Extension Architecture

Every architect working in South London learns the same lesson around their tenth Victorian project. The houses look generous from the street and live like rabbit warrens inside. Small rooms. Load bearing walls everywhere. Kitchens trapped at the back. A family in Streatham came to us with one of these terraces. They wanted an open plan kitchen, dining and living zone for entertaining. They also wanted the original marble fireplace and the curved front room walls untouched. Project snapshot Location: Streatham, London Borough of Lambeth Existing footprint: 83.55 sqm Proposed footprint: 94.40 sqm Added floor area: 10.85 sqm Project type: Single storey wraparound + interior design If you want the full architectural pack for this scheme, Double storey wraparound extension   document the local council submission, the structural design and the interior layout from start to finish. The Structural Puzzle of a 19th Century Layout Victorian terraces were built with internal wal...

  Most people start a double storey extension thinking it's basically a single storey job with another floor stacked on top. That's the bit that gets expensive fast. The second floor changes everything about how the build sits on your existing house, how it feeds into the planning conversation, and how much your architect needs to think about before a single line gets drawn. We see this pattern a lot. A family in Wandsworth or Putney rings up after speaking to a builder, already convinced they know the scope. Then we walk through the structural side, the planning side, the layout shift that happens upstairs, and the room they planned suddenly looks very different. If you want a feel for how these jobs come together properly on the ground, our double storey extension in surrey shows the full process the way we run it for clients, from first sketch through to the finished build. Why a Double Storey Extension Isn't Just a Bigger Single Storey Job A single storey extensio...

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...

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...

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...

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...