Architectural design for Locks Heath homes

Estate housing alongside older lanes

Much of Locks Heath and the Western Wards developed during the 1970s and 1980s. Detached homes, semis and bungalows stand in residential areas around the shopping village. Older buildings remain along historic lanes, with larger properties in Warsash and Sarisbury near the River Hamble. That mix creates different starting points within a relatively small area.

For an estate house, the first issue might be a closed-off arrangement of living rooms. In an older property, it may be how later changes fit with the original building. Drawings of the existing accommodation can make both situations easier to understand. Describe the rooms in use today, including spaces that feel overlooked or serve mainly as routes to somewhere else.

Trees are part of the site information

Mature trees across the Western Wards may be subject to tree preservation orders. Their positions and relationship to the proposed work need considering, including at the foundation-design stage. A tree should not disappear from the brief simply because it stands outside the room you are hoping to improve.

Fareham Borough Council determines planning locally. Some locations near the Hamble and coast have additional environmental protections. Establishing what applies to the individual address allows the proposal to be considered in its actual setting. Include any relevant documents you already have rather than assuming every property near the river has identical controls.

Find the drawings that fit your decision

The dedicated pages for Locks Heath extensions and Locks Heath roof accommodation discuss adding space in detail. If you are uncertain how an idea would look, 3D visuals can communicate a proposed design. Where the existing building needs recording, measured surveys establish its dimensions before plans are developed.

Think about outdoor activities as well as the accommodation indoors. Retaining a seating area or access around the house may influence the layout you favour. These are useful priorities for the design discussion, not extras to add once a footprint has already been chosen.

Describe what should remain as well as what should change

Coverage includes Warsash, Park Gate, Sarisbury Green, Titchfield Common, Swanwick and Hamble, with Whiteley close by. When you send a project enquiry, mention the planting you value and how the garden is used. Photographs showing the house in relation to mature trees are helpful. Lee can then discuss the accommodation brief with the existing setting in mind, through the page's form or its unchanged phone links.

Recent jobs nearby

• Ongoing: full transformation, extension, internal and external changes, cladding, picture window, black aluminium sliders and windows (Warsash, Southampton)

Frequently asked questions