Listed buildings are protected because of their architectural or historic value or contribution to the wider environment. If you are lucky enough to be custodians of such a building you are probably already onboard with the value that it brings. It does not mean that your house is a museum though, it is in the long term best interest of these special buildings that they can accommodate modern life. Careful and considerate modifications that breathe new life into these buildings are how they will survive and continue to share their value to the wider community.

When working with listed buildings it is important to understand what the most valuable elements are and also where things may have been lost or damaged in the past. Most planning authorities and specifically conservation officers who deal with listed building consent applications will be pleased to see a proposal that presents an overall net gain to the value of the historical or architectural asset. This could be through restoration or repairs of valuable elements and or removal of insensitive previous alterations along with proposed new elements that respond sensitively and possibly enhance the overall quality, or narrative of the original building.

A sensible approach could be to appoint a heritage consultant along with your architect so they can identify the most valuable and damaging aspects of the building, this information can really help to steer the project and any proposal in a positive direction.

Below are a selection of the listed building projects we have been lucky enough to work on, all were extended and modernised, and all included introducing very contemporary elements.

The answer to the question: “Can I extend my listed building?” is almost certainly yes!