Welcome to the team, Sian-Ria
Sian-Ria Pindoria, a third-year architecture student at Kingston University, has joined DZP Studio for work experience alongside her studies. She is following a live feasibility study with us from its very first stage.
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Planning, explained in plain English.
Guides to the questions we answer every week on calls, written by a chartered architect, not by a content agency. More articles are on the way.
The series
The first series.
What can I build without planning permission in 2026?
In England, most houses can add a single-storey rear extension, a loft dormer, a small porch or a garden room without a planning application. Here are the limits for each, and the things that quietly take those rights away.
Extend or move? The honest maths for 2026
Moving home can cost tens of thousands of pounds before you change a single room, and most of it is money you never see again. Here's how to work out that sum for your own home, with three example families, and what else to weigh before you decide.
What to check before you buy a house you plan to extend
Eight checks (permitted development, designations, the neighbours' history, the street's ceiling price) before you make an offer.
Planning refused. What actually happens next
Appeal or resubmit, how to read your refusal reasons, and the twelve-week window nobody tells you about.
Approved with conditions: now discharge them
Why permission is a clock starting, which conditions block your start on site, and how long discharge really takes.
The Thames Water build-over agreement, explained
The consent most rear extensions discover late. What triggers it, what it costs, and when to start it.
A quote is not a contract
Why a written building contract is fair to you and your builder, and what it should cover before anyone starts on site.
Can't wait for the article? The plotwise report by DZP answers most of these questions for your specific address.
Get in touch
Tell us about your project.
Whether you're just starting out or picking up a project halfway, we'd love to hear from you.
Want the facts first? Start with the plotwise report. It comes with a free 30-minute call with a chartered architect. Or send us an enquiry, and we'll get back to you within one working day.
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