Finding the right local architect is key to turning your vision into reality, whether it’s a home renovation, extension, or new build. A nearby expert brings valuable local knowledge, experience with planning regulations, and a network of trusted professionals, making the entire process smoother and more efficient. Here’s how to find a recommended architect near you to guide your project every step of the way.
"I’d not hesitate to recommend Aura. They team are the perfect balance of creative and practical, imagination and solutions, to make whatever dream you have come to life."
"Aura kindly carried out some work for me on a small but compact development for me. It required precision, experience and haste, Aura were extremely efficient in all of these areas. I will 100% recommend and use Aura again."
"Aura Architecture is a highly professional firm of architects that always have the clients best interests at heart. The quality of their plans and drawings is superb and their turn-around when making amendments well within expected timelines."
AURA Architecture is an award-winning residential architects firm with a dedicated team of qualified architects, surveyors, and interior designers. Our team includes experienced architects who are registered with the Architects Registration Board (ARB) and many who are members of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA). Based in London, we have built a strong reputation as recommended architects, known for our local expertise and commitment to delivering high-quality residential projects.
Should I use an Architect Near Me, and the advantages of using a local architect
Tips on how to find the best architect
What to do if you’ve found an ideal architect far from your home location
Should I Use An Architect Near Me?
There are many advantages to using a local architect near me, especially when it comes to projects like a home extension or work within a conservation area. Local architects bring valuable local knowledge and understand the specific regulations of your area, which can save you time and money throughout the process.
If you’re looking to find local architects, it’s essential to search for trusted local architects with a solid reputation. Architects in London who specialise in extensions, known as extension architects, often have a deep knowledge of local planning requirements and can provide tailored solutions that meet your unique needs.
Here, we aim to help those struggling to find a good local architect and offer tips on doing your background research on any potential architectural firms you may come across when searching for ‘architects near me’.
The first step to making architectural design plans is to perform a thorough measured survey of the existing building and a topographical survey of the site. Whilst this survey doesn’t need to be conducted by your local architect (often a separate specialist surveyor)some architects will want to do it themself, or if using a separate surveyor, will likely have a favourite in their local area.
A good ‘residential architect near me’ will spend time discovering how you want your new home or alteration to feel and look like. If they are local to you, face-to-face meetings within the property will enable them to see how best to use the existing aspect and features to match your lifestyle and aspirations.
When choosing a planning architect, note that planning permission is handled by local area councils, and each one takes a localised approach to the National Planning framework. Your local planning architect will naturally have more understanding of the council’s Local Development Plan and the nuances of recent planning decisions.
How involved would you like your architect to be? Architectural firms such as AURA Homes offer give you the choice of using their Site Monitoring Service to take away the hassle of managing the builders in the construction phase. This involves regular site visits from your architect, so using one in your area saves excess travel time and cost.
A new home build, refurb or house extension involves many specialists in various areas; Structural Engineers, Building inspectors, Interior Designers, Party Wall surveyors, Electricians, Plumbers and many other tradespeople. Architects get to know the best local building professionals and develop effective working relationships with them, meaning your job gets completed to the highest standard and within the shortest time frame.
Finding And Choosing The Best Local Architect Near Me
Finding an architect near me who I can trust, and who has a track record of achieving results similar to what I am looking for in my property development, takes a bit of background research. Thankfully, there are many ways to find the right architect. Start by exploring customer reviews and recommendations to help you find the right fit.
Looking into an experienced architect’s past project gallery will give you a flavour of their style and scope. You can also check out recommended architects on third-party platforms, which provide valuable insights into their work and client satisfaction. These resources make it easier to narrow down your options and ensure you choose an architect with a proven track record.
Local Google Search for architects’ listings
Google uses known registered business address data to show local firms on a map. Searching for terms like ‘residential architect near me’ or ‘architects in London’ usually brings up dozens of nearby architects (you may need to click ‘allow’ to let Google know your location). This can be a good starting point to find local architects who specialise in residential projects.
However, keep in mind that this only pinpoints the firm’s main location and doesn’t show the full region they serve. For example, searching for AURA Architecture on Google shows our head office location, but we also have trusted local architects who cover the Home Counties and much of the South of England. If you’re looking for an extension architect, make sure to confirm whether they operate in your area and have experience with similar projects.
