Architectural design for house extensions, renovations, conversions and new homes across County Durham. Work with David Hepburn from our North East studio, with feasibility, planning drawings and Building Regulations available as separately agreed stages.
From the first idea to planning and technical drawings, choose the support your project needs. Each stage has a clear scope and fee.
More useful space, better daylight and a clearer relationship with the garden.
Explore this service 02Roof-space feasibility, stair layouts and technical design for a more capable home.
Explore this service 03Site-led design and early feasibility for replacement homes and small developments.
Explore this service 04A proportionate planning route supported by clear drawings and local context.
Explore this service 05Coordinated technical drawings that carry the approved design into detail.
Explore this service 06Early appraisal of access, constraints, capacity and likely consultant input.
Explore this service 07Planning-led layouts for HMOs, flat conversions and other residential changes of use.
Explore this serviceSelected projects and design studies from the practice. Explore the brief, design and thinking behind each proposal.
Change of use of a semi-detached family house to a small children's home. The project combined a clear operational brief with a focused planning submission addressing the attached neighbour, staff parking and the residential character of the street.
Planning permission for the change of use of a post-war semi-detached house to a children's home. The application brought together the accommodation layout, staffing arrangements and day-to-day management of the property within a single coordinated planning case.
A traditional rear-extension proposal exploring a generous kitchen and dining space for a brick family home. Ashfield House combines a slate pitched roof, warm brickwork and painted French doors, with a direct connection to a stone terrace and established garden.
Existing and proposed plans, elevations and relevant sections show what will change. The required drawings and supporting information are agreed around the property and application route. Send us any earlier drawings or decision notices when discussing the brief.
A Building Regulations package develops the agreed design in more detail and coordinates relevant structural and specialist information. Planning drawings alone should not be treated as a complete construction package. We can discuss a technical-stage appointment if you already have a design or permission.
Read clients’ own accounts of working with Hepburn Architects.
County Durham includes historic settlements, former industrial communities, rural villages and open countryside. The character and constraints of a site can therefore change substantially between addresses. We review the building, its surroundings and available records before setting a brief or planning strategy.
A successful home extension should feel intentional from inside and outside. We explore how new space changes circulation, furniture layouts, daylight and garden use, while considering roof form, boundaries and nearby windows. Technical matters are introduced early enough to keep the preferred design buildable.
For conversions, replacement homes and small development sites, we assess the planning principle and practical capacity together. Highways, drainage, ecology, heritage and landscape information may affect the programme and design. Establishing those needs early gives clients a more reliable basis for deciding whether to proceed.
We establish the brief, site conditions and likely approval route before fixing the design. Once the spatial approach is agreed, the work can progress into coordinated information for planning, structural input and Building Regulations without treating those stages as separate design exercises.
Durham County Council is the local planning authority for most of County Durham. Depending on the property and its precise location, local heritage, landscape, ecology, highways or flood considerations may be relevant. The county is extensive, so the site address and current planning records must be checked rather than relying on broad regional assumptions.
Planning and Building Regulations are separate approval systems. We can prepare the architectural information for both, but every decision remains with the relevant authority or approved inspector.
Each commission is scoped around the decisions the client needs to make. Later stages are not assumed before the earlier evidence is understood.
We discuss the property, priorities, budget and programme, then identify the surveys and early checks needed.
Options are tested in plan and three dimensions before the agreed proposal is prepared for the appropriate approval route.
The approved design is developed with construction details and coordinated consultant information for Building Control and pricing.
Yes. We can scope a planning-stage appointment or review existing approved drawings for a Building Regulations package. Send the property address, the drawings you already have and the work you need. Structural calculations and any specialist reports are identified separately in the proposal.
Durham County Council is the local planning authority for most addresses in County Durham. The exact site should still be checked, particularly near administrative boundaries.
Yes. We can assess layout, planning use and Building Regulations implications, then agree a staged scope appropriate to the property and intended use.
Yes. We can develop an approved design into coordinated technical information for Building Control and construction, working with structural engineers and other specialists where their input is required.
Tell David about your property in County Durham, what you want to change and what matters most. We will help you identify a useful first step.
North East studio · Acklam Hall, Middlesbrough
Site visits and meetings by arrangement.