PAYTE
Extension Architect Southwark
Principal Designer & Higher Risk Building Expert
Our Southwark architects have extensive experience in extension architecture, specialising in loft conversions, basement extensions, bespoke extensions, rear extensions, two-storey and single-storey extensions, contemporary designs, double-storey extensions, Mansard roof extensions, and ground-floor extensions.
house extension architect Southwark
Our firm specialises in house architecture in Southwark, most commonly Victorian houses. We take pride in helping our clients enhance their property value while optimising space. We create bespoke designs and contemporary design extensions with interior reconfigurations to maximize natural light and extra space. Our creative design team elevates the planning process to a new level.
As a leading architectural practice, we specialize in helping homeowners navigate the planning process, building regulations, planning permissions, party walls, and building control. Our experienced team handles all regulatory challenges in extension projects, making your home’s transformation seamless and stress-free.
We carry out architectural work for rear, wraparound, side return, or infill extensions to best suit your space and increase its value. We begin with our design process, initial drawings, structural calculations, and 3D visualisations to assist clients in visualising the transformation, alongside a precise scope of work for the building contractor. Let us help expand your floor space and elevate your property’s worth. Our expertise ensures that each project is expertly designed to meet your specific needs.
Being a quality South London extension architects practice, we deliver carefully detailed apartment refurbishments and layout reconfigurations shaped around modern living and regulatory requirements.
apartment Extension architects
We specialise in providing comprehensive design and architectural services for apartment extensions in Southwark. Our offerings include detailed planning advice, design layout changes, custom joinery, and regulatory drawing preparations. Whether you are looking to completely revamp your apartment’s layout or to implement specific modifications, we manage every aspect of the project.
Our services encompass the entire process, from securing planning permission and building approvals to obtaining landlord consents and the necessary license to alter documentation. We also handle all planning applications ourselves.
Additionally, we offer project management as part of our complete service package. Our architectural service ensures a seamless transformation of your space, enhancing both functionality and aesthetics to create modern, stylish living environments.
As experienced extension architects, we design thoughtful, well-considered house extensions tailored to each property’s character, planning context, and long-term value.
extension conversion package
3 Meter rear extensions package
£60,000.00 INC. VAT
What’s included:
6 Meter rear extensions package
£104,700.00 INC. VAT
What’s included:
At Payte Architects London, our rear extension service is about making it simple to gain more space without losing control of cost or complexity. With over 10 years’ experience on Southwark homes, we offer two fixed‑price packages at three and six metres (including VAT), so you choose how far to extend and we handle design, approvals and on‑site work up to first fix.
You’ll work with a friendly architectural team that actually picks up the phone. All architectural work is carried out by architects registered with the Architects Registration Board (ARB) or chartered with the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), and we coordinate closely with our dedicated extension build team so design and construction stay joined‑up from day one.
We take care of the planning route – from Lawful Development Certificates for three‑metre projects to prior‑approval applications for six‑metre schemes – using our experience with boroughs such as Haringey Council’s planning team, Lambeth Council’s planning service and Brent Council planning to shape proposals around what local councils typically support.
Throughout, we keep communication simple and regular so you always know where your project is and what’s coming next, aiming for a bright, well‑built Southwark extension that quickly becomes the main room everyone uses.
Exclusions
This package is not applicable to property where you need planning permission or listed building consent, or if there is an article 4 on your property.
In addition to the above, the following exclusion applies:
- Party wall award
- Building control fees
- Any specialist consultants
- Asbestos removal fees
- Finishing (sanitary ware, tiling, floor finishing, wall finishing, joinery).
- Party wall award
- Building control fees
- Any specialist consultants
- Asbestos removal fees
- Finishing (sanitary ware, tiling, floor finishing, wall finishing, joinery).
ARRANGE A FREE CONSULTATION
Arrange a free consultation with our architect practice, we offer clients a 30 minute consultation.
FREE NO OBLIGATION CONSULTATION
VIRTUAL CONSULTATION AVAILABLE
ON SITE CONSULTATION AVAILABLE
Innovative Southwark Extensions Crafted with Exceptional Architecture
Our Southwark architects create smart, sustainable extensions that suit your space perfectly.
Wraparound
We specialise in wrap-around extensions. This is a popular way to expand and transform properties. This extension combines a rear and side addition. It creates an L-shape that expands ground-floor space. This is ideal for open-plan kitchens, living spaces, or adaptable rooms that fit modern lifestyles. We handle everything from design and planning permission to construction.