Google Reviews for verifying your local architectural designer
Google is open to everyone, reviewer identity is verified by google although its only by reading the actual review that you get a feel for its trustworthiness.
Houzz Find Architects Near You – One of the largest Home Improvement platforms
Houzz helps you find inspirational house design ideas, plus all the professionals you need for just about anything related to house and home improvement. It’s the marketplace of home architecture, where you can find hundreds of local architects and specialists for your home extension or extension project.
Here, you can view examples of their designs, including past home extension projects, and check whether they offer services like building regulation drawings. Additionally, you can read verified reviews to gain insights into their reputation. SeeAURA Architecture’sratings on Houzz to learn more about our experience and customer satisfaction.
Hire an Architect from Facebook
Facebook hardly needs an introduction, but it is a great community to find local services such as architects in your area. It’s an effective platform to find local architects and get a sense of their style and professionalism.
You can often discover recommended architects by browsing through customer reviews and reading helpful comments from other local Facebook users who have used their services.
This can give you a better idea of the architect’s reputation and the quality of their work. Check out AURA Architecture on Facebook to see our customer reviews and project highlights.
LinkedIn – Residential Architects Near Me
LinkedIn might not be the first source of information you’d turn to when looking for a residential architects near me. However, once you have found a potential architect, looking them up on the business platform LinkedIn can help verify their authenticity, especially if their posts have comments and ‘likes’ from other well-known professionals. See, for example, the LinkedIn profile for AURA Architecture.
What if your ideal residential architect is not local to you?
Whilst, as we’ve pointed out, there are many advantages to finding a local architect, it might be that you like the approach and design of an architect who is based at the other end of the UK to your home or project.
During the 2020 – 2021 pandemic, many creative ways of providing architectural services to clients without site visits were developed. Using their professional network and modern technology, architects can now serve clients remotely by:
Having a full site topo survey plus a detailed measured survey conducted by a surveyor near you. This enables the architect to work from the drawings, using Point Cloud technology
Holding video meetings with you, the client.
Producing a 3D walk-through of your design to ensure you are delighted with the plan’s concept.
Recommending trusted contacts from their professional networking circles.
Helping you with Interior Design and the sourcing of furnishings and materials.
Creating a set of architectural drawings and specification of works, plus helping you obtain quotes during the tendering stage from local builders and trades-people.
Watch the video about AURA’s design process below, you can also access our Home Design Guide which we trust you will find helpful. If we can assist your home development project further, please contact us today.
Areas We Cover
London:
AURA Architecture serves homeowners and property developers across a wide area in the south of England from their offices in St Albans, Hertfordshire and London head office.
We often hear from our clients that speaking to architects is daunting and confusing, as they often use industry terminology, making the process unnecessarily complicated and hard to grasp.
Our Director, Ben Richards, when he set up AURA Architecture back in 2017, was set on solving this issue for homeowners wanting to make improvements to their home.
That is why we share our Fees on our website, create Blogs and FAQ articles to share industry insights, and have created the 10 Step AURA Process which is explained via Youtube or can be Downloaded for Free to read anytime.
AURA - Find an Architect Near Me
Find an architect near me at AURA Architecture & Interiors, we can help bring your vision to life. Our team of experienced architects and designers specialises in creating bespoke residential spaces that meet the unique needs of each client. Whether you’re planning a home extension, a complete renovation, or a new-build project, we offer personalised architectural services to maximise space, enhance functionality, and boost the value of your property.
If you’re searching for recommended architects near me, our RIBA Chartered architects are dedicated to providing a seamless experience, guiding you through the entire process—from initial concept and planning permission to the final build. We work closely with you to understand your lifestyle and aspirations, ensuring the design reflects your personal style while meeting local building regulations.
Finding the right architect is crucial for the success of your project, and with AURA’s commitment to quality, sustainability, and innovation, you can trust us to deliver outstanding results. Contact us today to discuss your project and discover how our expertise can help transform your living space.
Graham, Mark and the Aura team have supported us on the planning permission and design of our building works. The service has been 2nd to none - white glove level. Mark our main contact is responsive and helpful. Using Aura was a superb… More decision and looking forward to completing the journey with them over the next months.
