Notes on design, conservation, and current projects from DHV Architects, a RIBA chartered practice in Bristol.https://dhva.co.uk/https://dhva.co.uk/journal/loft-conversions-a-beginner-s-guide/https://dhva.co.uk/journal/loft-conversions-a-beginner-s-guide/Most UK houses have roof space that could be converted into additional living accommodation. A loft conversion is one of the most affordable ways to add space to your home: depending on the roof slope and configuration, it is typically possible to create one or two rooms, plus a…Fri, 23 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://dhva.co.uk/journal/planning-consent-or-permitted-development-for-house-extensions/https://dhva.co.uk/journal/planning-consent-or-permitted-development-for-house-extensions/One of the first questions clients ask when planning a house extension in Bristol is whether they need planning permission. The answer depends on the size, position and design of the extension, as well as the type of property. A simple rear extension to a house may fall under per…Mon, 27 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://dhva.co.uk/journal/designing-for-summer-comfort-passive-cooling-in-bristol-and-uk-homes/https://dhva.co.uk/journal/designing-for-summer-comfort-passive-cooling-in-bristol-and-uk-homes/Many contemporary renovations and new-build homes are designed around generous glazing — to bring in daylight, frame views and make the most of solar gain in the winter months. But the same design moves that make a home feel bright and open in mid winter can create a very differe…Fri, 26 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://dhva.co.uk/journal/low-carbon-heating-systems-in-uk-homes/https://dhva.co.uk/journal/low-carbon-heating-systems-in-uk-homes/With the implications of the latest conflict in the Middle East beginning to unfold, many self-builders and renovators in Bristol and beyond are asking how they can reduce their homes’ reliance on fossil fuels. The concept of an ‘autonomous’ house — largely self-sufficient in mee…Wed, 08 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://dhva.co.uk/journal/building-infill-urban-houses/https://dhva.co.uk/journal/building-infill-urban-houses/Part 2 - Construction. Last year DHV Architects completed a small new build, detached mews house in a backstreet in Cotham in Bristol. The plot was formed by subdividing the garden of a large victorian villa. This is one of several infill developments we have designed over the pa…Sun, 15 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://dhva.co.uk/journal/infill-urban-houses/https://dhva.co.uk/journal/infill-urban-houses/Part 1 - Design and planning. Last year DHV Architects completed a small new build, detached mews house in a backstreet in Cotham in Bristol. The plot was formed by subdividing the garden of a large victorian villa. The house is organised around an open plan ground floor area whi…Thu, 11 Dec 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://dhva.co.uk/journal/1950s-whole-house-eco-refurbishment/https://dhva.co.uk/journal/1950s-whole-house-eco-refurbishment/DHV Architects was approached by a family of four with two young daughters who had just bought a 1950s, four‑bedroom semi‑detached house in Redland, north Bristol. From the outset, DHV collaborated with Ivywell Interiors to realise the clients’ brief: remodelling the ground and f…Wed, 16 Jul 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://dhva.co.uk/journal/a-modernist-villa-crafted-from-somerset-s-vernacular-materials/https://dhva.co.uk/journal/a-modernist-villa-crafted-from-somerset-s-vernacular-materials/DHV Architects have recently completed the construction of a four bedroom house in the North Somerset Green Belt, just 30 minutes from Bristol. Previously occupied by a dilapidated chalet bungalow, the site is positioned on a south-facing hillside with expansive views over the Me…Thu, 26 Jun 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://dhva.co.uk/journal/remodelling-a-grade-ii-listed-townhouse-in-clifton-bristol/https://dhva.co.uk/journal/remodelling-a-grade-ii-listed-townhouse-in-clifton-bristol/DHV Architects were appointed to remodel a large Grade II listed townhouse on the edge of Clifton Village, overlooking the Downs. The house had been a family home for more than two decades, but the rear of the property felt tired, dark and poorly connected to its south-facing gar…Sun, 08 Jun 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://dhva.co.uk/journal/how-to-choose-windows-for-your-house-extension-project/https://dhva.co.uk/journal/how-to-choose-windows-for-your-house-extension-project/When planning a house renovation or extension, choosing the right external doors and windows is one of the key decisions homeowners will need to make. It’s not just the look—windows and doors play a crucial role in energy efficiency, natural light, ventilation, and how the space…Thu, 22 May 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://dhva.co.uk/journal/new-build-eco-house-in-green-belt/https://dhva.co.uk/journal/new-build-eco-house-in-green-belt/In early 2022 our clients purchased a