Extension Architecture

There's a detail Extension Architecture doesn't usually lead with: founder Eugene Kim grew up in Sutton and attended Sutton Grammar School. It explains something homeowners notice fairly quickly once a project starts, working with genuinely local architects Sutton residents recommend rarely treats these streets like generic postcodes on a map. What does local knowledge actually change in a Sutton application? Knowing a borough from the inside means knowing which streets keep straightforward Permitted Development rights and which ones don't, before a client even asks the question. Most single-storey rear extensions across SM1 and SM2 qualify as Permitted Development, meaning no formal application is needed. The limit is 3 metres for a terraced house and 4 metres for a detached one. That default holds across much of Sutton more consistently than in many neighbouring boroughs, which is part of why local familiarity with which streets are the exception matters as much as the ...

My neighbour on Medfield Street spent four months chasing quotes. She didn't even have a proper drawing to show a builder yet. When it was my turn to extend, I skipped that stage entirely and went straight to local Putney architects who already knew Wandsworth Council's habits. That single decision saved me weeks. Our house is a fairly standard Edwardian mid-terrace off Putney Bridge Road, the kind with the deep rear garden and the awkward kitchen everyone in SW15 seems to inherit. I wanted a single-storey rear extension, and eventually a loft. Putney has a habit of making that sound simpler than it actually is. Do I need planning permission for a house extension in Putney? Often, yes. Many Putney streets sit inside a conservation area or carry an Article 4 Direction, either of which can remove your automatic right to extend without a full application. Mine wasn't in either category, but two streets over, several are. Dover House Estate, Putney Lower Common and Roehamp...

Two roof shapes. Two very different results. Choosing between a dormer loft conversion and a mansard comes down to what the existing roof can support and how much space is actually needed. Both add genuine value to a property. The right choice depends on the specific roof, not a general preference for one over the other. What Is A Dormer Loft Conversion? A dormer extends the roof outward, usually at the rear, creating a box shaped addition with vertical walls and a flat or pitched roof of its own. It adds genuine headroom without a complete roofline change. Most dormer conversions qualify as Permitted Development, provided they stay within standard volume limits. That makes them one of the more straightforward loft options in terms of planning. A rear dormer tends to face fewer restrictions than one facing the street, since it stays out of view from the front of the property. What Is A Mansard Loft Conversion? A mansard alters the entire roof slope, typically to a steep angle close t...

  Richmond upon Thames holds a record that most homeowners only discover when they start planning an extension. Eighty five conservation areas. More than any other London borough. And unlike some boroughs where conservation areas are concentrated in one or two historic pockets, Richmond's designations spread across Richmond town itself, Twickenham, Kew, Barnes, East Sheen, Petersham, and Ham. That coverage means a significant proportion of TW9, TW10, and TW1 properties face planning considerations that simply dont apply in most of London. Extension Architecture has completed 47 projects across Richmond with a 98% planning approval rate. If youre looking for a Richmond architect who has navigated this specific planning environment across 17 years of practice, that track record across the borough is what genuine local expertise looks like. The 28 Rowanfield Gardens Project: What a Richmond Extension Actually Delivers Our gallery includes completed projects at 28 Rowanfield Gardens ...

Online guides quote a single number. Real projects rarely land on it exactly. Understanding how much does an extension cost for a single storey scheme means looking past the average to what actually drives the final figure. Most homeowners start with a number in mind before design work even begins. Knowing what actually shapes that number helps set a budget that holds. What's The Typical Price Range? A single storey rear extension generally costs £1,500 to £2,500 per square metre. Design fees, structural work, and finishing all sit within that range for most standard projects. This figure covers the complete project when quoted honestly, not just the visible construction work most people picture when they think about an extension. A modest 20 to 30 square metre extension usually lands between £45,000 and £75,000 all in. Larger or more elaborate schemes push well beyond that. Location within London affects this range too. Labour and material costs vary noticeably between boroughs,...

  Watching a real project beats reading a checklist. An architects in Richmond project, filmed from first survey through to completion, shows exactly what a checklist leaves out. Most guides describe the process in theory. A video shows what actually happens on site, week by week, including the parts that rarely make it into a brochure. What Does The Video Actually Show? It starts with the site survey. Not a design sketch. An actual visit to measure the property and check its condition. From there it moves through concept drawings. Then working drawings. Then the build itself, scaffolding and all. Most homeowners never see this sequence. They see before and after photos. The gap between those two images is where most of the real decisions happen. That gap is exactly what this kind of video fills in, showing the reasoning behind each stage rather than just the finished result. Why Does The Survey Stage Matter So Much? Richmond has 85 conservation areas. That's more than any other ...