Having recently passed my final assessment interview, I am pleased to announce that I am officially a Chartered Architectural Technologist, MCIAT! My practice details can now be found on the CIAT website.
May 2020: The latest government guidance for ‘Appointments in the home’ states:
Only absolutely necessary participants should attend appointments and should maintain 2m separation where possible
Avoiding transmission during appointments, for example, from sharing pens and other objects
Holding meetings outdoors or in well ventilated rooms whenever possible
Let’s Design Architecture is abiding by these laws and asks that on visits to a property, the Client opens as many windows as possible to allow air through and opens the internal doors to limit contact with door handles. A mask will be worn for indoor meetings where an outdoor meeting is not possible. Let’s Design Architecture is limiting the number of meetings per week to allow time in between to stay as safe as possible.
Timescales may vary during this period as the children are at home for the foreseeable future. Please bear with us during this period of uncertainty.
Works are progressing at Plot 1, Cotton, with the feature glazing in and the building watertight. The Client is very happy with progress on his self-build project.
Exciting news for householders!
New permitted development rights will be implemented on 25th May - this includes making the larger home extensions a permanent permitted development right! This current temporary right expires on 30th May and has allowed householders the potential to extend up to 8m beyond the rear wall of a detached house. By making this PD right permanent, there is scope for many more larger home extensions without the worry of a deadline looming.
The legislation will omit the following paragraphs which currently apply:
(13) The development must be completed on or before 30th May 2019.
(14) The developer must notify the local planning authority of the completion of the development as soon as reasonably practicable after completion.
(15) The notification referred to in sub-paragraph (14) must be in writing and must include—
(a)the name of the developer;
(b)the address or location of the development, and
(c)the date of completion.
Contact Zoe at Let’s Design Architecture for advice on how you might extend your home!
Below is an example of a larger home extension designed by Let’s Design Architecture which was permitted under the current legislation.
After 16 months, I am proud to have finally achieved an approval of reserved matters on behalf of my Clients for a site of two new dwellings in Cotton. The design is for two bespoke properties, each boasting a large open plan kitchen/living/dining space and 4 bedrooms.
So I am making a planning application online, usually a straightforward enough process, I fill out the form then send a draft of it as a pdf to my Client to check and let me know they are happy with it before I press submit.
Can I do that now? No. Planning Portal have currently removed the function of creating a pdf of the document.
Why?
Because people were emailing the councils large documents and they can’t cope with it.
So now the only way the Client can see the form is to have their own Planning Portal account and sign in to it to have a look through it. Which is time consuming for the Client, to set up an account, filling in all their details, when they generally will never need the account other than for the purpose of checking one form.
They are apparently working out how to fix it. Which is great, considering they are the ones who broke it in the first place.
To see why Planning Portal is creating problems for themselves and everyone else click here
Works are near completion on a two storey extension in Claydon, Suffolk. The project involved major updates to the layout of the old semi-detached property. The Client purchased the property as a three bedroom home; however two of the bedrooms were very small. The only toilet was downstairs in a lean-to extension to the rear and the kitchen was a very poor size.
The new layout includes three double bedrooms, with an en-suite to the master bedroom. The downstairs bathroom has been removed, relocating the downstairs toilet into a new front porch. This opens up the downstairs space to form an open plan kitchen/diner with bi-folding doors into the rear garden. The Client is extremely happy and looks forward to finishing the build.
Works have commenced on a new side extension I have been working on in Denham. The footings have been inspected by building control who are happy with progress. The digger is shown here, struggling with the clay!
Denham
Side extension to existing house
For more of my projects, click here
I am proud to announce that planning permission has just been granted for my design of a proposed front extension to a barn-style dwelling in Mellis. The extension will form additional kitchen and bedroom/en-suite space, providing the Clients with much needed space for their daughter.
Planning Permission
Suffolk barn-style dwelling achieves planning permission for front extension
Works are progressing well on Phase 1 of the 9 house development at Benhall, with the footings for Plot 1 being well established and Plots 2-5 also out of the ground.
Today the boys have been helping to colour in my architectural sketches. I think they’re doing a fantastic job! (Don’t panic, it’s just a photocopy!!)
Works are progressing well on the front extension at Henley Road. The bricklayers have done a very nice job of matching up the existing Flemish bond brickwork with the adjacent garage and formed a beautiful curve with header bricks. The extension appears seamless against the rest of the house. The windows are to be designed with the frames hidden within the brickwork to allow for as much light as possible to enter the room and will be specially made to fit the curve of the extension. A flat roof will be hidden beyond the parapet wall to blend in seamlessly with the roof of the existing garage.
More information on my projects page
Works are progressing on a new dwelling in Kettleburgh, for which I am Contract Manager and Principal Designer. The foundations and plinth bricks below DPC level are in place and the site is looking good so far!
Planning permission has recently been obtained for the proposed two storey rear extension and side extension to a house in Thorndon. The Clients are very pleased with the outcome and look forward to Let's Design Architecture completing the building regulations drawings in the near future.
Works recently completed on a conversion project in Saxmundham. The existing townhouse was converted into two separate dwellings, including the re-building of a previously demolished lean-to.
The original property would have been two town houses, which had previously been converted into a single dwelling; the layout of which didn't work and the appearance was outdated. The original sash window had been removed and replaced with a poor quality casement window, which looked out of place on the street scene. The property lends itself well to being two dwellings as it was formerly, so the developer wanted to restore it as such.
Works to the frontage included the provision of a new front door and window, re-instating the original appearance, along with carefully chosen brickwork to suit. A new party wall was added to separate the dwellings and the internal layouts were carefully designed to maximize space.
The developer is very happy with the finished houses.
The reserved matters application for a proposal of nine properties at Benhall has recently been approved by Suffolk Coastal District Council. Let's Design Architecture is delighted with the outcome of the application and looks forward to watching the properties being built in the near future.
The Government has recently introduced a new fee scale for Planning Applications, increasing the fees by 20%.
These new regulations also include the right for them to charge a fee for applications for planning permission related to the removal of permitted development rights through Article 4 directions or by condition, where this was previously free of charge.
The Planning Portal fee calculator provides the latest fees for planning applications.
Contact Zoe at Let's Design Architecture if you need drawings and to make an application for planning or building regulations.
Seasons Greetings to all from Let’s Design Architecture!
I was just looking up rooflights, those ones where the glass goes all the way over the ridge, as I wanted to draw up a detail. Google thought I was looking up how to attach Christmas lights to my roof! Not quite the same type of roof lights!!
