My last post looked into how much it cost to build a house extension in the UK. It turns out there is a lot of demand for this information, so I’ve now made a list of 12 things that will make a house extension as cheap as possible. Be aware, this involves making significant compromises and you might not like it. All design is about compromise. You will have to make a hard choice between keeping costs down or getting some things you really want from your extension. 1. Start at the beginning.  If you have already begun the design process or actually started building, there is m ..read more

I've run my own architecture practice, designing house extensions since 2009. When I started, decent house extensions could be built for less than £1500 per square meter. I recently built a house extension in Edinburgh and I've posted the full cost breakdown near the end of this blog post. The project is so recent, I don't yet have finished photos but I can tell you how much it cost. Before I do though, lets have some context. First off the existing house is on a steep site, and this usually makes building more expensive. Just look at that slope. Aside from the effort of moving materials ..read more

I am a big believer in transparency, I wouldn't be making content on social media about the reality of altering homes in the UK otherwise. Aside from providing consultations to homeowners across the UK, I now offer design services to anyone with modest projects in Edinburgh. For years I've been turning down enquiries from people asking "How much do the drawings cost". I even set a minimum project size for my other practice of at least £150k but now, through Real Life Architecture, I'm taking on jobs under £100k in Edinburgh. In fact, no job in Edinburgh is too small for Real Life Architecture ..read more

Big news, Real Life Architecture now has a real life office in Edinburgh. This is a co-working space and has a meeting room available by appointment. I can now meet people in a professional setting and this should be the first step towards offering a wider range of services. Check it out for yourself. I will begin offering architectural services to homeowners in the Edinburgh area in the next few weeks. I am very excited for the future, watch this space ..read more

I've been a self-employed Architect in the UK since 2009. Most of my projects involve altering and extending private homes and most of my clients have never built anything or employed an architect before. People realise that large projects, such as schools and hospitals need an architect. But you might be wondering, for smaller projects such as house extensions. Do you actually need an architect?  Couldn’t a homeowner come up with ideas themselves and pay their mate Bob, from down the pub, to knock out the drawings on CAD? Now, I believe the Client is the most important member of the team ..read more

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-6JqVkw4dRc In this post I want to show you how to create a great bathroom in your home. I'm going to use images from several of my own designs, including this project, as an example. I have been a self-employed Architect in the UK since 2009. In my day job, I specialise in designing private homes. Now, since I’m an Architect and not an interior designer, this guide is based on the assumption you aren’t just updating an existing bathroom. I'm assuming you want to create a brand new bathroom where there wasn’t one before. Either altering or extending your existin ..read more

I have been a self-employed Architect in the UK since 2009. In my day job I specialise in designing private homes and I want to show you how to create a kitchen that becomes the heart of family life. Now, since I’m an Architect and not an interior designer, this guide is based on the assumption you aren’t just replacing the existing kitchen units. I'm assuming you want to create a brand new kitchen where there wasn’t one before. Either altering or extending your existing home or building a new house from scratch. We aren’t just talking about choosing worktops, we are going right back to basics ..read more

Have you been trying to buy the ideal family home but can't seem to find the right property? Maybe you’ve decided to buy a house, and then make it much bigger, so it works for you. This house was in the right location for my client buy before they decided to buy the property, they needed to know if they could enlarge it significantly. So they reached out to me and booked a consultation. The house was too small and they had big plans I have been a self-employed Architect in the UK since 2009. I run the Real Life Architect, where anyone can book a consultation with me to discuss altering and ex ..read more

Just a short post to share the news. FeedSpot listed the Real Life Architecture Blog at no. 10 in its Best UK Architecture Blogs and Websites. What an honour to be included along side The Architects Journal and Dezeen. I'm just one guy, publishing one post per week but its nice to know it has an impact ..read more

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUbPdslHvu0 So you want to build a house extension in the UK, you’ve never done this before but you've heard somewhere that contractors can do projects for a fixed price. Ive run my own architecture practice in the UK since 2009, I specialise in altering and extending private homes. And I can tell you that fixed-price projects are real, they do exist. But after I explain how they work, I seriously doubt you will want a fixed-price contract for any work to your home. If I'm wrong, let me know in the comments. And if you decide a fixed price is not for you, I have ..read more