A large share of Oxford's housing is old — Victorian and Edwardian terraces, North Oxford villas, 1930s semis and Cotswold stone cottages out toward Witney and the Cotswolds. Extending these homes well means respecting what's already there.

Many sit within an Oxford conservation area or carry an Article 4 Direction, which removes some permitted development rights and means a rear or side extension that would be automatic elsewhere needs full planning permission here. Where a property is a listed building, any alteration also requires Listed Building Consent, with Historic England guidance shaping what's allowed.

We handle this sensitively: lime mortar and reclaimed or Cotswold stone to match existing elevations, careful detailing around original features, and structural work — RSJ steel beams, lintels and underpinning — engineered by a chartered structural engineer so the new opening or storey is sound. The result reads as though it was always part of the house.