What does our architectural design team do?

  • Vernacular Homes - What Does Our Architectural Design Team Do

At Vernacular Homes, we can take you through the whole process of a build. This will include initial design, obtaining planning permission and on to the finished build. A substantial part of the early stages of this process is carried out by our architectural design team.

1. How do our architectural design team help with the planning process?

Our experienced team will have worked with your local authority on other projects in the past and will understand their likely requirements and restrictions. They can help come up with ideas that meet your aspirations for the project, but that will also satisfy the planners.

Where plans have previously been rejected, our architectural design team will be able to assess whether there are ways to revise designs or provide additional information in order to obtain that all-important planning consent.

2. Creating homes, not just houses

The aim of the architectural design process is to create a home which works on many levels: It needs to be practical for everyday living, attractive, affordable and efficient to run for years to come.

The layout will need to meet the pattern of your daily life, providing something which is easy and comfortable to live in, with sufficient space for every task.

Aesthetics are also important and it is vital to consider how the house fits in with its surroundings – creating a positive impact on the landscape and enhancing everyday life.

Affordability is a defining requirement for any project. No one wants to design a house that they can’t afford! Innovative solutions to maximise the usefulness of every space and careful selection of materials and finishes can all help keep costs down.

Here at Vernacular Homes, we are adept at integrating new technologies and construction methods to improve energy performance and reduce running costs.

3. How can you renovate an older property?

Every heritage property has its unique character and charm, but often there are areas where the choices of past owners won’t match up with your contemporary living style. This is particularly true of the modern family kitchen with its open plan aspect, where cooking, eating and relaxing take place in one room. Often traditional houses, even those of substantial size, had small service spaces to the rear with limited outlook on the garden. Reorganising existing spaces, and extending are often the solution to creating your dream family kitchen. These changes need to be handled sensitively in order to retain what is special about the historic building.

Provision of modern bathrooms, en-suites, utility spaces and improved staircases are also common requirements for renovation, along with the more usual rewiring, replumbing, plaster and timberwork repairs and upgraded insulation. A number of our projects with historic buildings have involved linking buildings together: for example, a farmhouse to a nearby barn.

If you are planning to renovate a listed or heritage property, it’s vital you work with a team that understands its unique characteristics, and the restrictions associated with any listed buildings and conservation area protections.

4. Designing indoor and outdoor spaces

You may well have a great love of the outdoors, and many of our projects are set in some of Kent and Sussex’s most beautiful landscapes and gardens.

A strong relationship between indoor and outdoor spaces can enhance any home. Views of the garden, large openings onto patio areas and short distances to kitchen areas are among the simple proposals which can allow you to enjoy the outdoors in the summer months.

There are many other ways of enhancing the indoor/outdoor connection with features such as large expanses of sliding glass, BBQ areas, outdoor kitchens, swimming pool houses and terraced garden areas.

Our team can work with you on a design that marries the indoor and outdoor space, creating a home that feels like an oasis in which to relax and recharge.

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