Work directly with David Hepburn from our North East studio at Acklam Hall, Middlesbrough. We design house extensions, renovations, loft conversions and new homes, with planning and Building Regulations services agreed in clear 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.
Rear single storey house extension to property in Middlesbrough with bi Fold Doors
A study exploring twelve contemporary brick homes around a planted pedestrian mews. Foundry Court investigates how a compact brownfield site could combine individual homes, private gardens and shared outdoor space.
An illustrative conversion of an assumed Class E commercial building into ten self-contained C3 apartments. Exchange House explores how a characterful three-storey brick building could accommodate new homes while retaining its street presence.
Read clients’ own accounts of working with Hepburn Architects.
Middlesbrough contains Victorian terraces, inter-war suburbs, post-war estates and individual contemporary homes. A useful brief starts with the way the existing property works: its orientation, access, relationship to neighbours and the parts worth retaining. We use that evidence to shape a design that adds useful space without losing the clarity of the original house.
For extensions and remodelling, the important decisions are usually made before a planning drawing is produced. We test circulation, daylight, garden connection, structure and the position of kitchens or utility spaces together. Roof form, side gaps and first-floor windows are then resolved with the street and neighbouring amenity in mind.
Middlesbrough also presents opportunities for replacement homes, constrained infill and changes of use. These require a wider feasibility review covering access, parking, private amenity, refuse, drainage and the realistic amount of accommodation a site can support. An early appraisal can prevent a promising site being overloaded.
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.
Middlesbrough Council is normally the local planning authority, although the Middlesbrough Development Corporation has planning functions in the town centre and Middlehaven. Depending on the property and its precise location, the design may need to respond to heritage, trees, neighbouring amenity or earlier planning conditions. We check the address and planning history before recommending an application route.
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.
Fees depend on the existing house, the proposed work and the stages you need. We can agree survey and design, planning and Building Regulations separately. Use the fee calculator for an initial indication, then send the address and brief for a written scope and fee proposal.
Some house extensions can use permitted development rights, but the limits, the property's history and any local restrictions must be checked. A Lawful Development Certificate can provide formal confirmation where that route is appropriate.
Middlesbrough Council handles most applications. Sites in the town centre or Middlehaven may fall within the Middlesbrough Development Corporation area, so the exact address should be checked first.
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 Middlesbrough, 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.