Single Storey
A single-storey extension can really boost space in your Southwark property. It can be added to the back or side of the property. This addition offers more space for a modern kitchen, a living area, or a home office. This extension improves the flow inside and makes the property more practical. Our architectural team makes it easy for you to get great results that suit your property.
Multi Storey
A multi-storey extension in Southwark can provide a lot of space. You can use it for extra bedrooms, bigger living areas, or more bathrooms. Building up on your property lets you make the most of it without losing any garden space. We take care of everything. This includes planning, permissions, and construction. We ensure your extension fits well with the current architecture.
Side Return
A side return extension utilises the unused space beside your home. You often find this addon in Victorian and Edwardian buildings in Southwark. Clients can extend into this narrow area to make a wider, open-plan kitchen. This change will let in more natural light. Our architects are experts in side return extensions. These designs boost functionality and add to the property’s value.
Rear Extension
A rear extension expands the back of your property. This gives you room for an open-plan kitchen, a larger dining area, or a more spacious living room. This is ideal for clients looking to improve their ground floor. These extensions boost natural light and link indoor and outdoor spaces smoothly. We create rear extensions that match your home’s style. They also boost efficiency and value.
Seamless Southwark Home Extensions from Concept to Completion
Our team of architects, designers, and builders in Southwark creates stylish and practical home extensions. We handle each stage, from the first meeting to the final build, with care and precision.
Free Initial Consultation
In your 30-minute free consultation, we’ll discuss your project vision, design choices, size, and budget for the extension. This process ensures that we can align your ideas with the practical aspects of the project with accuracy.
Full Architecture Service
We offer bespoke services for home extensions. This features on-site assessments, detailed drawings, 3D visualisations, planning applications, and tender management. We customise each service to meet your unique needs.
Planning & Permissions
Our Southwark architects focus on extension planning. Our professional practice handles it all, from the initial idea to final approval. We carefully find ways to handle local rules, stay within zoning laws, and meet building codes.
Complete Building Works
We’re a full-service architecture firm that specialises in extensions. We have in-house architects, interior designers, and building contractors. Our team ensure easy collaboration, guiding your project till its delivery.
Local Topic
General information only. Planning and licensing rules change and depend on the individual property. This article is not legal or professional advice.
SOUTHWARK — EXTENDING UNDER THE BUTTERFLY ROOF: PECKHAM’S M-SHAPE PROBLEM (DOC A)
Peckham and Camberwell’s Victorian terraces hide their roofs behind straight parapets, and behind the parapet lies the borough’s signature quirk: the butterfly. Two pitches falling inward to a central valley — an M in section — draining through the middle of the house.
Charming, historic, and the single most important fact about extending these particular terraces, because every rear addition negotiates with a roof that sheds its water into its own spine.
The valley owns the strategy
On a conventional terrace, a rear extension meets a roof draining front and back — simple abutments. The butterfly drains to its centre, through a valley gutter running the house’s depth to an outlet at the rear — usually exactly where you’re about to build.
Extend across the back and the valley’s discharge, its overflow route and its future maintenance access all get redesigned, not obstructed.
An extended or re-routed outlet, overflow provision so one blocked hopper doesn’t fill the valley like a bath, and the NFRC-grade lining details these long internal gutters depend on.
The number of Southwark loft and rear projects that have discovered the valley’s importance via a ceiling stain is not small; the survey-first habit exists for this stock.
Structure follows the same logic. The butterfly’s inward pitches bear on the party walls and the central spine differently from a conventional roof, so opening the rear wall for the extension — Approved Document A work with an engineer’s numbers as ever. Gets designed with the roof’s actual load paths understood, not assumed from a standard detail.
Working with the M
Handled knowingly, the butterfly becomes a design gift. The parapet line gives rear extensions a clean datum to work beneath — flat-roofed additions sit naturally under the M’s outer shoulders.
And the valley’s rhythm across a terrace run is genuine townscape, which Southwark’s conservation appraisals for these streets recognise.
The Victorian Society’s affection for the type is well founded. Some schemes even borrow the language, echoing the M in the extension’s own roofline to knowing effect.
Design an access hatch to the valley while you’re at it. Future you, up there in November, sends thanks.
The rule for this stock compresses to one line: find the water before you draw the walls. The butterfly has been managing its odd geometry for 150 years.
Extend with its logic — outlet, overflow, access, then architecture — and it will manage yours for the next hundred too.
