Posts

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

Two Neighbours, One Planning Application, and What It Teaches About Surrey Architecture

Image
In Godalming, two families living in adjoining semi detached homes both wanted to extend. When they each approached the process separately, it became clear that two individual applications would likely fail because of right to light issues between the properties. The solution their architect proposed was a joint planning application, both extensions designed and submitted together, which resolved the right to light concern and got both projects approved. That story is worth knowing if you're looking for a local architect in Surrey because it shows something important. The best outcomes here often come from thinking about problems differently, not just applying standard solutions to standard situations. Surrey throws up these kinds of complexities more often than people expect, and having an architect who thinks creatively within the planning framework is genuinely valuable. Why Right to Light Matters More in Surrey Than People Realise Right to light is a legal principle that gi...
Post a Comment
Read more

What a Flooded Basement Almost Taught One Harrow Family the Hard Way

Image
There's a stretch of land near the river in Harrow where the ground holds water longer than most people realise. A family planning a basement extension there had their design nearly go ahead without anyone checking the flood history of the site. It was only when a residential architect Harrow homeowners had been recommended actually looked into the local drainage records that the issue came up. The basement depth was adjusted, additional waterproofing was specified, and what could have been a very expensive mistake became a manageable design decision instead. That story sticks with us because it's such a clear example of something people dont think about when choosing an architect. It's not just about drawings and planning applications. It's about knowing things about the local area that dont show up on a site visit unless someone is specifically looking for them. The Things a Local Architect Notices That Others Dont Harrow has been inhabited for a very long time, a...
Post a Comment
Read more

Roof Form, Brick Colour, and Side Gaps: Why Barnet Extensions Live or Die on the Details

Image
Most homeowners in Barnet start thinking about an extension and immediately focus on size. How many metres can we go back? Can we add a second storey? How much extra floor area will this give us? Those are reasonable questions, but they're not the questions that determine whether a Barnet extension gets approved or refused. The questions that actually matter in this borough are considerably more specific. What does the roof form look like relative to the original house? Does the brick match closely enough? Is the side gap being maintained or lost? How does the proposed extension affect the outlook from the neighbouring property? At Extension Architecture, we've worked across Barnet long enough to know that the details are where this borough's planning decisions get made. Finding the right architect in Barnet team means finding someone who understands that before a single measurement gets taken. Why Barnet Council Focuses on What It Focuses On Barnet is one of London...
Post a Comment
Read more

What Battersea's Best Extensions Have in Common and Why Most Miss the Mark

Image
Walk into a well extended Victorian terrace in SW11 and you know it immediately. The space feels generous without feeling added on. The light comes from somewhere unexpected. The kitchen and the garden exist in the same visual world rather than being separated by a wall and a small window. There's a coherence to it that's hard to describe but immediately felt. Then walk into a poorly extended one. Same street, same property type, similar budget. But something is off. The new space feels like it belongs to a different building. The roof light is in the wrong place. The materials dont quite match. The staircase to the loft lands in the most inconvenient possible location on the first floor. The difference between those two outcomes is almost entirely down to who was involved at the design stage. Finding the right battersea architects team is what determines which version of the project you end up with. The Material Question Nobody Takes Seriously Enough Battersea's Victo...
Post a Comment
Read more