Arkiplan

20/06/2026

That narrow passageway down the side of your house? It could be your next living space.

Side return extensions are one of the most transformative projects for terraced and semi-detached homes — they add width where you thought there was none.

A typical side return adds 2–4m² of floor area, but the real magic is what it does to the kitchen-diner. Suddenly you've got room for an island, proper dining space, and a wall of glass that makes the whole back of the house feel twice the size.

We design these every week. The transformation is always worth it.

👉 Link in bio to get your free quote.

18/06/2026

Planning an extension? Before a single brick goes up — the ground beneath your feet decides everything.

Foundations are the part no one talks about. Until something goes wrong.

What you need to know:
🟫 Strip foundations — most common, follow wall lines
🔩 Piled foundations — needed near trees or on clay
🌿 Trees within 3× their height = specialist investigation required
📋 Building Inspector must approve the open trench BEFORE concrete is poured

The good news: Arkiplan's fixed price includes your structural calculations and Building Control application. Both handled for you.

👉 Link in bio for your free quote.

18/06/2026

Old stone. New glass. Everything in between — transformed.

This is what happens when you stop trying to fight your home's original character and start designing with it instead.

A traditional stone cottage extended with a full-width contemporary glass and steel addition. The contrast is the point. Old and new, in honest conversation.

The result: a kitchen-diner that floods with afternoon light, opens fully to the garden, and still feels like it belongs exactly where it stands.

We design extensions that respect what's already there — and make it better.

👉 Link in bio to get your free quote.

17/06/2026

Planning is a big unknown for most homeowners. What if it gets refused?

At Arkiplan, we back our work with a Planning Permission Guarantee.

If your planning application is refused, we refund the council planning fee in full — that's approximately £700 back in your pocket.

Why can we offer this?
✅ 96%+ approval rate across thousands of applications
🎯 We design within planning policy — not against it
📊 Hundreds of applications every year across England & Wales

All included in your fixed price. No extras. No small print.

Fixed price from day one. Everything handled in-house. 3–6 weeks survey to submission.

👉 Link in bio for your free quote.

16/06/2026

Sometimes a home just needs to breathe.\n\nA rear extension doesn't just add square footage — it changes how a home feels entirely. The way light moves through it. The connection to the garden. The way a kitchen becomes the heart of the house.\n\nThis is what we do, every week.\n\n👉 Link in bio to get your free quote.\n\n

15/06/2026

Planning an extension and nobody's mentioned soil type yet? That's a gap.

The ground beneath your house is the single biggest variable in your foundation design — and your build cost.

What you need to know:
🟤 Clay — shrinks in summer, swells in winter. Needs deep strip foundations (750mm–1m+). Common across London, Midlands and South East
🟡 Sand & gravel — stable and free-draining. Shallower foundations possible
⚫ Made ground — old rubble or fill. Can require piled or raft foundations
🟢 Rock — excellent bearing capacity, but slow to drill through

Before any extension starts, a structural engineer checks the soil with a trial pit or borehole. The results dictate how your foundations are designed.

We handle this as part of every project. It's included in your fixed price — no extra charges when the groundworks start.

👉 Link in bio for your free quote.

15/06/2026

Planning an extension on a sloping plot? The conversation about retaining walls needs to happen before you pour a single cubic metre of concrete.\n\nA retaining wall holds back soil and water pressure on one side — and if your garden slopes, your extension may need one before the foundations can even begin.\n\nHere's what to know:\n🧱 Common types: mass concrete, blockwork, piled, and gabion\n⚠️ Building Control approval is always required — it's a structural element\n💰 Typical cost: £150–£400/m² depending on type and height\n📐 Getting it wrong is expensive. A failed retaining wall means failed foundations.\n\nWe assess this at design stage — not after the digger's arrived. Our fixed price includes all structural calculations, retaining walls included.\n\n👉 Link in bio for your free quote.\n\n

15/06/2026

Most companies take months to get you from survey to planning submission. We take weeks.

At Arkiplan, our process is built for speed — without cutting corners:

⚡ LiDAR 3D survey captures every measurement in one visit
🖥️ Remote video design meeting booked the same week
👩‍💼 In-house team handles everything — design, planning, structural calcs, building regs
📨 Submission in 3–6 weeks — not 3–6 months

Fixed price from day one. Everything included.

👉 Link in bio to get your free quote.

13/06/2026

12/06/2026

A flat ceiling is a missed opportunity. 🏠

When you extend single-storey at the rear, you can vault the ceiling up to the ridge — and the impact is extraordinary. Light pours in from above. The room has drama, height, and a quality that photographs can't quite capture.

Same footprint. Completely different feeling.

It's one of those design moves that costs relatively little extra but completely transforms the experience of the space.

Curious? Link in bio. ✨