What we provide
- Architectural plans — existing and proposed layouts, drawn to a scale a builder and a council can both use.
- Site surveys — a measured record of the property, including the parts that drawings alone never show.
- Lease plans — scaled plans showing the extent of a demised property, for lease and management purposes.
- Garage conversions — turning an integral or detached garage into usable accommodation, with the planning and structural work that goes with it.
- Porches and internal modifications — smaller alterations that still need to be designed properly rather than improvised on site.
Existing conditions first
Design work that ignores what is actually there produces drawings that cannot be built. On an older London property the survey often turns up walls that are not where the old plans say, chimneys that have been removed, or a rear addition added decades ago with no record. We measure before we design, so the proposal starts from the building you own.
Not sure what your property needs?
Send us the address and what you are trying to achieve. We will tell you what is likely to be possible, what approvals it involves, and what the design work would cost.
From concept to construction information
There are two distinct stages in a project. The first is deciding what to do: layout options, how the space will be used, how the proposal sits with planning policy. The second is documenting it: construction drawings, specifications and the structural information the work requires.
We work through both, and we tell you which stage you are paying for at each point, so you can pause after the design or carry straight through to building regulations.
Working with the rest of the team
Where a project needs other professionals — party wall surveyors, building control, or specialists for particular reports — we can point you towards people we have worked with, or work alongside your own. If a requirement falls outside what we do, we will say so rather than take it on and learn on your project.
Where we work
We provide architectural design across London and the surrounding areas, including Tower Hamlets, Newham, Hackney, Islington, Redbridge, Waltham Forest, Barking and Dagenham, Greenwich, Lewisham, Southwark, Camden, Haringey, Enfield, Barnet, Ealing, Brent, Harrow, Hillingdon, Richmond, Kingston, Merton, Wandsworth, Lambeth, Croydon, Bromley, Bexley, Havering, Westminster, Kensington and Chelsea, and Hammersmith and Fulham.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need an architect for a small alteration?
Not always, but internal alterations still affect structure, fire safety and, if the property is let or leasehold, the lease. A properly drawn scheme is usually cheaper than correcting an alteration that was put together without one.
Do I need a lease plan, and who uses it?
A lease plan records the extent of a property being demised or managed. Solicitors, managing agents and freeholders typically ask for one when a lease is granted, extended or varied, and when management responsibilities need to be shown on a drawing.
Can you convert my garage?
Usually, subject to the structure, the head height, and whether the garage is integral to the house or detached. Garage conversions often fall within permitted development but have their own conditions, and the floor, insulation and any new opening all need building regulations approval.
Can you work from plans I already have?
Sometimes, if the plans are accurate and recent. More often the existing drawings are out of date or were never measured properly, and we would rather verify the building than design from a drawing that might be wrong.
Planning and building regulations guidance on this page is general and applies to England. The position depends on your property, its history and your council's policies, so it is not a substitute for advice on your address. We check the specifics before any work begins.