Planning
Get it right on paper, before you build.
Preconstruction planning that tests how every room will really work - its flow, furniture and storage - while there is still freedom to change it. So we design out the costly mistakes before the first wall goes up.
Approval is not a design. It is permission to build a space - not an answer to how you will live in it.
You may have drawn it several ways already. Or thought about it for weeks and still not seen how the space and everything you need from it can both work. Neither is a failure of effort - and it very rarely means one of them has to go.
Almost nobody can read a plan, and there is no reason you should have to. We show you each layout in 3D, from inside the room, before you decide anything.
The most expensive decisions in any renovation are the ones made on site, in a hurry, once the walls are already open. A wall in the wrong place. A doorway that pinches. A room that looks right on the plan but doesn’t quite work once you live in it.
Planning removes that risk. We test the layout of each room against how you actually live, before anyone finalises the structure. We resolve the arrangement, the furniture and the storage on paper, where a change costs nothing but thought.
With the plan settled, everything that follows becomes straightforward. Your builder prices with confidence. You make the structural decisions without hesitation. And the guesswork - with the risk of lasting regret - goes out of the process.
Who this is for
This is for you if you are about to renovate, extend or reconfigure, and you want to be certain each space is right before construction begins. If you are extending or altering the structure, come to us once your architect has drawn the plans. We test and refine them, thinking throughout about how you will live in the finished home.
If you are renovating or reconfiguring without structural work, you need no plans at all. We start from the house as it stands.
Why the quotes don’t match
Three quotes, miles apart. Not because one is dearer, but because each is pricing a different project - the one they built last time. Socket counts, lighting circuits, the extent of the work: not one of them is settled yet.
Nothing can be priced accurately until the layout is settled. That is what this stage produces.
What’s included
The core planning service designs how each room will actually work - its arrangement, its flow, the furniture and the storage - while there is still freedom to adjust it:
- Plan Review & Assessment - we review your existing or proposed plans thoroughly, testing them against daily life. We identify pinch points, conflicts and opportunities before we develop the layout.
- Layout Development - we develop and test considered enhancements to each room. You get revised 2D plans and 3D views from several points in the room, sent as a short walkthrough to watch in your own time before we talk it through together. All resolved before anyone finalises the structure.
- Furniture Layout Plans - scaled plans for each room, confirming key pieces fit and that circulation around them works.
- Storage & Lighting-Informed Planning - a storage strategy for each room, with the early lighting and socket implications flagged - so you keep your options open until the ceilings and walls go up.
Tailor your planning - optional layers
You can take Planning on its own, or extend it with either or both of the layers below. Add them at the outset, or once we have resolved the layout.
Add an Aesthetic Concept
Establish the look, feel and finishes direction alongside the plan - mood boards, and preliminary material and colour direction for each room. A clear finishes direction lets your contractors quote more accurately against a defined intent, reducing surprises later.
Add a Full Lighting Design
Resolve the lighting as part of the same instruction - measured plans, circuits, switching logic and schedules, coordinated so your electrician and contractor can install it accurately. The scheme can run on dimmers or through a smart control system. We agree the approach with you. Our Lighting Design page sets out the full scope.
Have plans already drawn? Send them over and we will take a first look - or book a call to talk them through.
Not appointed an architect yet? If your project needs one, the brief comes first - get that right and everything after it is easier. A short call is the quickest way to work out what to ask for.
“We were unsure how best to utilise our new open-plan space and brought Annika in for guidance. Instead she took our long list of wants - some contradictory! - and turned it into a space we now love. At every step Annika listened, provided alternatives and accommodated us, while still ensuring the bigger picture was adhered to.”- Daniel Taylor
“If we ever rebuild a house again, we would start with her before the architect.”- Mekeen Patel
How it works
Sign the proposal → Design agreement → Confirm the programme → Deposit → Welcome pack → Planning begins
Plan it once. Plan it well.
The best time to test a layout is before the walls go up. Are you approaching a renovation or extension? Book a call to talk through your plans - or send them over by email and we will take a first look.
Not sure it applies to your project? Ask us. A quick email is often all it takes to know.
This is not the expensive option. It is the least you should do before committing to a build.