Architecture practice Sample practice
Homes, extensions and small buildings, from brief to build
Lintel & Loam is a small architecture practice. We design new houses, extensions and renovations, and shops, cafés and offices. The person who visits your site leads the project until the builder hands over the keys.
- Project
- Courtyard House
- Drawing
- Front elevation
- Type
- New home, one level
- Status
- Concept project
Selected projects
ConceptEvery project on this page was drawn for this sample site. None of them is built work or a real client.
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Rooms set around a planted courtyard, so every room gets daylight and the old oak on the lot stays.
Ask about a project like this -
A glazed kitchen and dining room at the back of a narrow brick house, with a roof light over the table.
Ask about a project like this -
A shopfront you can see the ovens through, a counter for six and a small upper-floor office.
Ask about a project like this -
The barn keeps its shape and boards; the old cart door becomes a full-height glass gable.
Ask about a project like this -
A small mono-pitch building at the end of the garden, with a desk wall and a fold-out bed.
Ask about a project like this -
A narrow infill building between two neighbours, with a recessed entrance and daylight on every floor.
Ask about a project like this
A closer look at the Courtyard House
How a brief turns into a plan, using one of the concept projects. Concept project
- The brief
- A couple planning to stay put wanted to live on one level, with room for visiting grandchildren and a kitchen that looks out at something green.
- The site
- A narrow lot with a large oak in the middle. Building around the tree meant keeping its roots clear.
- The design
- Rooms wrap around a courtyard with the oak in it. Glass walls face the courtyard, so the kitchen, living room and bedrooms all get daylight from two sides.
- Sample figures
- Floor area1,850 sq ftBedrooms2 and a studyDesign to permit5 monthsBuild11 months
What we design
Mostly projects where one small team can know every drawing: houses, the rooms people add to them, and small commercial spaces.
New homes
One-off houses on a lot you own, from a first sketch to the drawings your builder prices and builds from.
Extensions and renovations
Rear and side extensions, loft and garage conversions, and remodels that change how a house works.
Small commercial
Shops, cafés, studios, clinics and small offices, including fit-outs inside an existing building.
Permit drawings only
If you already have a design and a builder, we prepare and submit the drawings your building department needs.
Five stages
How a project runs, from brief to permits to build
You can hire us for every stage or stop after the permit. You approve each stage before the next one starts. Sample timings
Brief and site visit
Sample: 1 to 2 weeks
We visit, measure what we need, and write down what you want the building to do and what you plan to spend on it.
You getA written brief and a fee proposal
Concept design
Sample: 3 to 5 weeks
Two or three ways of arranging the plan, as sketches and simple models. You pick one and we refine it with you.
You getPlans, a model and a first cost check
Permit drawings
Sample: 4 to 8 weeks, plus review
We develop the chosen design, coordinate the structural engineer and submit the application. Your building department sets the review time.
You getAn approved permit set
Construction drawings and pricing
Sample: 4 to 6 weeks
Detailed drawings and a written specification, so builders price the same thing. We help you compare quotes.
You getTender drawings and a quote comparison
Building
For the length of the build
We visit site at agreed points, answer the builder's questions and check work against the drawings before payments go out.
You getSite visit notes and sign-off at handover
How our fees work
After the site visit you get a written fee proposal for the stages you want. Nothing starts until you've signed it. Sample terms
Ways we can charge
- A fixed fee for each stage.
Usual for extensions, renovations and fit-outs, where the scope is clear early on.
- A percentage of the building cost.
Sometimes better for a new home, where the size and finish settle during design. The proposal says which percentage and what happens if the budget changes.
- Hourly, for small jobs.
Advice on buying a property, a feasibility check or a single drawing for your builder.
Costs paid to others
- Land or measured survey
- Structural engineer
- Energy calculations
- Permit and application fees
- The builder
How a fee is spread across the stages
Shares of the total fee, not prices. Sample split
| Brief | 5% |
|---|---|
| Concept | 20% |
| Permits | 30% |
| Construction drawings | 25% |
| Building | 20% |
You pay each stage as it finishes. If you stop after the permit, you've paid for the stages you used.
The studio
A studio of three. Whoever leads your first meeting stays on your project to the end.
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Ines Varga
Founder and design lead
Ask about: New homes and the early design stages
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Tom Achterberg
Project lead
Ask about: Extensions, renovations and working with builders on site
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Priya Nair
Technical designer
Ask about: Permit applications and construction drawings
Illustrated sample profiles Names and portraits are illustrations created for this concept site. A real practice would list its licence details here.
Questions people ask before hiring an architect
Something else? Ask at the first meeting, or call (555) 017-3348.
Do I need an architect for a small extension?
Not always. Some building departments accept drawings from a designer or a builder for small work. At the first meeting we'll tell you whether your project needs us, and for which stages.
How long will the permit take?
Your building department decides that, and it varies with how busy they are. We send a complete application and answer review comments quickly, which is the part we control.
Can we use a builder we already know?
Yes. We can involve them from the concept stage, or ask two or three builders to price the same drawings so you can compare.
Can you stop after the permit?
Yes. Some clients hire us up to the permit and then work with their builder directly. Others keep us on for site visits during the build.
What should I bring to the first meeting?
The address, any old drawings or surveys, a few photos and a rough budget for the building work. A wish list helps, even a messy one.
Tell us about your project
We reply with a few questions and a time for a first meeting at the site or at the studio. This is a demo form, so nothing is sent. Concept
- Studio
- 18 Kiln Street, Unit 2 Sample address
- Hours
- Mon – Fri, 9:00 am – 5:30 pm
- Phone
- (555) 017-3348