Many people dream of buying a house and doing it up. But, unless you know what you're doing, understanding the processes involved and the challenges that may arise can be tricky.

There comes a time in most homeowner’s lives when they simply need more space. More space may be required, for example, if a homeowner is expecting another baby or looking to start a room sharing business. This leaves a homeowner with only two options - extend or move house.

Old property, new heating system

BDS Architecture Ltd are renovating and and extending this Edwardian property. Here you can see the kitchen extension really coming along. Internal works are really taking shape including the fitting of the underfloor heating.

The process of renovating a home involves a series of steps that are completed over a period of several weeks or months. In order to ensure that your project proceeds as smoothly as possible, it's crucial to check that every stage is completed thoroughly. There's nothing worse than knocking down a wall, or ripping out a heating system, just to discover that your plans were, well, not the most accurate!

For many years this soon to be renovated chalet was just a concrete block shell being used for storage. Last year the property was acquired by a new owner who wanted to transform the space into a family home. BDS Architecture Ltd had the pleasure of designing a suitable layout for the existing building to make it into a fabulous four bedroom family living space. The above photo shows the property half way through it's renovation.

On the lookout for your dream countryside home? A barn conversion might be perfect for you. Barn conversions are an easy way around the planning restrictions that can make building your own home from scratch challenging. Plus they come with the added bonuses of having historical charm and plenty of character. Embarking on a renovation project can be hugely rewarding (wouldn't it be nice to wake up to idyllic views every morning?), but there are a number of important aspects to keep in mind beforehand. Here's what you need to know.

You've circled dozens of home décor pictures in the magazines, pinned images to your Pinterest page, and perhaps even dreamed about picking out your paint colours. Your first practical step, however, in bringing your dream home to life is sorting out your planning permission.

Light is sometimes an overlooked factor in your health and wellbeing, especially the light quality that’s available in your home. This is not simply a matter of being able to find things without switching on a light. The issue goes much deeper than that.

On some levels, good domestic and commercial architecture have a lot in common. Both private and public buildings need strong integrity and infrastructure, both must be aesthetically pleasing, and both must be compliant with regulations. However, there are key differences between home and commercial architecture, and every professional who works with you on your project should be familiar with them.

The foundation of an extension is equally as important as that of the main house. It needs to be built to last and support the new additional structure. Here are four types of foundations suitable for anchoring an extension.