Entries by Marshall McCann Architects Marshall McCann Architects

Ask an Architect…?

How do I find and decide on an architect?Well…you have just found us!Seriously, though: all architects are required to be registered by the Architects Registration Board (ARB), so check on there before engaging anybody, to ensure they are an architect.Mostly, we would say, though, is: find someone whose work inspires you, and more importantly, that […]

How does an Architect Design?

Once we have a brief, a site, a topographical survey (a detailed site survey, which gives us information such as, height of existing building, position of trees, levels, etc), and a budget, we will sit down with pages, tracing paper and a marker. We will start by looking at the big picture; Heights of any […]

How can an Architect design a house (or extension) that YOU will love?

The Design Process: New Houses & Extensions How do we come up with our ideas? How long does it take? Every architect will work differently. But for us, we take inspiration from you, the site (views, orientation, wind, topography, etc), local landmarks….and of course all those Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook pages we follow! Our first […]

Is this the site for me?

Found your site? Acquired planning permission? Excellent! Now its worth assessing the suitability of the site for your needs, dreams, and importantly budget – before you start to throw money at it! Access How long is the access? Is the access lane in place? Is the access lane shared? Who owns the access lane? Will […]

How Can I Get Planning Permission for a House in the Countryside?

Always dreamed of living the rural life, on your own, family land, and wanted to know if you could get planning permission? We at Marshall McCann Architects specialise in rural planning and design of one-off houses in the countryside. The furore around PPS21 has died down, but the effects of it are still the same: […]

An Architects Guide to…..finding a site

Many people have the aspiration of building their dream home on the perfect site; but, alas, don’t own the valuable commodity of land. However, perseverance, hard work and a little bit of luck may make the dreams become a reality. How to find a site 1. The obvious is to contact an estate agent. Check […]

Living Design magazine article

Read all about Martins Award Winning Passive House in this edition of Living Design; the local architectural design magazine, specialising in showcasing house design. ‘Energy Efficient House of the Year UK’

Energy Efficient House of the Year UK!!

A glittering evening in London, celebrating Martins house winning ‘Energy Efficient House of the Year UK’. A quick snapshot with BBC’s DIY SOS host Nick Knowles!! More info to follow…..as soon as we come down from this (champagne induced!) cloud!!

Passive House Case Study

Impending nuptials and the offer of a site, meant that Martin, who always had a keen interest in sustainable and energy efficient building design, was able to research, experiment and explore different methods of construction and heating systems for his own self-build house. Around this time Martin decided to take a job working for Setanta […]