Illustrative residential design: a stone house with a contemporary glazed extension in an English garden

HEPBURN ARCHITECTS · York

Residential architects in York for thoughtful changes to distinctive homes.

From the North East studio, Hepburn Architects helps York homeowners plan sensitive extensions, remodelling and residential development with heritage, archaeology and technical realities considered early.

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Work directly with David Hepburn
North East studio · Acklam Hall, Middlesbrough

Explore our residential work Illustrative residential design

Thoughtful design. A clear way forward.07720 813035 Email David

DESIGNED AROUND YOUR HOME

Architectural services
in York.

From the first idea to planning and technical drawings, choose the support your project needs. Each stage has a clear scope and fee.

House extensions

More useful space, better daylight and a clearer relationship with the garden.

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Loft conversions

Roof-space feasibility, stair layouts and technical design for a more capable home.

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New-build homes

Site-led design and early feasibility for replacement homes and small developments.

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Planning applications

A proportionate planning route supported by clear drawings and local context.

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Building Regulations

Coordinated technical drawings that carry the approved design into detail.

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Feasibility and development advice

Early appraisal of access, constraints, capacity and likely consultant input.

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HMO and change-of-use services

Planning-led layouts for HMOs, flat conversions and other residential changes of use.

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A FEEL FOR OUR WORK

Ideas brought into focus.

Selected projects and design studies from the practice. Explore the brief, design and thinking behind each proposal.

Contemporary single-storey rear extension with dark metal cladding and large glazed doors

Yorkshire

Contemporary Rural Extension

The project involved the design of a single-storey rear extension to create a larger open-plan kitchen, dining and family space. The proposal was developed to improve the connection between the house and garden while retaining natural light within the existing rooms. Hepburn Architects prepared the design, planning drawings and submission information for the project.

Rear extension in Stokesley with matching brickwork, a pitched tiled roof, glazed gable and white-framed doors opening onto a garden patio

Stokesley, North Yorkshire

Pitched-Roof Rear Extension in Stokesley

A brick rear extension in Stokesley with a pitched tiled roof, glazed gable and garden-facing doors. The design combines traditional materials with generous daylight and a direct connection to the patio and garden.

North Yorkshire

Modern Extension to a Rural Property, North Yorkshire

A sensitive yet bold reinvention of a Victorian stone villa. A single-storey rear extension in charred timber cladding creates a deliberate counterpoint to the original sandstone façade — dark against light, new against old. Full-height glazing and folding doors open the extended living space entirely to the garden, while a crisp stone terrace and lush planted borders mediate between architecture and landscape. Heritage preserved, contemporary life enabled. A quiet confidence in the dialogue between past and present.

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Residential architectural design in York: agree the right starting point

A renovation needs a whole-house brief

Tell us which features should stay, how you use the rooms and what the existing layout prevents you from doing. We can compare internal remodelling with an extension before developing a preferred proposal.

Have drawings or an existing permission?

Share the drawings, decision notice and any conditions alongside your brief. We can review the next architectural stage and identify what needs checking before technical design. A fresh survey or specialist information may be needed where the existing records are incomplete.

INDEPENDENT CLIENT FEEDBACK

Get to know the practice.

Read clients’ own accounts of working with Hepburn Architects.

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01Director-led serviceDirect involvement from briefing through technical design.

02Planning-aware designA clear route shaped by the site and local context.

03Building Regulations expertiseCoordinated information for Building Control and pricing.

Local residential design

Residential design shaped around York homes.

York combines an internationally recognised historic core with former villages, Victorian and Edwardian streets, inter-war suburbs and later neighbourhoods. The right response depends on the individual building and its significance. Original fabric, street rhythm, roofscape, boundary walls and mature gardens may all shape an extension. Within conservation areas or around listed buildings, new work needs a clear account of what matters and why the chosen design preserves or enhances that character.

