Blog

A clear guide to the whole process, from first conversation to completion on site. Written for anyone considering a project and considering where architecture fits within it.

How fees are structured, what a fee typically includes, how the RIBA Plan of Work relates to the design process, and what other costs to budget for.

When a London house extension needs planning permission, when permitted development still applies, and what conservation areas and Article 4 directions change.

Why loft conversions fail in conservation areas, how dormers and mansards are judged, and how we design a roof that can get consent.

A refused householder application is a brief, not the end. How we read decision notices and when a redesign beats an appeal.

How mansard and upward roof extensions are designed and consented in London, and why so many applications still fail.

What a written fixed fee covers at FADP, what sits outside it, and why we refuse percentage surprises.

How we design rear and side extensions on Manchester terraces and suburban houses, and how Manchester City Council assesses them.

Birmingham house extensions and loft conversions — Victorian terraces, suburbs, conservation streets. Director trained at the Birmingham School of Architecture.

A separate regime from planning permission, with its own tests and — unusually — criminal liability. What officers assess, and how we put a consentable pack together.