Home Architecture - Newbury, Berkshire

I am a retired Architect, living a long way from my daughter’s project to form a Granny Annexe in her large garage structure. We needed a local Architect to guide the work and, after some false starts, we were introduced to Michael Stradling of Home Architecture. We met on site and he quickly grasped the nature of the project and that it would require an experienced all skills all trades contractor and a project manager during the building process. He put a team together and the work proceeded at pace while Sarah Evans the Project Manager made sure all details received appropriate attention in the process. So we are thankful to Michael and his team for achieving a delightful small living unit which is now ready for occupation.

Home architecture was engaged to take our initial ideas for a substantial extension and a revamp of an existing 4 bed detached home in its’ own grounds through the planning process with the production of detailed plans sufficient for a competent builder to turn into reality. Our preconceived ideas for the external look of the building bore no resemblance to the final design as Michael took our requirements (in terms of desired no of bedrooms, bathrooms, office, kitchen/diner and lounge) and suggested a design that (in my opinion) is an object of architectural beauty whilst being sympathetic to the surrounding area. The submitted design flowed through planning without a hitch and was approved without modification. The resulting design incorporated the removal and repositioning of several internal walls, a vaulted ceiling master suite (with en-suite, snug and balcony), a large extended kitchen and a substantial office. Externally a large patio faced off with terraced walls which removed the sloping garden that was previously there. After the design was approved, we spent a long time with Michael ensuring every light switch, socket was noted on the diagrams. The move to a pressurised water system was incorporated and the structural engineer engaged to ensure the correct specifications of all the steels and the loading of the structure. (The structural engineer was consulted a couple of times for minor changes/clarifications throughout the build at no additional cost). All builders engaged on quoting for the job commented on the quality of the design which left little to interpretation. The eventual builder engaged had sufficient knowledge through the diagram to quote and build the house for the price agreed. Extras were extras and not just a bad interpretation of debatable plans. The plans were excellent. Now it is complete, the feel and the flow of the house works extremely well. We are rightly proud of the finished build and have had lots of unprompted positive feedback from neighbours and friends. If we are in a position to do this again, we will approach Home Architecture for support again. A thoroughly positive experience.

Michael’s design for our extensive renovation is nothing other than stunning, sympathetic to our existing 115 year old property, and everything we could never have imagined! We’ve just started the build, a long 9 months ahead, but it’s going to be so worth it. Can’t wait to have Michael round during this process so he can see his idea turn into reality! Great very detailed plans for the builders to work to.

Michael has been brilliant to work with. As a young developer trying to break into the industry, he has been really helpful and has a good approach to the design process. He really grasps your vision and way of thinking to create something stunning. Along with a grounded approach in terms of costs and realistic budgets. Would highly recommend.

Mike at Home Architecture went the extra mile to understand our unique extension requirements. His ideas were innovative and his designs modern and the finished product exceeded our expectations. I would highly recommend Home Architecture.

A wonderful, friendly and sharing process as we work towards our dream extension. Michael is always understanding, approachable and honest in his thoughts, he is totally flexible to our preferences whilst suggesting suitable alternatives.

Michael did our plans for a 2 storey extension to add a new kitchen and bedroom on to our 200 year old house. We were very pleased with the overall result, which came in on budget and has improved our living space immensely.

I needed, a two story side extension, single story extension to the rear of property, Loft conversion and a single story Garden Room. Quite a lot of work and a tricky project to complete but from the drawings, through planning and guiding the builders Mike steered it all through hassle free, great to deal with, very professional and just a really good guy. I would thoroughly recommend. Look no further than Home Architecture,

We approach Michael at Home Arcitecture after having spent a significant amount of time trying to find solutions ourselves to the issues we had at home (poor layout, significant unused space, a dark dinging room, lack of storage space) without coming up with a solution that seemed satisfactory. Michael listened to our brief and general ideas, but eventually submitted a project that was different from anything we had considered before but seemed to resolve our problems well. The process from the moment we settled on a general design to getting the final technical drawings took about a year, but this included the lockdown period between March and June 2020, and felt reasonable. Michael recommended contractors for us to approach for trials holes, structural engineers and building control, on occasions giving us contact details for more than one company. Michael also contacted us when he heard that a contractor he works with often had become available at short notice due to a project being cancelled. In terms of fees, Michael seemed very fair in his approach and advised us when he thought we were in a position to proceed on our own as opposed to paying him for another stage of our project. This was our first experience of working with an architect, so we have little to compare with, but we would happily recommend Home Architecture.

Highly professional service. We wanted an extension to or kitchen to meet the needs of our growing family. We are very pleased with the end result and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend!

Micheal and his team helped us to create our forever home with their foresight. We had a vague idea of what we required and his team created it. Taking our project from a vision to a reality. Thanks Michael

Working with Michael was an absolute pleasure. He listened to our brief in detail and created something way beyond our expectations and within our budget! I would recommend anyone who is considering a project to contact Michael to explore possibilities.

We decided to award Home Architecture the design contract for a large rear extension we had planned for our 1930s house. The designed drawing by Mike had some design options that at the time we had not considered. With this open advice and forward thinking vision we approved modification for the final drawing sign off. Its now some eight years since we had the extension done and still very much appreciated the input we had from the architects. The rear extension in brief consisted of a approx 6m x 4m single story extension, with tiled roof , velux windows and Bi-fold doors across the rear to open up onto hard wood decking. I would recommend Home Architecture if you are considering building works small or large.