Home Improvement Tips
Do I need Planning Permission to build a Garden Home Office?
“Can I work from home in a garden office?” Working From Home Covid-19 has meant that many of us have had to alter how we
24th June 2020
Award Winning Architecture Firm in St Albans
Residential Architects for St Albans and Hertfordshire
AURA Architecture has a small team based in St Albans, backed up by a larger team of residential architects and home designers in our main offices at Clapham, London.
From our St Albans office, our architects are well-placed to serve the whole of Hertfordshire. So, if you’re searching for architects in Watford, architects in Welwyn Garden City, Bishops Stortford architects, architects in Stevenage, or Hemel Hempstead architects, our office in St Albans is perfectly located to answer and meet any of your enquiries.
We understand that your property is both a valuable asset, and at the same time, where you live, eat, sleep, and socialise. Therefore we aim to provide you with a home to suit your specific lifestyle while maximising its value in this sought-after commuter district.
Although gardens in St Albans and Herts are typically more extensive than in London, our creative architect skills in maximising space are still applicable. No one wants to lose more garden than they need to when they extend, and our clients are often surprised by how much space we can create in our home designs.
And if you’re working from home, our skills in designing home or garden offices are something you may want to consider, either as a stand-alone project or as an integral part of a more extensive home renovation.
We’re experienced working with Grade Listed buildings and period properties in Conservation Areas and our architects understand the importance of maintaining the heritage of cities like the cathedral city of St Albans. Our architects are experienced in working with planners across Hertfordshire who are keen to protect its quintessentially English heritage, yet still upgrading your home to meet your modern living requirements and sustainability improvements.
To get started, contact our St Albans and Hertfordshire team, or create your brief online.
Why AURA Architecture for St Albans and Hertfordshire?
AURA Architecture has a team of award-winning architects serving St Albans, Herts, UK. We have a wealth of knowledge about the housing types and planning requirements in the St Albans area, including the 19 conservation areas within this heritage-rich city.
We are masters of home design and can make your dream house a reality.
Our mission behind all our architectural designs is to focus on maximising your space and creating well lit, energy-efficient living homes, tailored to your needs and tastes, yet maximising the future resale value at the same time.
Contact us if you need a team of architects in Hertfordshire or St Albans.
Voted Most Trusted Architecture Firm in 2019
In 2019, AURA won an award from Build Magazine as the ‘Most Trusted Architecture Practice in Greater London’.
You can also view our online reviews on Google, along with the comments of other home-owners who have used our architect services. Currently, we have 16 reviews on Google and an average rating of 4.9/5.
Or check out our profile on Houzz, where we score 5/5 across 12 independent reviews from satisfied clients.
We’re extremely proud of our open and honest approach to the home design process together with the technical expertise of our architects and designers.
New-Build House Clapham, London – TESTIMONIAL:
“As the project evolved it was crystal clear that we saved a significant amount of time and money as a result of having a comprehensive package and most importantly we got what we wanted on budget”
We Understand St Albans Architecture
St Albans is a cathedral city of historical significance. We understand that you will want any new build home to blend well with the surrounding houses and their period charm. Likewise, extensions to existing properties need to seamlessly complement your existing home.
Whether you’re renovating an existing home or building a new home, you will need an experienced St Albans architect that is familiar with housing styles in the area.
An ultra-modern design will clash with homes that are 100 years old or more and is unlikely to obtain approval from the planners at St Albans Council.
AURA has a track record blending in the modern features you need, such as energy efficiency and high levels of natural light, into elegant Victorian and Edwardian era homes.
See our project pages for many examples of period homes that have utilised our architectural services.
As St Albans architects, we are familiar with the history and style of homes in the city, and we will design your home to be in keeping with the theme of the area.
3D Visualisation
Our state of the art 3D visualisation service can save you a lot of time and money in the long run.
Compared with the cost of your home refurbishment, the small cost of a 3D visualisation is well worth it, preempting potential issues before the first contractor arrives, and saving costly changes or delays mid-project.
Making full use of space
Very few people complain of having too much storage space. Aura Architecture specialises in designing or renovating homes to make the maximum use of space without appearing cluttered.
View this 3D animation video of a house with walls fully utilised into shelving.
Creating well lit, energy-efficient homes
One of Aura Architecture’s special areas of expertise is creating designs that make maximum use of natural light. Many older style homes in St Albans can be dark and cold. Let our architects design your home renovation to take full advantage of natural light, giving you an improved sense of wellbeing as you go about your daily life at home.
View the amazing transformation of this Award Winning Victorian property.
Residential Architecture Projects In St Albans
Architect Costs in St Albans and Hertfordshire
As a modern and trustworthy architect, AURA has a transparent fixed fee structure, which you can view online here.
Our fixed fees contrast with many St Albans architecture firms architects, who charge a percentage of the project cost.
Our quotes are also fully itemised and present all costs right at the start so that you can make an educated decision on which architect to choose, because all of the costs to consider are laid out in black and white before we begin.
Architects in Hertfordshire
Architects in Hertfordshire need to be adaptable and understand the intricacies of the diverse villages and towns that make up this beautiful area of England.
