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Journal

Journal

Plain guides to the rules, the terms and the finishes a client meets on the way to a project. Written by the studio, checked against the source, dated.

  1. September 2026

    Design and build, explained.

    One company draws the room, prices the drawings and builds them. Here is what that changes for you, and what to check before you sign.

    Read the guide
  2. September 2026

    Do you need planning permission for an extension?

    Often not. Many single-storey extensions in England fall under permitted development. The limits are precise, so here they are, with the cases where you must apply.

    Read the guide
  3. September 2026

    Four kinds of loft conversion, and the rules behind each.

    The roof you have decides the conversion you can build. Then permitted development decides its size, and building regulations decide its stair, its floor and its fire escape.

    Read the guide
  4. September 2026

    The Party Wall Act, in plain terms.

    If your work touches a shared wall or comes near a neighbour's foundations, the Act applies. It sets out what you must tell them, when, and what happens if they say no.

    Read the guide
  5. September 2026

    Planning permission and building regulations are not the same thing.

    One decides whether you may build it. The other decides how it must be built. Most projects need both, and they run in a particular order.

    Read the guide
  6. September 2026

    From strip-out to first service, in order.

    A dining room is built in a fixed sequence, and the opening date is set by the slowest link in it. Here is the sequence, and the approvals that sit inside it.

    Read the guide
  7. September 2026

    Shell and core, Cat A, Cat B: the three states of a commercial space.

    Every agent's particulars use these terms. They describe how much of the building is there when you take the keys, and therefore how much your fit-out has to add.

    Read the guide
  8. September 2026

    The order of works on a whole-house refurbishment.

    A refurbishment runs in a fixed sequence because each trade closes something the next one needs open. Get the order wrong and the finished surfaces come off again.

    Read the guide
  9. September 2026

    Three finishes, and how they are fitted.

    The finishes a room is remembered for are decided on the drawings and the materials board, months before they go on the wall. Here is what each one asks of the room.

    Read the guide

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