Bespoke new homes

A new home offers the opportunity to shape every aspect of a house from the outset, creating a bespoke home around the way you want to live. Our approach to new build homes begins with the experience of the house throughout the day and across the seasons, rather than simply with a schedule of rooms. Morning light, the relationship between quieter and more sociable spaces, views across the landscape and connections with the garden all inform the design. Alongside this, we carefully assess the opportunities presented by the site itself, considering access, levels, orientation, drainage, trees, boundaries, landscape and the surrounding planning context to establish the most appropriate position, scale and character for the new house.

If you are considering a plot or rural site, we can provide an early site appraisal and planning assessment before you commit to a purchase. We consider the site's planning history, physical characteristics, landscape setting and development potential, as well as the type of house it could accommodate. Most new homes require full planning permission, with development in the open countryside and Green Belt subject to particularly careful planning consideration. Depending on the circumstances, opportunities may include replacement dwellings, the conversion of existing buildings, infill development or, in exceptional circumstances, a new isolated home under Paragraph 80 of the National Planning Policy Framework. We have particular experience in developing carefully considered architectural and landscape responses for sensitive rural sites, where the quality of the design and its relationship with the surrounding landscape are fundamental to the planning case.

For Paragraph 80 houses, formerly referred to as Paragraph 79 homes, the architectural ambition must be matched by a robust understanding of the planning policy and the site's landscape and contextual qualities. We consider the design, materiality, sustainability, landscape strategy and wider setting as an integrated proposition, developing a clear architectural rationale for the house from the outset. Before significant investment is made in the design, we provide our considered view of the site's prospects and the planning strategy we believe is appropriate. Where planning permission is achievable, we prepare and manage the application from beginning to end, coordinating the specialist consultants required and liaising with the local planning authority throughout the determination process.

Once planning permission has been secured, we develop the design through its technical stages, translating the architectural vision into the detailed information required for construction. We prepare the Building Regulations drawings, specifications and construction details, providing contractors with the clarity required to price and deliver the project accurately. We can then take the project through tender, helping you assess and compare contractor returns before selecting your preferred builder. Throughout construction, we remain closely involved through contract administration and regular site attendance, guiding decisions, maintaining the integrity of the design and ensuring that the finished home fulfils the vision established at the outset. From the initial site appraisal and planning strategy through to Paragraph 80 planning, technical design, tender and construction, we provide continuity and considered advice at every stage of creating a new home.