Whether you just have a nugget of an idea, or have fully researched your project and know exactly what you want, we can visit you at the property or site you wish to develop in order to discuss your ideas and ambitions. We can explore how your project will work at your location, advise whether you will need planning or listed building consents, review budget considerations and take you through the project steps so you can get a good idea of how the timetable for development will work out.  It’s also a chance for you to see if we’ll work well together!

Design is the core skill of our architects’ practice.  Put simply, we’ll create a beautiful, environmentally conscious, practical building that enhances your life.

We are practised in applying our architectural design skills to produce new builds, to renovate, convert or develop existing modern and historic buildings, and to develop green and brownfield sites.

From assessing feasibility, submitting your planning application, preparing detailed design information and organising the tender process to full project management, Hetreed Ross Architects offer a full range of architectural services.

Additionally we are skilled in working with clients across residential, community, education and commercial sectors, so you can rest assured that we will understand the opportunities and challenges you face.

We regularly work to Passivhaus design principles and Amanda is a qualified Passivhaus Designer, we can arrange for full Passivhaus Certification when required.  Similarly if Code for Sustainable Homes, or BREEAM standards are required we can design for this and arrange appropriate assessment.

For more information on Environmental Design click here.

We know from experience that obtaining planning permission can sometimes be a complicated process, but we can help steer you through it.  Through our years as architects we have developed close working relationships with planning officers and consultants and so can provide guidance on planning policy, pre-app and full planning applications.

As we are based in Bath, a World Heritage City, we have plenty of experience in planning and listed building applications for listed and historic buildings, and projects in Conservation Areas, but our expertise also extends to projects in Green Belt and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, whether they are existing, or new builds.

Planning Appeals

If you are unhappy with a Development Control Committee’s decision, we can work with you to review it and appeal where it is viable to do so. We’ll give you a straight answer as to your chances of appeal and work with planning consultants as appropriate to maximise your prospects of success.

We consider the conservation of historic buildings to be a prime consideration in architectural design.  We carry out repairs and improvements as part of our work on those buildings, often mixing contemporary interventions with traditional forms and materials.  We do not undertake stand-alone conservation projects but are happy to work with specialist conservators as necessary.

If you are wondering whether to proceed with a purchase, or want to reassess the use of buildings or land you already own, we can carry out a feasibility study.  Through this we can review the likelihood of needing and obtaining planning and listed building consents, research historical and environmental issues and transport planning to help determine if your proposals will work.  We can also advise if complicated projects need specialist consultants.  Residential, community, education and commercial clients benefit from this service.

Hetreed Ross Architects director Jonathan Hetreed is an EASA (Ecclesiastical Architects & Surveyors Association) member and Church Architect and provides these architectural services to a number of local churches in and around Bath.  The churches range from early medieval through Victorian to mid-twentieth century and Jonathan is expert in providing the detailed and personal service needed by PCCs for conservation, repairs and alterations, as well as the Quinquennial inspections and reports required by the Diocese.  If Jonathan can help your Church, please get in touch.

Damp is a common fault in older buildings and can be apparent as surface wetness, blistering paint, bulging plaster and mould. It can also lead to less obvious problems, rotting structural timbers, rusting steelwork and ineffective insulation. Remedial work to resolve issues with damp is often expensive so it is important to get the cause – or causes – accurately diagnosed. Jonathan, author of The Damp House: A Guide to the Causes and Treatment of Dampness is an expert in the field and can visit your property to investigate and advise objectively on all issues relating to damp.

Many projects, both domestic and commercial, have an interior design element and HRA is well placed to give you direct design advice or recommend contacts and co-ordinate efforts in order to help the smooth delivery of your project.  We can also recommend and work with specialists such as kitchen and bathroom designers, joiners, glass designers, metal workers and textile designers to add bespoke items to a project.

We believe the landscape around a building matters. It can merge the manmade with the natural and a high quality landscape design can contribute to our health and well-being. We design and detail hard landscaping, and work with Landscape Consultants where clients require specialist planting advice.

Of course we can’t do everything and a good building relies on excellent teamwork by those with the relevant expertise.  Virtually all projects require a structural engineer, to help develop our designs and provide calculations and we have good relationships with several local firms.  We also work with planning consultants, SAP assessors, landscape architects, surveyors for measuring and Party Wall work, Architectural historians, Ecologists, Transport Consultants, Arboriculturalists, Acoustic engineers and Environmental engineers.