Timescales for your home project
Timescales for your home project Good quality design takes time We are often asked how long a project might take to get to the build stage. Here are some example timescales for your home project in the chart below. These show expected timelines for different types of project, whether an eco-home, a barn or an […]
What is a Design Code for Self-Build Plots?
What is a design code for self-build plots? In a nutshell, a design code for self-build plots is a set of design guidelines. Gravenhill in Bicester, Oxfordshire, is a good example of a self-build site that has used a design code. See their design code here. These design guidelines contain information on: building heights […]
Eco home improvements (without building)
Below we have listed various eco home improvements. These are all actions you could take if you are not planning any building work right now. They also include actions that would suit a heritage home. If you are planning building work, these options will still apply to you. But you also have some extra possibilities […]
Eco upgrades to your home (as part of building work)
Eco upgrades to your home. How to improve your home both in terms of well-being and energy efficiency (without paying through the nose!) We can ensure that any eco upgrades to your home will be in proportion to other works you would like. Essentially, making you eco by default! Below we have listed various […]
How to be an architect and still have a life
A short blog from Clare Nash about why we work differently from other architectural practices. When I mention the title of this piece, ‘how to be an architect and still have a life’, it often brings a chuckle. Yet it is exactly on this basis that I set up my own firm and it is […]
Space-saving and peacemaking!
You might know a bit about what an architect does, but what many people don’t know is that architects solve relationship disputes! The situation is all too familiar: People are fed up with too little space, they are fed up with a dark room, they are fed up with tripping over umpteen things on […]
Fewer excuses to refuse modern barns for conversion into dwellings
Modern barns for conversion [2023 updated] Since 2020 we have seen an increase in planning permissions for modern barn conversions. There are now fewer excuses to refuse modern barns for conversion into dwellings. Breaking news for 2023 is that the prime minister wants to cut further red tape for barn conversions. Modern barns for conversion […]
Pastiche Free Zone
Contemporary Vernacular Architecture should never be about ‘Pastiche’, here’s why… There is much stigma around the term, but what exactly does ‘Pastiche’ mean? To put it simply, pastiche in Architecture refers to the imitation of style or character of other buildings. The term is not negative however it often has negative connotations, with the belief […]
The benefits and drawbacks of pre-fabricating your dream home
Have you considered using pre-fabrication as a method for building your own home? Germany has been at the forefront of pre-fabricating home design for over 50 years (https://www.weberhaus.co.uk/) and the benefits are very German; time efficient, quality guarantee, energy efficiency guarantees. These advantages are also useful to British self-builders. Anyone who has spent time on a […]
5 Designs that Challenge our British Perceptions of “Home”
While researching abroad, Clare discovered that no matter what culture you live in, our needs from a home are quite similar. However British perceptions of home are known to be fairly conservative, especially in comparison with more contemporary living styles seen in Europe. Clare speaking about how the front garden can be the garden and […]
