Take a look at what we can do
We can design bold and daring architecture or be conservative and traditional.
BUILDING A NEW HOME FOR YOURSELF
Is building a new home a better deal than buying an existing one?
T here is no right answer to this question.
If you need to move quick, you can adapt your expectations and don’t want any hassle, buying an existing house is just the right fix for you.
On the other hand, if you have bigger expectations, time, the land (or the finances to buy it) you can think about starting your own brand-new build house. And guess what… in the end, you will enjoy a 20-25% profit on your investment. You will also be able to decide on every little detail important to you and will bring you closer and closer to your very own dream home.
You can choose to have a nice cosy traditional bungalow tailored for your needs… or maybe a big family house capable of hosting your entire family for Christmas! It is entirely up to you! But don’t you think that this means you will need to handle everything by yourself. You, and only you, can decide how much involved you want to be in the process.
Your most important task is to choose the right architect for the job as this will influence the whole process and will shape your dream home. Trust is essential! You must feel able to communicate and approach the architect with anything. The architect will be always on your side, always fight for your needs and always have your best interest in mind!
Give us a call and we can have a chilled informal consultation to discuss about your ideas, no obligations or strings attached! Let us guide you and you will have the smoothest journey through it all!
LET'S TALK EXTENSIONS!
More and more these days, this is a subject that is on everybody's lips around here. 'Should I extend my house or move into a bigger house?'
T here is no right or wrong answer, because we are all unique and so is our situation.
If you ask a real estate agent, he will say the most important thing is that the whole cost of the investment should not exceed the added value of the propriety. So, the quickest way to do it is to investigate the prices of the houses in your area. It will take 10 minutes of surfing the internet and you will have the rough estimate of the added value. If the investment makes sense, here you go. If not… you need to start looking for a bigger place. Sometimes is easy to pack all and move to a bigger house but other times this is not exactly what we really want. Is it? Our main advice is to be true with yourself and try to understand your needs.
If you really love the neighbourhood, if the schools are great, the neighbours are lovely, the grass is greener, it all smells like home and you have space to extend, then yes, it is the solution for you.
A home is more than just a place where you live, it is your safe and happy place!
After you decide that you really want to extend your house, you need to understand the process.
Now it is a good time to have a consultation with an architect for the project!
Let us guide you and you will have the smoothest journey through it all!
LOFT CONVERSIONS
and extensions
W hen talking about extension people usually think about adding some new living space to their home by extending into the garden, or converting a garage or even going on top of the garage. Few actually think about that whole space that already exists on top of their property that is almost never used or used as a dumping ground for old things. Rarely even properly organised as a storage we actually have a real ‘gem’ hidden there.
Left in the right hand, it can be turned into a spare bedroom with en-suite, a modern open space, a library, a pool/activity area, a relaxation zone or even you very own cinema room. You choose! .
There are many ways of approaching the loft conversion. Whether we are talking of a hip to gable conversion, a mansard loft conversion or a dormer loft conversion we will be able to guide you through them all!
With a minimal investment you will be able to increase the value of your home straight away!
Give us a call and we can meet up at the property for a first free consultation where we can discuss openly about your options and what would be the best solution for your loft!
RESIDENTIAL MASTERPLANNING
W e have a lot of expertise in creating wonderful places to live and work or grow and play. We design community neighbourhoods making sure that all the right architectural and urban principles are applied.
We first assess the entire site, we understand the key features and constraints, generate a SWOT analysis (Strengths-Weaknesses-Opportunities-Threats) to be able to deliver the best bespoke solution that all the main actors involved will be happy with.
If you have some land, big or small, just give us a call and who knows… we can help you get a significant return on investment. You can add a proper Value to Your Land Through Planning Consent!
Sometimes we can apply the ‘no win no fee’ approach! It doesn’t cost anything to try! Our initial assessment is free and no strings attached!
DESIGN FOR LISTED BUILDINGS
F or us, is an honour to work with a listed building. We need to approach it with great admiration and compassion, as it has managed to defy time and stand today tall and proud in front of us.
We promise to be sensitive to its past, while managing to bring it to our modern world, adapting it to the contemporary needs of its occupants.
When facing an intervention upon a listed building, we will invest more time than usual in the research and the design process in order to enhance its value.
The National Heritage List for England (NHLE) is the place to find online if and what type of listed building is your property.
There are three grades of listing, with grade I having the highest level of value (in Scotland the grades are between A to C) and the ‘listed’status covers everything within the curtilage, including the whole inside and outside of the structure:
- Grade I: exceptional interest
- Grade II*: particularly important
- Grade II: of special interest
What is inspiring and intriguing about the whole process is that sometimes, some of the original features are hidden behind the wallpaper or previous renovations. This might mean exposing stonework by peeling back internal finishes can bring to light the original ‘feel’ that the building had.
Call us and we will come to meet your own ‘treasure’!
COMMERCIAL DESIGN
W e approach the commercial design project with the same empathy we design homes. We believe that in the centre of our design is the human being and no matter where he is, the buildings must enhance his well-being.
We all deserve to live in a friendly environment that will be able to protect our physical and mental health.
We were used to customize a lot the design of the homes and standardise a lot the commercial buildings, as the last ones were seen as places that needed to be pure functional.
Not anymore!
Hospitals, schools, shops should, in our opinion follow the same rule of thumb. They should be designed with the end users in mind, as this is how the buildings will be capable of assisting the individuals in becoming the best version of themselves.
We pay a special attention to the ‘Comfort indoor’ concept that is in tight connection with all the aspects of the contact between the spaces and their end-users, the security by design and the ‘life’ inside the buildings.
If you think we are the right people for the job, don’t hesitate to contact us and we will be honoured to study the specific culture of your organisation in order to generate the best design!
Nowadays, we spend more time at our workplace, than in our own homes. Business owners have realised that if they create the work environment around the employees, the productivity and creativity will increase considerably. Companies like Google and Apple have become famous for their new and smart approach of designing the office buildings. Their approach is part of their whole motivational system. They believe in social interaction, in the fact that people who will sit together in a relaxed atmosphere will also work well together and the teams can form organically and not necessarily designed by hierarchy.