As main contractors with appreciation for good and efficient design, we were very impressed with Aura from day 1.
The tender pack had more information than some other projects we have done at completion, all the information is precise and… More carefully considered.
On top of that their ongoing project management is flexible and approachable.
Hope we get to work with them again in the future.
We instructed Aura Architects for a self-build project, they have seamlessly guided us through the process with great care and detail. We have thoroughly enjoyed with Francesco who was been extremely helpful and patient with the project,… More getting us to planning approval which took over 2 years but this did not deter his dedication to the project in what has been a very challenging process.
The whole process has been handled professionally with great communication and understanding from Aura who have taken great care to ensure we are happy and understand each of the key elements.
We are absolutely thrilled with what Aura have created for us and we can not wait to see the project come to life.
I am pleased to recommend Aura for any of your architectural needs! They have been fab and most importantly reliable! Thanks very much and a special thanks to Francesco.
Thanks, J&D.
I'm pleased to provide a review of Aura Homes for their work on our 4-bedroom self-built home in Hertfordshire. It has been a great experience working with them. Architect Francesco in particular displayed a good understanding of our… More vision and delivered a design that met our expectations. Their expertise and attention to detail were evident throughout the project.
Ben is firstly a great guy, full of ideas and creativity and positivity, along with experience and intelligence. Secondly, he isn't going anywhere, he is very trustworthy, a man of his word, stable and growing his business in and around… More London. Always looking to find the best solution for your needs and not afraid to show ambition for your project, whilst having a strong knowledge of all current rules/regs and an understanding of the objectives and constraints of the planning system. As an outgoing and gregarious networker, he has positioned Aura as introducer & deal-maker, so if you need introductions to trusted quality services like: Builders, Project Finance, Consultants (e.g. Traffic, Trees, Planning Law) - he usually knows someone!
I recently contacted Aura Homes Ltd to discuss a small development project. The project was unusual and a lot of factors needed to be taken into account due to the location, site surroundings and practicality of the proposal.
I originally… More discussed it with Ben Richards who I found to be helpful, knowledgable and very accommodating in that he listened intently to give a fair assessment of feasibility.
Iris Kouneni was assigned to me and met with me to thoroughly discuss and understand what my intentions were. Like Ben, she digested my layman’s view and proceeded to give me her professional opinion.
Iris and Ben were an absolute delight to work with, professional, knowledgeable, enthusiastic and communicative to mention just a few of their qualities.
Unfortunately due to the COVID19 lockdown we have had to shelve the project.
It's been a pleasure to work with Aura Homes Ltd, refreshingly honest and professional.
I look forward to working together with them in the future.
We’d love to hear about your project. Fill in your details below and we’ll get back to you!
Create Your Brief
We’d love to hear about your project.
Our easy ‘Create your Brief’ form will ask some additional information about your project, which will help us understand your project better so we can be more effective in our response.
Get in Touch!
We’d love to hear about your project. Fill in your details below and we’ll get back to you!
Create Your Brief
We’d love to hear about your project.
Our easy ‘Create your Brief’ form will ask some additional information about your project, which will help us understand your project better so we can be more effective in our response.
Get in Touch!
We’d love to hear about your project. Fill in your details below and we’ll get back to you!
Create Your Brief
We’d love to hear about your project.
Our easy ‘Create your Brief’ form will ask some additional information about your project, which will help us understand your project better so we can be more effective in our response.
Get in Touch!
We’d love to hear about your project. Fill in your details below and we’ll get back to you!
Create Your Brief
We’d love to hear about your project.
Our easy ‘Create your Brief’ form will ask some additional information about your project, which will help us understand your project better so we can be more effective in our response.
Get in Touch!
We’d love to hear about your project. Fill in your details below and we’ll get back to you!
Create Your Brief
We’d love to hear about your project.
Our easy ‘Create your Brief’ form will ask some additional information about your project, which will help us understand your project better so we can be more effective in our response.
Create Your Brief
We’d love to hear about your project.
Our easy ‘Create your Brief’ form will ask some additional information about your project, which will help us understand your project better so we can be more effective in our response.
Get in Touch!
We’d love to hear about your project. Fill in your details below and we’ll get back to you!
