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Northlight Architects
Buildings designed with care and guided through planning
About us
Northlight Architects designs homes, extensions and commercial buildings, and guides each project through the planning process. We work with homeowners who want more space from a house they love, with people building a home of their own and with business owners who need a shop, an office or a workspace that suits the way they work.
Every project starts with a conversation about the site, the budget and how you want to live or work, and we turn that into drawings you can read, understand and build from. Decisions on planning and permits rest with the authority, so we prepare each application carefully and explain every step, but we cannot promise a result.
Our vision
We want every building we design to sit well on its site and to serve the people who use it for years to come.
Our mission
Our mission is to turn our clients' needs into well drawn, buildable designs and to guide them clearly through planning and construction.
Our values
Clarity
We explain drawings, costs and planning steps in plain words so you can make decisions with confidence.
Respect for context
We design with the street, the neighbours and the landscape in mind, because a good building belongs where it stands.
Honesty
We tell you early about cost, risk and the limits of what a planning authority is likely to accept.
Craft
We care about proportion, light and detail, and we draw every junction so builders know what to build.
Our services
Homes and extensions
We design new homes, extensions, remodelling and loft or attic conversions that make better use of the space and light you have.
Commercial buildings
We design shops, offices and workspaces, including conversions of existing buildings, around the way the business operates.
Feasibility and site appraisal
We visit the site, read the planning context and tell you what is possible, what is likely to be difficult and what to investigate next.
Concept design
We sketch options and test them with you until one answers your brief, your budget and the site.
Planning applications
We prepare the drawings and supporting statements, submit the application and respond to questions from the planning authority.
Technical drawings
We produce the detailed drawings and specifications needed for building regulations or building codes approval and for builders to price accurately.
Choosing a builder
We help you invite and compare tenders, so that you choose a builder on clear, like-for-like prices.
Support on site
We visit during construction, answer the builder's questions and check that the work follows the drawings.
Who we serve
We work with homeowners who want to extend, remodel or rebuild, and with people building a home on a plot of their own. We also work with shop, office and workspace owners, and with small developers converting or adding to a building. Most of our clients have never commissioned a building before and want a guide who explains each step.
Why choose us
Planning handled openly
We explain what the planning authority is likely to consider, tell you the risks and keep you informed at every stage.
Drawings you can read
We present ideas as plans, models and images that make sense to someone who has never read a drawing.
Local policy read before we draw
We study the planning policy and the history of your street before we sketch, so that our designs begin from what is realistic.
One team through the build
The people who design your building stay with it through planning, tender and construction.
How we work
We visit and listen
We walk the site with you, hear how you want to use the building and settle the brief and the budget together.
We test the options
We draw several ways to meet the brief, discuss them with you and develop the one that fits best.
We prepare and submit the application
We produce the drawings and statements, submit the application and answer the authority's questions.
We support the build
We prepare technical drawings, help you choose a builder and visit the site during construction.
Contact us
Northlight Architects