Refurbishment or extension can adapt an existing home or another building to new needs without starting from an empty site. We study its layout, structure, massing, facades and surroundings, then seek a solution that makes sensible use of what is already there.
Discuss your project
The process begins with available records, inspection and defining the surveys or specialist assessments required. We review layout, structure, technical condition, services, facades and planning constraints. Only then can we responsibly identify what should be retained, repaired, transformed or added.
The scope may include reorganising a home, adding a new volume, altering the roof, opening the building to the garden, improving accessibility or adapting it to a different use. We seek solutions that make use of the existing structure and avoid unnecessary intervention while creating a coherent layout and architecture for the whole building.
Most commissions of this kind respond to homes and the everyday needs of their residents, while the studio’s experience also includes other existing building types. One local example is the facade transformation at 11/13 Old Market Square in Chojnice. Every project nevertheless begins with the specific building, its condition and the client’s objective rather than a predetermined answer.
Before designing, we survey the building and establish its structural arrangement: which walls are load-bearing, how the floors span, and the condition of the roof structure and foundations. More substantial interventions may require a technical expert report. This stage determines whether opening up a space or adding a storey is feasible at all, and at what cost.
An extension generally requires a building permit, whereas some renovation and alteration work can proceed on a notification or without one. Classification depends on the extent of intervention in the structure, the massing and the use. We verify the permitted parameters in the local plan or planning decision — footprint, height, building line and roof pitch — before the concept is developed.
In Chojnice and the surrounding towns many buildings sit within heritage protection zones or adjoin listed structures. This requires agreement with the heritage conservator and particular care with elevations, joinery and detail. We have carried out such work on the townhouses of the Old Market Square in Chojnice, so we know how these approvals run in practice.
As a rule yes, because an extension changes the building’s footprint and volume. Some alteration and renovation work can proceed on a notification or without formalities. We check the classification at the outset, as it affects the schedule and the scope of documentation.
Not every one, and not to any extent. Constraints arise from the local plan or planning decision, distances from plot boundaries, and the capacity of the existing structure and foundations. This is why we begin with a survey and a check of the permitted parameters.
It may be, where significant structural intervention is planned — removing load-bearing walls, adding a storey or changing the use. The report is prepared by a qualified structural engineer; we help establish whether it is required and coordinate its scope.
The works must then be agreed with the regional heritage conservator, and sometimes supported by studies or opinions. This applies particularly to elevations, window joinery and detail. We have delivered such projects on the Old Market Square townhouses in Chojnice.
Yes — for example adapting an outbuilding for residential use, or a flat for commercial use. Such a change requires verification against the local plan, compliance with the technical requirements of the new function, and a separate formal procedure.
Yes. We work in Chojnice, Czersk, Człuchów, Brusy, Tuchola and further across the region. Alterations require more site visits than new buildings, so distance is reflected in the schedule and the fee.
Tell us where the project is located and what support you need. We will come back with a suggested next step.
Go to contact