we are _ journal _
ideas, insights and studio updates from andrew & jack in morley, leeds.
home & renovations
"Can I have a three-metre extension?" isn't a brief. It's the start of one. When a renovation needs an architect, when a good builder is enough, and four questions that tell you which you're after.
cost & value
The money question, answered plainly. Percentage fees of 5.5–7% of construction cost, what that percentage is applied to, how the RIBA stages split it, and what sits outside the fee altogether.
studio news
Sign boards on the main street would have been easier. Why we backed a grassroots cricket club instead, what we're actually paying for, and how a line from our Times feature ended up on a pump clip.
studio news
A charity golf day at Hanging Heaton with the club we sponsor. Gross 74, net 55, 5th of seven, and a birdie on the 18th from 130 yards with a putter.
projects
A glazed garden pavilion at the rear, a restrained orangery to the street, and a single-pane glass roof crane-lifted into place. Inside a seven-bedroom Victorian home in Roundhay, Leeds, featured in The Times.
planning
Open countryside policies restrict rural extensions across England. In North Lincolnshire it’s a 20% volume cap, and previous extensions count against it. Why these projects are exactly what architects are for, and how we got one through committee.
home & renovations
MVHR, heat pumps and high-performance envelopes: why sustainability is what luxury feels like now, meaning silent warmth, perfect air, and a house that’s still the best on the street in 2050.
design
The most requested room in residential architecture. Floating corners, flush thresholds, solar-control glass, northern light, and what to do with a sloping Yorkshire garden.
cost & value
The honest answer isn’t a per-square-metre figure. Where the money actually goes on an architectural extension, and why it behaves like an investment in premium Leeds suburbs.
planning
Alwoodley, Roundhay, Horsforth, Ilkley: what the extra layers of planning control actually mean, what PD can genuinely achieve, and when the full application is the smarter route.
home & renovations
One of the first questions on any home project: does it need full planning permission, or does it fall under permitted development? Here's how to tell, and why it matters for your budget and timeline.
home & renovations
The better the brief, the better the building. What to write down, what to leave open, and why "I don't know yet" is a perfectly good answer.
studio news
Five years in. What we've learned, who we've met, what we got wrong, and what comes next.
