Local homeowners who are thinking of a design revamp in the near future may be very pleased to hear about the new initiative ‘Architect in the House’ – one which also benefits the housing and homelessness charity Shelter. Local architect Peter Morris and his architectural practice Peter Morris Architects are taking part in this scheme, which is being jointly promoted by Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) and Shelter.

Anyone can sign up to receive an hour’s consultation with RIBA chartered architect Peter Morris for any home project large or small that they’re intending to work on – whether that’s a new kitchen extension, an interior design revamp or building an entirely new house. In return, a suggested £45 donation to Shelter is requested, which makes this great value for some top creative and professional architectural advice with money also going to a very worth cause.

Peter Morris said:

“New research from has shown that nearly two-thirds of homeowners have lived in the same home for at least ten years. With more of us staying put while our families grow, home improvements can be the best option in making sure our homes fit our changing needs.”

Chris Delahunt, a local homeowner who has benefitted from the Architect in the House initiative, said:

“I used the Architect Peter Morris’ expertise after reading about the Architect in The House scheme. Peter visited our house and gave fantastic design advice in return for a small donation to Shelter. I wanted to recommend the whole scheme because it’s fantastic. As a self-confessed “Grand Designs” obsessive I also liked the idea of talking to a proper architect! I live in a Victorian terrace house which was originally 2 x flats and as a result it has a huge amount of dead space and small rooms. I was interested to see what Peter might have to say regarding our options, likelihood of planning consent, approximate costs etc. I didn’t expect to gain the level of insight that I did, especially regarding planning consent and what is and isn’t permitted in terms of issues such as party wall agreements. Our house has a “side return” in the back garden which is relatively useful but far from essential and we learned that planning permission for building into side returns is far less proscriptive than we had thought. We also wanted to explore our options regarding knocking down internal walls and opening out the whole ground floor, Peter was able to quickly and clearly explain our options. The costs to us was a £45 donation to Shelter which is a cause that we support anyway and the couple of hours of Peter’s time was invaluable. Heartily recommended if you want to rebuild or extend your kitchen, build a new house or work on interior design and want time with an architect. We are actually going ahead with the work with Peter as our architect on the back of our evening of advice. A great scheme.”

Further proof that this certainly is a great opportunity to receive professional advice from a prestigious architectural firm whilst also supporting the charity Shelter. Given that nearly two-thirds of homeowners have been “in their home for at least ten years” (English Housing Survey), we’re sure that many of you are trying to think up clever ways of utilising the most of your space. In fact, we can’t see why anyone with any upcoming home renovation plans wouldn’t want to take advantage of this scheme immediately!

Please contact Peter Morris at Peter Morris Architects on 0773 888 7218 or peter@petermorrisarchitects.com to take part in Architect in the House.

For more details about Peter Morris Architects, please see www.petermorrisarchitects.com or check them out on Twitter.