Site-led adviceYorkBrief · context · approvals · detailStart with an appraisal

Designing in context

Designing residential projects in York

Existing homes and local character

Sensitive house extensions are not limited to imitation. A quiet contemporary addition can work when its scale, junctions and materials respect the host building, while a more traditional response still needs accurate proportions and detail. We test the interior plan alongside the external form so improved daylight, circulation and garden use do not come at the expense of historic fabric or neighbouring amenity. Loft conversions receive the same scrutiny at roof level.

Plot context and development capacity

New homes and residential conversions in York can involve heritage, archaeology, access, biodiversity, drainage and infrastructure considerations. City of York Council's validation requirements call for supporting evidence where particular assets or constraints are affected. Eligible development may also be liable for Community Infrastructure Levy, including certain new dwellings and residential changes of use, so CIL information and possible relief procedures need attention at the correct stage.

From feasibility to technical design

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.

Local planning context

Planning applications in York

City of York Council is the local planning authority. Its current validation requirements identify when heritage, archaeology and other supporting information is necessary. The council's Community Infrastructure Levy charging schedule took effect on 1 February 2026, and permissions decided from that date may be liable where they authorise chargeable development, subject to exemptions and relief. The exact site, proposal and current procedure must be checked before submission or commencement.

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.

Official City of York Council guidance Planning application service

Approvals and detail

From planning strategy to buildable information

Planning applications and permitted development

City of York Council validates and determines applications. Its requirements are proportionate to the proposal but can include heritage information where listed buildings, conservation areas or other heritage assets are affected, and archaeological assessment for sites of known or suspected interest. York's Community Infrastructure Levy charging schedule took effect on 1 February 2026; applications decided from that date can be liable where the development is chargeable, subject to the regulations, exemptions and reliefs. We flag the process but do not provide tax or valuation advice.

Building Regulations and technical design

Technical drawings for older York properties must reconcile energy improvements and modern performance with fabric that may behave differently from recent construction. Structure, moisture, ventilation, drainage and fire safety are coordinated without assuming that a standard detail suits every building. Listed fabric or archaeological conditions can also influence sequencing and the specialist advice needed before work begins.

How we work

We establish the building's status, planning history and physical condition before testing options. The planning and heritage explanation is developed with the design, not added afterwards. Once the approval position is clear, the Building Regulations package and any structural, heritage or archaeological coordination are scoped for the project.

A clear, staged appointment

Our process for a residential project

Each commission is scoped around the decisions the client needs to make. Later stages are not assumed before the earlier evidence is understood.

01
Brief and feasibility
We discuss the property, priorities, budget and programme, then identify the surveys and early checks needed.
02
Design and planning
Options are tested in plan and three dimensions before the agreed proposal is prepared for the appropriate approval route.
03
Technical design
The approved design is developed with construction details and coordinated consultant information for Building Control and pricing.

Frequently asked questions

Planning a project in York

Which council handles planning applications in York?

City of York Council is the local planning authority. Its current validation requirements should be reviewed for the particular application and site.

When might archaeology affect a York project?

A site within York's Area of Archaeological Importance, or otherwise known or suspected to contain archaeological interest, may require assessment or investigation. The council explains that this can arise before an application or through a planning condition.

Does York's Community Infrastructure Levy apply to house projects?

It depends on the development. York's charging schedule took effect on 1 February 2026 and includes chargeable residential development, but regulations provide exemptions and reliefs. The council's CIL process and forms should be checked before work starts.

Can a contemporary extension work in a York conservation area?

Potentially. The proposal must respond convincingly to the building's significance and the conservation area's character through its scale, form, materials and detail. Conservation status does not prescribe one architectural style.

Do you have an office in York?

No. York projects are supported from the North East studio, with site visits and project meetings arranged as part of the agreed service.

Nearby

Explore more North East locations

LET’S TALK ABOUT YOUR HOME

A good project starts
with a conversation.

Tell David about your property in York, what you want to change and what matters most. We will help you identify a useful first step.

07720 813035 info@hepburnarchitects.com

North East studio · Acklam Hall, Middlesbrough
Site visits and meetings by arrangement.

Get an indicative architectural fee