231 Roehampton Lane in SW15 for years, and that physical presence in Putney shapes how we work in a way that firms based elsewhere simply cant replicate. We know which streets carry Article 4 Directions. We know how Wandsworth Council reads submissions from this specific corner of the borough. And we know what the Victorian and Edwardian terraces across SW15, SW18, and SW19 can realistically become when the planning process is handled properly. Forty four completed projects across Putney, a 98% planning approval rate, and around 60 active applications with Wandsworth Council at any given time. If youre looking for a Putney residential extension architect who genuinely knows this ground, that combination of local presence and project track record is what real expertise looks like. Why Article 4 Directions Are the First Thing We Check in SW15 Many homeowners in Putney start the extension process assuming their project falls within permitted dev...
Post a Comment
Read more

Southwark Extensions: 44 Projects and What SE1 to SE22 Has Taught Us

Image
Southwark is one of those London boroughs that surprises people who only know it from the outside. The Shard, Borough Market, the Tate Modern, these are the things people associate with it. But the residential streets of Peckham, Dulwich, Camberwell, Bermondsey, and Herne Hill tell a different story, one of Victorian and Edwardian terraces, 1930s properties, and homeowners who have chosen this part of south London deliberately and arent planning to leave. When those homes stop working for the families they house, extending is almost always the better answer to moving. At Extension Architecture, weve completed 44 projects across Southwark, covering SE1, SE5, SE15, SE16, SE17, SE21, and SE22. If youre looking for a Southwark home extension architect with a genuine track record in this borough, that experience is what real local knowledge looks like. The Dulwich Village Conservation Area and Why It Changes Everything The Dulwich Village conservation area is the planning consideration t...
Post a Comment
Read more

Kingston upon Thames: Why Getting the Right Architect Here Makes All the Difference

Image
Kingston upon Thames sits in one of the most sought after parts of outer London, and the homeowners here know exactly what they have. Good schools, a proper town centre, the river, and housing stock that ranges from Victorian terraces to substantial Edwardian semis and larger detached homes in the quieter residential streets. When a Kingston property stops working for the family it houses, moving rarely feels like the obvious answer. Improving does. And finding a good Kingston home extension architect who understands both the local planning environment and what these specific properties can realistically become is where that improvement actually starts. Kingston sits within the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, which shares planning responsibilities with Richmond residential architects and brings its own specific expectations to how residential applications get assessed. What the Royal Borough Expects From Planning Applications The Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames has clea...
Post a Comment
Read more

Why Clapham House Extensions Go Wrong Before the Builder Even Arrives

Image
Most people in Clapham start thinking about an extension and immediately picture the finished result. Open plan kitchen, bifold doors, morning light coming through a roof light over the dining table. That image is completely achievable. What's less visible, and what causes most of the problems on these projects, is everything that needs to happen correctly before a single wall comes down. At Extension Architecture we've worked with enough Clapham house extension specialists to know that the projects which go wrong almost always trace back to decisions made in the first few weeks, not the last few months. Clapham sits within Lambeth, and Lambeth Council has specific expectations around how rear extensions affect neighbouring properties. Getting those expectations wrong at the design stage means getting them wrong at the planning stage, which means delays, redesigns, and costs that shouldnt have happened. The Lambeth Overlooking Problem That Catches People Out Lambeth plannin...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Reigate and Banstead Borough That Most Surrey Homeowners Underestimate

Image
Reigate has a character that takes people by surprise. The town sits at the foot of the North Downs, it has a genuine high street that still functions properly, and the housing stock ranges from substantial Victorian villas near the town centre to interwar semis in the quieter residential streets and larger detached homes in the villages that fall within the borough boundary. Banstead, Redhill, Horley, Tadworth, Kingswood, all of these sit within the same planning authority, and each has its own character that Reigate and Banstead Borough Council reflects in how it assesses planning applications. Finding a residential architect in Reigate who understands these distinctions rather than treating the whole borough as one uniform planning environment is what gives a project the best possible start. What Reigate and Banstead Borough Council Actually Focuses On The council here has a clear set of priorities when assessing residential extension applications. How a proposal relates to the e...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Epsom Couple Who Specifically Asked for No Open Plan Living and Got Something Better

Image
Most extension briefs in Epsom ask for the same thing. Knock through, open it up, create one big space for cooking and living and eating. A couple in Epsom, planning their home for retirement and for the extended family who would visit, asked for the opposite. Their brief specifically wanted to avoid open plan kitchen and living spaces. Instead, they wanted expanded living areas, a new family bathroom, a bedroom that could adapt as their needs changed, an office that doubled as a music room, a snug, and a reconfigured garden. Working with a residential architect in Epsom who actually listens to a brief like that, rather than defaulting to the standard solution, is what produced a home that genuinely fits how this particular couple wanted to live. The house, a detached property at the end of a cul-de-sac overlooking Roseberry Park, was originally developed in the 1950s. The new wing was designed specifically to chase the afternoon sun at the back of the garden, a detail that came from...
Post a Comment
Read more

Richmond upon Thames Has 59 Conservation Areas and Your Extension Needs to Respect Every One That Applies

Image
That number is not a typo. Richmond upon Thames has 59 designated conservation areas, more than almost any other London borough. When you consider that the borough also contains Richmond Park, Kew Gardens, Ham House, and stretches of Thames riverside that are among the most protected landscapes in Greater London, the level of planning scrutiny applied to residential extensions here starts to make complete sense. This is not a borough where a standard approach to planning will get you very far. Finding residential architects in Richmond who understand this from the very beginning is what separates a project that gets approved from one that generates rounds of amendments and delays. At Extension Architecture, we've worked across Richmond and know exactly what the borough's planning department looks for and where the complexity lies. The Edwardian Renovation That Got Everything Right A recently completed project in Richmond involved a substantial Edwardian home that needed bot...
Post a Comment
Read more