Southwark Home Extension Planning, Design, and Construction
Feasibility Studies for Home Extensions
Our Southwark property extension architects carry out comprehensive feasibility studies. They look at structural integrity, space potential, and costs. This ensures that property expansions are smart and efficient.
Planning Permission for Extensions
Our team of architects collaborates with local councils. We navigate planning policies, building codes, and zoning laws to ensure smooth compliance. Our expertise simplifies the process, providing a stress-free experience.
Project Management and Contractor Coordination
We monitor construction progress, project timelines, and project quality. This way, we ensure everything operates without issues and according to schedule. We focus on details to ensure everything runs smoothly from start to finish.
Sustainable Extension Materials & Energy Efficiency
Our eco-friendly extension designs and insulation solutions improve property energy efficiency, sustainability, and comfort. Our approach reduces environmental impact and improves thermal performance.
Structural Engineering and Load-Bearing Analysis
We check that extensions meet safety, stability, and regulatory standards. We do this with structural assessments and compliance checks. Our team makes sure that a property extension blends in well, is safe, strong, and built to endure.
Interior To Exterior Extension Flow and Aesthetic Integration
Our architects mix new extensions with the current style. This creates a smooth transition between the old and the new. Our architects respect the original structure while enhancing functionality, aesthetics, and flow.
why work with us?
Fast Turn Around
We deliver swift completion of extensions by leveraging our efficient planning, expert team, and streamlined project management, ensuring a smooth and expedient process.
Fixed Pricing
We provide transparent, fixed pricing for architectural and building services for extensions, offering clients a clear understanding of costs. This approach allows for confident budgeting.
We Maximise Value
We guide clients to achieve the best outcome for extensions, balancing the investment benefits with a comfortable living space. Our expert advice ensures maximum financial value.
Turnkey Operation
We offer a full-service for home extensions, guiding clients from the initial consultation to project sign-off. You will have a dedicated account manager overseeing every detail.
recent EXTENSION projects
Local Topic
General information only. Planning and licensing rules change and depend on the individual property. This article is not legal or professional advice.
SOUTHWARK — THE COURTYARD-PLAN EXTENSION: BUILDING AROUND THE YARD, NOT OVER IT (DESIGN)
The reflex on every Southwark plot is to extend across — fill the width, glaze the back, maximise the footprint.
The courtyard plan is the counter-move: wrap the new accommodation around a deliberately kept outdoor space, an L or U of building holding a pocket of sky at the plan’s heart. Less floor area than the maximal box. Frequently the better house.
What the void gives back
The courtyard repays its footprint in light. A rear extension six-plus metres deep condemns the original back rooms to borrowed light.
A courtyard plan keeps a light well exactly where those rooms need it, so the old house and the new wing both get real windows — the BRE daylight arithmetic that punishes deep plans rewards this one.
It earns again in aspect: rooms facing the courtyard get privacy no garden-facing glass can offer.
A glazed wall onto your own enclosed yard overlooks nobody, which on Southwark’s tight terrace grids can dissolve the overlooking objections that stall wider schemes.
And it earns daily in life: the courtyard becomes the sheltered, sun-trapping outdoor room London gardens rarely manage, the herb bed by the kitchen door, the morning-coffee square.
The costs are honest: more external wall per metre of floor — the fabric arithmetic under Approved Document L taxes wrapping shapes harder than boxes — and more junctions, corners and roof edges, each wanting proper design.
Composing the wrap
The plan discipline: the courtyard must be a place, not a leftover. Proportions matter — a slot one metre wide is a light well.
Three-by-three starts being a room without a roof — and orientation decides its hours, with the RIBA-brief-stage sun study telling you whether your courtyard catches breakfast or evening.
Materials wrap continuously so the composition reads as one thought, with brick doing that job most gracefully on this stock, and glazing between wing and yard specified generously.
The GGF’s literature covers the sliding and pivot systems that make the courtyard an extra room in summer.
Draw the void first, and let the building follow it.
Southwark’s officers, reading applications across some of London’s densest residential grain, see the courtyard logic’s neighbourly virtues plainly. The maximal box asks the street to absorb it.
The courtyard plan absorbs itself — and keeps a square of sky as the house’s quiet centre.
Sometimes the best square metres in an extension are the ones you decline to build.
FAQ
Services
Payte Architects London offers a comprehensive range of architectural services. Our skilled architects specialise in different areas. This lets us customise our approach for the many aspects of architectural design.