Do you cover Englefield Green and Virginia Water as well as Egham?

Yes. We work across Egham, Egham Hythe, Englefield Green, Virginia Water and Thorpe. Our office is in Ashford, a short drive via the A30 and M25 Junction 13.

Which council decides planning applications in Egham?

Runnymede Borough Council. We prepare the drawings and supporting documents, submit the application and handle officer queries and amendments through to determination, as a standalone service if you want it.

My plot is in the Green Belt near Englefield Green. What are my chances?

It depends on how much of the original dwelling's permitted volume remains and how the scheme affects openness and setting. We calculate the volume and assess the setting before you commission a design, and we tell you honestly when the answer is no.

My garden slopes steeply. Does that make an extension unaffordable?

Not necessarily, but level changes drive retaining structures, stepped foundations and drainage, and those costs need to be in the price from the start. We survey the levels at design stage so the groundworks are priced rather than discovered.

Is Egham at risk of flooding?

The lower ground towards Egham Hythe and the Thames carries flood risk designations. We check the flood zone position before design begins and prepare flood risk information for the application where the site requires it.

Can you handle an HMO or rental conversion?

Yes. Fire separation, escape routes, acoustic separation and ventilation are designed into the layout from the start and evidenced for building control, rather than retrofitted after the finishes are in.

What does an extension cost in Egham?

We do not publish square-metre rates. After the free design visit we produce an estimate based on the actual scheme, levels, ground conditions and specification, and construction is then valued monthly against completed work.

Can I use my own builder and just take the drawings?

Yes. For architecture-only clients we can provide on-site assistance and administer a JCT contract on your behalf even where another company is building, with no deposit for architecture-only work.

How are payments structured?

Architecture fees are staged with no deposit on architecture-only work. Construction requires a deposit and then runs on a valuation structure assessed monthly or fortnightly. Payment is by bank transfer; we do not offer finance.

What happens after completion?

Every construction project carries a 12-month defects period under the JCT contract, and new builds are handed over with an NHBC or LABC structural warranty.

Egham

Architects and buildersin Egham, from conceptthrough to completion

Name: SMART Developments LTD: Egham
Address: 138B Chesterfield Rd, Ashford, TW15 3PD, GB
Telephone: 07903 518091
Price range: ££
Rating: 5.0

Extensions, loft conversions, refurbishments and new builds across Egham, Englefield Green and Virginia Water, drawn by our ARB-registered architecture team and built by our own site staff under one JCT contract.

Request an Estimate 07903 518091

Free design visit at your Egham property · No obligation · No deposit on architecture-only work

ARB: Registered architecture in-house, not outsourced
£5m / £10m / £1m: Public liability, employers' liability and professional indemnity cover
JCT: Contract on every construction project, with a 12-month defects period
5.0: Average rating across 19 verified Google reviews
One team: Design and build under a single point of contact

Working in Egham

Egham combines student housing,family suburbs and protected landscape

Egham is a more complicated place to build in than its size suggests. The town has a dense core of Victorian and Edwardian terraces, a large stock of inter-war and post-war family housing, and then, climbing towards Englefield Green and Virginia Water, substantial detached properties set against Windsor Great Park and protected landscape. Add a university town's rental conversions and the range of work in a single postcode is unusually wide.

Our office is in Ashford, a short run along the A30 and across the M25 at Junction 13, so Egham is comfortably inside our routine working area. The first design meeting happens at the property, free of charge: we walk the plot, look at levels, boundary, roof structure and drainage, and give you an honest view of what is achievable before fees are discussed.

Planning is decided by Runnymede Borough Council. Planning and architectural drawings make up around 75% of our workload, so we are used to Runnymede's tests: Green Belt openness on the western and southern fringes, conservation-area character at Englefield Green, and the scale and massing questions that arise where large houses sit on plots overlooked by protected landscape.

Quick access from Ashford

Egham is a short drive from our office via the A30 and M25 Junction 13, which keeps site visits frequent rather than occasional.

Property types we know

Victorian and Edwardian terraces in the town, inter-war and post-war semis, and large detached houses towards Englefield Green and Virginia Water.

What Egham clients ask for

Rear and side extensions, loft conversions and en-suites, layout reconfiguration for larger households, and full refurbishments including rental and HMO-standard work.