From Bayford with its average house price of over £1.3 million to Stevenage where housing is much more affordable, our architects understand the distinct requirements of each area of Hertfordshire, and will design your home to suit.
If you are a property developer in Hertfordshire, our architects will provide expert advice and help you to maximise the value and profit of your housing development. View our property developer architect blog post for further details.
Obtaining Planning Permission for Home Improvements in Hertfordshire
We work with you as a homeowner to provide the home of your dreams, and also work with the planning departments of the various councils across Hertfordshire:
From our St Albans studio, we can also provide architect services to homeowners and property developers in Luton, and work with the Luton council planning team.
Our Online Reviews
Scott Robertson
June 20, 2023
Professional, reliable, great to work with.
Highly recommended if you are renovating your house.
Carina Isabel Lopes De Carvalho
May 2, 2023
It is a company of excellence
Emily Stuart
January 25, 2022
I used Aura for a side return and rear extension, and a renovation of my first floor bathroom. I wanted something unique and characterful, with lots of natural light. Aura really went above and beyond my expectations, creating me a space that truly is more than I could have imagined.
From the initial consultation, where I felt immediately at ease with the team, to the transparency in their costings, all the way through the design process and project management, Aura have been consistently professional, communicative and flexible.
It certainly hasn’t been an easy time for anyone in the industry, but Aura’s solution-first attitude and their adaptability made it so easy to work with them through lockdowns, supply chain challenges, pingdemics and everything in between. It was a true pleasure to work with the team - they really do their utmost to make the process as straightforward, simple and enjoyable as possible.
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.
Rob Birkin
November 18, 2021
Georgina
February 9, 2021
I chose to use Aura based on their reviews in June 2020. At first it was a really good experience and I was impressed with their professionalisim.
I received my drawings and wasn't completely happy with them. The 4 options I was given were all basically the same thing.
They never came to my property to see the space or get a feel for where the light was coming in etc. The bathroom on the drawing didn't make sense as it was so small. (See below). The snug was also like a meter so again didn't make sense.
I tried to escalate this to Ben, and I was offered another call but I had lost confidence in them.
My neighbour was also doing work on her flat which is a similar layout and in contrast her drawings were really well thoughtout. In the end I had to pay again to get my drawings redone. (Attachment P&S - one example of my new drawings below - the more detailed drawings).
I asked Aura for a partial refund as I never actually received a final drawing from them (despite paying for them) and they refused.
It was just a disappointing and expensive experience.
Anthony Egan
May 22, 2020
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 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.
Brendan Quinn
May 20, 2020
Thanks for reading this review. Ben is one of my monthly sponsors of the Property Events that I have run and also of the National Development Summit earlier in 2020. In a business setting I really appreciate Ben's support, particularly during COVid19- Ben had the option of pulling out of my events as a sponsor- as I have had to pivot- moving them online. Ben has continued to support these events as a sponsor, when he could have easily turned his back and moved on. Also at the National Development Summit 2020, Ben could see the effort I had put in to make the event, a great event, and himself and his team also equally put in huge effort. When you organise events, you ideally want things to go smoothly in terms of presenters turning up on time/before time, and with slides which are hassle free, and this Ben has done so. I have been to Ben's office several times and the staff have been really friendly. Ben's knowledge of working at Berkeley Homes, puts his company at a very high level.
Louise Hancock
April 13, 2020
Aura Homes is a highly professional firm of architects that always have the clients best interests at hart. The quality of their plans and drawings is superb and their turn-around when making amendments well within expected timelines. For bespoke projects, their research and recommendations (both in terms of quality and costs) is superb.
Harry Bucknell
April 10, 2020
Couldn't recommend Ben and his team more. We were in a really tricky position with our building project and Ben navigated us safely out of it. Superb guidance, great technical knowledge and what I really valued the most was the communication. Always got back to me promptly which makes a real difference when stress levels are high. Thanks Aura!
Eugene Clarke
April 9, 2020
The quality of work from Arua Architecture is to an excellent standard. We worked primarily with Ben and Gabby, they provide a friendly and professional service that minimised the worry and stresses associated with building projects.
We hired Aura Architecture to assist us with our building project. We appointed them for the following work:
- Regularisation on previous designs
- Planning conditions discharge
- Building regulation drawings
- Detailed designs
They came recommended from a Structural engineering company, and we were not disappointed.
Book your consultation with a St Albans Architect
As your chosen St Albans or Hertfordshire architecture firm, we provide a full architectural consultation. The combined experience of our Hertfordshire architects can take care of the whole designing, planning and building process from start to finish. We are here to assist you with every step of your dream home journey.
Our Blog
Home Improvement Tips
7 Mistakes Made by Homeowners when Renovating
Are you thinking about renovating your home? Transitioning a house into a home can be complicated, stressful and expensive. Even if you are a first-time
29th May 2020
Home Improvement Tips
“Most Trusted Residential Architecture Firm: Greater London”
Extending or refurbishing your home… ….Is often the most expensive and stressful thing you will ever do! That’s why you need a commercial architectural
16th April 2019