Designing a home for a client is a creative and aspirational process. It must also meet your practical and financial requirements.
This starts with really understanding your vision, needs and expectations.
On this page we've highlighted the reasons why our clients chose us to design and deliver their homes. We give you idea of the timescales involved in a project using the RIBA Work Stages. And we share our scope of service, our values and the answers to questions we're often asked.
Hopefully this gives you all the information you need. The next step is to scroll to the bottom of this page and request as callback and one of the team will be in touch.
The reasons our clients chose us
Our experience
Our small energetic team has world class skills and experience. We’ve worked on residential and commercial projects of all sizes, shapes and scale, across the UK. Now we are delivering a highly personalised service to clients in the South West. Our ideas are big, and so are our capabilities. What you are getting is the approach and scope, technical ability and quality assurance of a large architecture practice. What you are paying for is a small, friendly studio.
Planning success
We are proud of our consistently outstanding track record of successful planning outcomes with local authorities. This gives our clients the reassurance that once we have created a design for their new home with them, it will be deliverable and buildable subject to funding.
Collaborative working
When you instruct us as your residential architect, you become part of our project design team and we’ll work collaboratively through your project. Sometimes we add input from other consultants if we think it will add value. Designing a home is a creative and aspirational process but also one which must meet practical and financial requirements.
Communication skills
Good communication is an integral part of our process and an important aspect of our company ethos. We understand the financial and emotional impact house building can have, and hope that the ability to pick up the phone and easily talk through any queries, worries or questions with our team goes some way to making the process enjoyable and rewarding.
A passion for sustainability
Creating low impact spaces is our passion, but we do not subscribe to an ‘all or nothing’ approach to sustainable design. We are members of the Passivhaus Trust and the Association for Environment Conscious Building and we have certified Passivhaus designers in-house. As such, we are able to offer a wide range of Passivhaus and low-energy design services to suit individual requirements. We realise the benefits of the Passivhaus approach and we aim to incorporate its benefits where it is viable on both a practical and financial level. For more information on our approach to Passivhaus and sustainability, follow this link.
A sense of place
We are lucky to be based in the beautiful fishing village of Appledore on the North Devon and in the city of Bristol. Both locations enable us to draw inspiration from our surroundings and respond to each brief with imagination and originality. As residential architects, we want to create unique spaces that are connected to place and community, to landscape and environment. We love where we live and work so we want to keep it in good shape for ourselves and our future generations!
Tailoring our scope of service to meet your requirements
We have three levels of service available to our clients – good, better, best. This enables our clients to make informed decisions as to what level of service is needed to meet their needs and the needs of their project at each stage. This tiered approach also means we can clearly show you different options at different price points and timescales, allowing you a level of input in your project.
- Good - At this level we provide a full architectural service, but have not included for extra iterations of design, enhanced detail, additional workshops or sustainability analysis. This is aimed at clients who have a clear idea of what they want and don’t want us to explore options in too much depth. This is the minimum level at which we believe that we can deliver a quality home for our clients.
- Better - For this scope of work we would progress a full architectural service, but at an enhanced level of detail. There is a provision for more design workshops and full concept document and enhanced visualisations, providing a more accurate reflection of the design intent. This also aims to provide further detailed drawings/specifications for items like bathrooms and joinery items.
- Best - This level of service is recommend for those clients wanting a complete bespoke design. Here we provide full architectural services, and interior design services – such as bespoke joinery design, suggested finishes, enhanced documentation and sustainability to support planning applications. Photorealistic virtual reality of design options, greater exploration of materiality and increased level of detail to all aspects of proposals.
RIBA Work Stages
We cannot give you exact timescales for your project at the outset. But, we can break things down into RIBA Work Stages and offer an indication of how long things usually take.
It’s time to get to know each other!
The process begins with another meeting with you to take a more detailed look at the site and start to paint a picture of your life, and how you want to live in and use the space. We will also do a little fact-finding in terms of budget, and any aspirations such as build quality, sustainability and design.
Time we spend clarifying the brief, refining the design and developing details at these early stages is time well spent and will almost certainly save time on the overall programme, as well as creating the home you really want to live in.
To enable us to determine how you wish to use the spaces we are designing, we will first produce an initial portfolio, called an Opportunities & Constraints Document. The intention of this document is to really test the options and approaches that the site can present, with the objective of initiating discussion, offering alternative perspectives, challenging the brief and moving the whole process along collaboratively.
Things to consider during this exploratory phase:
- If you are renovating or refurbishing an existing space, be honest about what you do and don’t like about the original house. We all have memories made at home and sometimes it is hard to let go of spaces you have a strong connection to.
- Space-wise – be clear about what you need as well as what you want. Understanding the type of spaces you want in the house will help us move the design forward. It is better to think about spaces you want rather than rooms as it may be possible to design the layout to enable two functions to use one room.
- Be honest about your budget and the likely value (and realistic ceiling value) of the property at the end of the project. This is one of the most challenging conversations we have as architects but the more open this discussion can be, the better the design process will flow.
Timescale: expect 4-6 weeks.
Your project will start to come to life during this phase.
Feedback from the O&C Document will allow us to bring ideas together and develop the concept for the build through sketch work and computer modelling.
We will work with you to finalise the brief and through floorplans and 3D modelling, start to bring your vision into a tangible form.
At the end of the initial concept design phase it is very often a valuable exercise to gain input from the local planning authority by way of submitting a pre-application document. Seeking advice from the planners at this early stage not only gives you an indication of the likelihood of planning success, but will also provide good feedback on the design work undertaken so far and help to further inform and develop the scheme.
Timescale concept design phase: expect 6-10 weeks.
Timescale pre-application phase: expect 4-6 weeks from submission to feedback.
