New Build

Building a new home with LA Hally Architect

LA Hally Architect have worked with a number of clients on their new build projects, ranging from a one-off bespoke Bauhaus style home, with heavily engineered cantilevers, in a marina setting, to a developer led new-build home designed to fit into a rural setting on untouched land in a conservation area. The beauty of a new build is that it can be completely honed to the client’s needs and without the additional complications of working with existing structures or linking into a particular style.

We are often asked whether it is best to retain, refurbish and extend an existing dwelling or whether to demolish and rebuild. Opting for new build comes with many benefits, but there are several things that should be considered before deciding to build new:

• Planning legislation, and ease of gaining planning permission, depends on the site. If there is already a house on the site, it tends to be easier to gain planning permission. The size and scale of proposed new build, and how this relates to the existing dwelling is also a factor. New build on an undeveloped site, a site that has not been built on before, can be tricky and we would often recommend involving a planning consultant in this scenario.

• The time it may take to reach completion of the project. New build projects tend to take longer than a refurbishment to reach completion. This is because the planning process can sometimes face additional hurdles and, if a demolition is involved, site clearance may take additional time.

• Your living arrangements during the build. With a renovation, it is often possible to remain in the dwelling while some, or even all of the work is carried out. For a new build other living arrangements will need to be made once any existing dwelling is demolished.

• Cost: It can be more expensive to build a new build home than to refurbish, but this will depend on the scale of refurbishment required and the complexity of altering the existing dwelling.

• Environmental impact: For a new build there will be a higher amount of new materials introduced on site, meaning more embodied carbon attributable to the build compared to a refurbishment. Embodied carbon is a measure of the carbon dioxide (CO2) emitted during the production and transportation of materials.

• Energy efficiency: A new build will usually offer substantial reduction in the amount of energy used to heat or cool the building. This is because the entirety of the completed house will be highly insulated to meet, or exceed, current standards. Whist it is also possible to substantially improve the energy efficiency of and existing building during refurbishment, there are often limiting factors related to the existing construction.

When considering a new build project, LA Hally Architect recommend you consider your budget early on in the process. Apart from the actual build cost, there are several additional costs that will arise during the process such as topographical surveys, the CIL (Community Infrastructure Levey) that may potentially be required, SAP (Standard Assessment Procedure) assessments, warranties, utility connection fees etc. These will vary depending on the site and scale of your project, but we will endeavour to help you understand the costs involved.

In renovation project there are often complex parameters to work around, such as the existing footprint of the building, the location of services such as drainage and existing structure that needs to be supported during the build all of which can be tricky and

expensive to address. The new build route allows for far more flexibility and can allow the use of simple low energy construction technology and allow the building to be positioned on the site so it can benefit from the suns path in terms of light, warmth and shading. These initial design considerations can help to provide a more cost-effective energy efficient home in the long run.

Every new build project LA Hally Architect have worked on is unique and bespoke to each client. We start by making sure we understand not only the client’s brief, but also the site for the building. To achieve this, we undertake a site analysis to ensure we understand the scale, materiality and historical background to each site before we start the design process. At the early stages of the project, we often work alongside Building Performance consultants, to give guidance in regard to sustainable design considerations, and energy efficiency goals.

Our new-build portfolio has given us substantial experience of working with a variety of different construction technologies including, timber frame, traditional masonry, Insulated Concrete Formwork (ICF) and Structural Insulated Panels (SIPS). LA Hally Architect can talk you through the benefits of each different type of construction when considering your new build project.

For an LA Hally Architect new build, each project is uniquely tailored to the needs and style preferences of the client, whilst working within the constraints of planning legislation and incorporating our unique brand of lifestyle architecture.