DESIGNING AROUND THE WAY YOU LIVE
Creating beautifully considered homes, tailored to the way you live.
Every home is different, and so is every reason for wanting to change it. You might be considering a house extension, looking for a better connection between the rooms you already have, more light, or simply a home that works harder for every day life. You may already know exactly what you want, or you may need help working that out.
That’s where we come in. We look at your home as a whole, not just the area you’re thinking of changing. We’ll explore what’s possible, challenge ideas where we think there’s a better solution, and help you make informed decisions about your home, your budget and the way forward.
From first ideas and measured surveys through to planning and the technical stages that follow, we can guide you through the process, bringing together thoughtful design with the practical detail needed to make it happen.
01: A CALM STARTING POINT
It starts with a conversation. We offer a free, no-obligation consultation at your home, where we’ll talk about what you’d like to change, what’s driving the project and what you’d ultimately like your home to do better.
We’ll look at how you live now, what’s important to you and any ideas you already have. We can also talk honestly about budget, likely build costs, timescales and planning considerations, so you leave with a clearer understanding of what may be possible and what happens next.
It’s also a chance for you to get to know us. A successful project is a collaboration, so it matters that the relationship feels right from the beginning.
HOW IT WORKS
02: UNDERSTANDING YOUR HOME
Before we start designing, we need to properly understand what’s already there. We’ll carry out a detailed measured survey of your property, recording its dimensions, layout and key features. From this, we create accurate existing floor plans and elevations and model your home in CAD.
But the survey is about more than measurements. Being in the property allows us to understand how the spaces relate to one another, where the opportunities lie and what constraints we may need to work with. It gives us the accurate starting point we need to design your home properly.
03: CLEAR, THOUGHTFUL DESIGN
This is where the possibilities start to take shape. Using everything we’ve learned about your home and how you want to live, we’ll explore different ways of approaching the project, looking beyond the obvious solution where we think there may be a better one.
We consider the home as a whole: how rooms connect, how you move through the space, where natural light comes from, views, storage, furniture, the relationship with the garden and how the changes will feel in everyday life.
We’ll share our initial ideas with you and talk through the thinking behind them. From there, we refine the design together, listening to your feedback and developing the details until we arrive at a solution that feels right. Only when you’re happy with the design do we move on to planning. You can explore examples of our architectural design work in our portfolio.
04: PLANNING, HANDLED PROPERLY
Once the design is agreed, we’ll prepare the drawings and information needed for your planning application and submit everything to the local authority on your behalf.
We understand that planning can be one of the parts homeowners worry about most. Our job is to make it feel far less daunting. We’ll advise you on the appropriate planning route, prepare a clear and considered submission and act as your point of contact with the local authority throughout the application. If questions or concerns arise, we’ll deal with them and keep you informed, and you won’t need to navigate the process alone.
Looking for more guidance on planning? Explore our planning advice in Beyond the Build.
05: GETTING READY TO BUILD
Once planning is in place, we can help you take the next steps towards getting your project ready to build. We’ll guide you through the technical stage, bringing in the appropriate structural and Building Control expertise where needed and liaising with them as the details of your project are developed.
This means you don’t have to work out who you need or navigate each part of the process on your own. We’ll help keep things moving, answer design queries as they arise and make sure the original thinking behind your home remains part of the conversation.
The aim is simple: to give you, your builder and the wider project team the clarity needed to move confidently towards construction.
MORE WAYS TO WORK WITH US
Design Review | Pre-Purchase Consultancy | Interior Architecture
ALREADY HAVE PLANS? DESIGN REVIEW
Already have plans, but not entirely convinced? Sometimes a design looks right on paper, but something still doesn’t quite feel right. Perhaps you already have planning permission, have inherited drawings with a property, or have been working on a design but want a fresh pair of experienced eyes before taking it any further.
Our Design Review gives you an independent, considered look at your plans before you commit to building them. We’ll look at the home as a whole, the layout and flow, use of space, natural light, external appearance and those smaller details that can make a significant difference to how a home ultimately feels and functions.
We’ll identify what’s working, where we see opportunities for improvement and, importantly, explain why. It’s a focused way to access our design expertise when you don’t need our full architectural service - giving you greater confidence in the design before it becomes much more expensive to change.
THINKING OF BUYING?
PRE-PURCHASE CONSULTANCY
Found a property you love, but not sure whether it could become the home you really need?
Before you commit, we can help you look beyond how the property works today and explore what it could become. We’ll consider the existing layout, opportunities to reconfigure or extend, and how the home might adapt to suit you and your family in the years ahead.
We can also identify obvious design constraints and planning considerations that may influence what is realistically achievable, helping you go into your purchase with a clearer understanding of the property’s potential.
It isn’t a building survey or a guarantee of planning permission. It’s an experienced design perspective at a point when asking the right questions can make a very big difference.
BEYOND THE FLOOR PLAN
INTERIOR ARCHITECTURE
A home can have a great layout and still not quite work in the details.
We can take the same considered approach we bring to the architecture into the spaces and features you use every day, from bespoke cabinetry and fitted storage to media units, window seats, utility spaces and other built-in elements.
By thinking about these details as part of the wider design, rather than adding them at the end, we can consider proportions, storage, furniture, lighting and how you’ll actually use the space together.
The result is a home that feels more resolved, more cohesive and, importantly, works better for everyday life.
Interior Architecture can be incorporated into a wider KLB project or commissioned for selected areas of your home.
LOOKING FOR ADVICE & INSPIRATION?
Not everyone who finds KLB Homes is ready to start a project, and you don't need to be...
BEYOND THE BUILD
A collection of personal reflections, practical advice and design insight from Kristina, covering the questions that come up time and again when you’re thinking about changing your home.
From planning and extensions to layouts, budgets and the realities of renovating, it’s a place to explore ideas, understand your options and think a little differently about what makes a home really work.
WANT TO UNDERSTAND THE RENOVATION PROCESS YOURSELF?
How to Renovate with Confidence is an online course created by Kristina through The Renovation Academy for homeowners who want a clearer understanding of what happens and when, before getting caught up in the build.
Through short, practical lessons, it covers the renovation journey from early planning and budgeting through design, choosing professionals, managing the project and avoiding common mistakes.
It’s designed for people taking a more hands-on approach to their renovation who want practical guidance they can work through in their own time.
WHERE WE WORK
Based in the Surrey Hills, working across Surrey.
KLB Homes is based in the heart of the Surrey Hills, and most of our projects are close to home.
We work with homeowners throughout Surrey, including Guildford, Dorking, Leatherhead, Fetcham, Cobham, Weybridge, Walton-on-Thames, East and West Horsley, Cranleigh, Ewhurst and the surrounding Surrey Hills villages.
Working locally means we understand the character of the area and the planning considerations that often come with changing homes here, from Conservation Areas and Green Belt locations to properties within the Surrey Hills National Landscape.
For the right project, we’re always happy to talk if you’re a little further afield too.