modest post-war bungalow near Wrington in North Somerset with a view to redevelop it and create a four bedroom family home. The existing bungalow is set in a generous plot with expansive, south facing views ranging from the Yeo valley to the…Thu, 19 Jan 2023 00:00:00 GMThttps://dhva.co.uk/journal/crittall-window-extension/https://dhva.co.uk/journal/crittall-window-extension/The clients had bought a turn of century end of terrace house in need of complete refurbishment and were keen to turn it into their dream property. Ground Floor The clients didn't need additional bedrooms but wanted to create a generous ground floor living area connected to the g…Tue, 27 Sep 2022 00:00:00 GMThttps://dhva.co.uk/journal/low-energy-refurbishment-for-a-post-war-house/https://dhva.co.uk/journal/low-energy-refurbishment-for-a-post-war-house/In 2019 our clients bought a detached post-war house in Coombe Dingle, a leafy suburb in North-West Bristol, sandwiched between the parkland area of Blaise Castle Estate and the Trym valley. The aim of the project was to balance a substantial increase in floor area with the desir…Thu, 05 May 2022 00:00:00 GMThttps://dhva.co.uk/journal/new-build-terraced-house-in-south-bristol/https://dhva.co.uk/journal/new-build-terraced-house-in-south-bristol/In 2018 DHV architects were appointed to design a new build, infill house in Bedminster, South Bristol. Set on a small plot measuring a mere 73sqm, the design offers an imaginative solution to a constrained urban site. Construction work started in 2021 and completion is expected…Wed, 04 May 2022 00:00:00 GMThttps://dhva.co.uk/journal/curzon-cinema-bring-back-the-balcony/https://dhva.co.uk/journal/curzon-cinema-bring-back-the-balcony/Listed Building Consent was granted in December 2021 for the reinstatement of the balcony at the Grade II Curzon Cinema in Clevedon. The balcony has been closed to the public for nearly fifty years following a reduction in capacity and the installation of a new false ceiling in M…Wed, 02 Feb 2022 00:00:00 GMThttps://dhva.co.uk/journal/radical-bungalow-remodel/https://dhva.co.uk/journal/radical-bungalow-remodel/In 2016 we were appointed to redesign a small bungalow in North Somerset. The clients had recently moved back to the UK after spending a decade in Australia, where they had become accustomed to open plan houses with a strong connection to the outdoors. Not keen on going back to a…Thu, 30 Sep 2021 00:00:00 GMThttps://dhva.co.uk/journal/maximising-land-in-urban-neighbourhoods/https://dhva.co.uk/journal/maximising-land-in-urban-neighbourhoods/In the past year DHV Architects have designed several infill housing projects. These gap or infill housing are a great way to make use of vacant or underused plots interspersed among older, existing properties in established urban neighbourhoods. They are often sought after and c…Fri, 24 Sep 2021 00:00:00 GMThttps://dhva.co.uk/journal/elizabethan-house-regeneration-plymouth/https://dhva.co.uk/journal/elizabethan-house-regeneration-plymouth/DHV Architects were the lead consultants for the regeneration of the late Sixteenth Century Elizabethan House Museum for Plymouth City Council. The Elizabethan House is a Grade II* listed quay-side merchant’s house in the Barbican area of Plymouth’s beautiful historic old town. T…Fri, 30 Jul 2021 00:00:00 GMThttps://dhva.co.uk/journal/home-refurbishment-and-extension-in-henleaze-bristol/https://dhva.co.uk/journal/home-refurbishment-and-extension-in-henleaze-bristol/In the summer of 2018, DHV architects were appointed to design a rear extension and first floor alterations to an inter-war, two-storey detached property in the Henleaze area in North Bristol. The house was in need of complete modernisation and the owners, a family with two young…Tue, 25 May 2021 00:00:00 GMThttps://dhva.co.uk/journal/victorian-semi-detached-house-extension-in-westbury-on-trym-bristol/https://dhva.co.uk/journal/victorian-semi-detached-house-extension-in-westbury-on-trym-bristol/The house is a five bedroom Victorian semi detached house in Westbury on Trym. The front façade has a Pennant stone with Bath Stone window surrounds. The side and rear façade is brick faced. There was a small double storey side extension, garage and a tall dilapidated conservator…Tue, 25 May 2021 00:00:00 GMThttps://dhva.co.uk/journal/curzon-cinema-roof-repairs-and-1970s-ceiling-removal/https://dhva.co.uk/journal/curzon-cinema-roof-repairs-and-1970s-ceiling-removal/DHV Architects have recently completed a major phase of roof repairs to this popular Grade II listed 1920s cinema located in the centre of Clevedon. The Curzon Cinema is an early twentieth century cine-variety theatre and is considered to be one of the oldest continually running…Wed, 05 May 2021 00:00:00 GMThttps://dhva.co.uk/journal/tyntesfield/https://dhva.co.uk/journal/tyntesfield/DHV Architects are leading the build of a new visitor hub at Tyntesfield that will preserve the Grade II* listed Home Farm complex and ease the current strains of increasing visitor numbers at this popular National Trust site. Project scope Just a stone's throw away from Bristol…Thu, 15 Apr 2021 00:00:00 GMT