Once a final ‘frozen’ layout has been agreed by all parties, we start to work on maturing the design – at point at which you should really be able to envisage yourselves within the space.
Work produced by our studio during the developed design phase includes:
- Detailed floorplans, sections, elevations
- Production of CAD plans and a detailed 3D model which will be used to commission photo-realistic renders and in some cases, physical models
- Production of a Design & Access statement to support the planning application
- Liaison with a variety of consultants to produce the necessary reports and, considering local planning policy, prepare and collate information for the planning submission.
Once the application is submitted there will be a consultation period and decision. The duration of this period can vary but in most cases will take between 8-10 weeks and we will monitor this process.
Timescale for developed design: expect 10-12 weeks.
Timescale for planning: expect 8-10 weeks.
This stage of the build process is the most time-intensive within the practice. It requires the production of meticulous, high-quality packages of technical drawings, schedules and specifications needed to determine accurately how the building is constructed, finished and fitted out.
The first section of this stage is the tender pack. It will involve multiple meetings with you to ensure all details and choice of materials and products are finalised. Once we have had multi-consultancy input to ensure full integration from all parties, we will produce a detailed technical design package to be used to tender the project to contractors.
The procurement phase of this stage covers the process by which contractor services are secured. Procurement can take many routes and varies according to the client and what they wish to build.
Technical design timescale: expect 20-26 weeks.
Procurement timescale: expect 6-12 weeks.
Our job continues in a varied capacity during this phase as the building finally comes to life. Initially we will be on hand to provide any information required to enable the contractor to begin work on site. And as things progress, we will be working to check and co-ordinate submissions, answer any contractor queries and work with them to resolve site issues that may come up.
We do not project manage the contractor’s work, but we do have an important role to play in ensuring that the contract documents are adhered to.
Once the construction process is completed and snagging issues have been dealt with, we will issue the Certificate of Practical Completion and agree a formal handover of the building to you.
Timescale: expect circa 18 months depending on the size of the build.
The time has finally come to move in!
Our role at this stage is to be on hand to assist with any minor issues that may require rectifying and co-ordinate the resolution of any final ‘loose ends’ between yourselves and the contractor, thereby concluding the building contract.
We give general advice on the operation and maintenance of the building – and then it is down to you to enjoy your new home!
Our values
Our aim as a practice is to:
- Be excellent communicators - with our clients and each other
- Exceed expectations
- Create a working environment which fosters creativity and expression
- Be willing opportunists
- Be committed to giving back to our community and environment
- Respect each other’s viewpoint and work towards a common goal
- Be committed to improvement through continual professional development
- Take ownership in all that we do
- Put our families, friends and communities first
A few questions we are often asked
Our experience is extensive and covers projects of all shapes, sizes and sectors.
We are passionate about creating individually crafted and carefully considered homes. From complete builds to conversions, extensions and re-modelling what’s already there, our bespoke designs focus on details, materials, and thoughtful spaces that work for you.
We have a proven track record delivering successful developer-led housing schemes at all project stages. We are well-versed in developing and presenting a robust case for planning success - de-risking the whole process.
We have an expansive portfolio covering a broad range of commercial projects from regeneration and educational buildings to civic spaces such as museums.
We also have a comprehensive interior design offering for both residential and commercial projects.
This is probably the question that we are asked the most, and the answer is it depends on what you want to do. For many years people had a figure of £1000/ m2 in their mind for building and this is still achievable but provides a basic level of finish and few bespoke items. A more practical figure is £2500 / m2 for a bespoke home although this can quickly rise to reflect site anomalies or more individually crafted items.
The key thing is to be honest about your budget from the outset and we will be honest with you about what can be achieved.
As a RIBA Chartered Practice we offer a full service from initial conversation to the celebratory drink as you move in to you bespoke home. The team are well versed in all the stages of a project to ensure that the process is carefully considered at every stage.
Equally we are happy to restrict our role to just sections of the process be that concept design, technical delivery or on site management to suit your needs. We obviously hope to be involved throughout to ensure that we keep the quality of the design but we tailor our role to suit your needs.
Due to the size of the practice and the approach we take, we generally work with clients who have a minimum budget of £100,000, however we are curious by nature and if you are looking to create a small well crafted and detailed project we would be keen to talk.
As a practice we are lucky enough to be based both in Appledore on the North Devon coast and in Bristol city centre. We work throughout the south west and often beyond with projects in Devon, Cornwall Somerset and further afield. Projects in recent times have taken us to the River Thames in Marlow, Maidenhead and the Derbyshire dales to name a few.
How long is a piece of string?!
Every project is different and there are many variables that impact on the design and deliverability of a home, not least the planning process. An important point to remember is the more time that can be spent refining the design and developing the details at the early stages is time well spent as it saves time on the overall programme as well as creating a better home. Take a look at our process page for more information.
As with most RIBA Chartered Architects we base our fee on a percentage of the anticipated construction cost. This enables the fee to be a fair reflection of the size and complexity of the project.
This range is not an arbitrary fee but is based on our extensive experience of how much time is needed to develop the design and produce a pack of information that enables planners, building control and builders to support the scheme and accurately price the project.
We do however fix our fee at each stage so you have a fixed budget to work with at each stage of the project. This fee is only revised if the scope of works is significantly changed. The later stages of the project initially do not have a fixed fee defined as at the outset we do not know how the final project will look, however, we do provide a fixed fee for these stages of work once we have agreed the scheme for planning.
We don’t believe in green washing and adding on fancy technology to projects instead we focus on designing a building from the outset to respond to the site conditions. By orientating the building correctly and thinking about overheating and ventilation we know that we are starting out on the right path. That is not to say that sustainable technologies are not incorporated into our projects with MVHVR installed in a house in Lyme Regis and a PassivHaus design being developed for another local scheme just for example.