Council experience

Applications prepared and submitted to Runnymede Borough Council, including Green Belt volume calculations and conservation-area justification.

Services in Egham

Everything we designand build across Egham

Everything below is available across Egham, Englefield Green and Virginia Water, standalone or as one design-and-build package. There is no deposit on architecture-only work and no obligation to use us for the construction.

Architectural drawings, scale rule and a white card massing model on a studio drawing board

Architecture in Egham

ARB-registered design from concept through to Stage 4 technical drawings, with the Egham planning strategy and the buildability settled by the same team.

Planning application site plans, elevations and a tracing paper overlay laid out on a desk

Planning & Architectural Drawings in Egham

Full planning and building regulations packages for Runnymede, including Green Belt volume work and heritage justification at Englefield Green.

London terrace house under construction behind site hoarding and scaffolding

Construction in Egham

Directly employed builders and long-standing subcontract teams running your Egham site under a JCT contract with monthly valuations.

Brick rear extension exterior with large black-framed bi-fold doors

Residential Extensions in Egham

Single and double storey, side return and wrap-around extensions on Egham homes, with level changes and structure resolved on the drawings first.

Loft conversion bedroom with a large triangular gable window and countryside view

Loft Conversions in Egham

Dormer and hip-to-gable conversions in Egham roof spaces, with head height, stair position and fire strategy proven before work starts.

Kitchen extension with matt navy cabinetry, marble waterfall island and sliding glass doors

Kitchen Extensions in Egham

Open-plan kitchen and dining spaces for Egham family homes, with structure, glazing, extraction and services coordinated as a single package.

Refurbished garden room with vaulted ceiling, rooflights, gable glazing and oak flooring

Residential Refurbishments in Egham

Whole-house renovation, period work and rental-standard refurbishment across Egham, sequenced so the disruptive work happens once.

New build oak-framed cart barn garage with dormer windows and gable glazing

Residential New Builds in Egham

Ground-up homes and replacement dwellings on Egham and Englefield Green plots, handed over with an NHBC or LABC structural warranty.

Refurbished classroom interior with a large skylight and bespoke timber activity arch

Commercial Refurbishments in Egham

Office, retail, education and hospitality refurbishment across Egham, delivered with a single point of contact from survey to handover.

Why Egham clients use us

Why Egham clientswork with us

Everything here is checkable. We would rather you verified it than took our word for it.

One team for design and build
Architecture and construction sit in the same company, so the drawing and the brickwork are one responsibility rather than a dispute waiting to happen.
ARB-registered architecture in-house
Design is produced by ARB-registered staff rather than outsourced, which matters when a Runnymede officer questions the massing of a large addition near protected landscape.
Constraint work done before design
Green Belt volume, conservation designation and tree protection are checked before we draw anything, so you are not paying for a scheme that cannot be consented.
Insurance you can verify
£5m public liability, £10m employers' liability and £1m professional indemnity, covering the design risk as well as the site risk.
5.0 across 19 verified Google reviews
Clients have written about responsiveness, flexibility when amendments came up mid-build, and the team returning after completion to help where needed.

What Egham properties throw at you

The Egham-specific issuesworth knowing about

Protected landscape to the west, Green Belt to the south, the Thames to the north and a mixed housing stock in between. Egham's constraints are geographic as much as architectural.

Green Belt and protected landscape setting

Land around Englefield Green, Virginia Water and Thorpe sits in Metropolitan Green Belt, and properties bordering Windsor Great Park and similar protected landscape face additional scrutiny on scale, massing and visual impact. Applications here are decided on openness and setting, not on whether the design is attractive.

We calculate original-dwelling volume and cumulative additions before design, and where the setting is sensitive we design massing that steps down and materials that sit into the landscape rather than announcing themselves. The justification goes into the submission from the start.

Original volume and previous additions established before design
Massing and materials designed for setting, not just for the plot
Supporting statement prepared as part of the Runnymede submission

Level changes on rising ground

Egham rises from the Thames flood plain towards Englefield Green, and many plots have significant falls across them. Level changes drive retaining structures, stepped foundations, drainage design and access arrangements, and they are the most commonly underestimated cost on sloping sites.

We survey the levels properly at the outset and design the retaining and drainage strategy into the scheme, so the groundworks cost is understood before the contract price is fixed rather than after the excavation has started.

Flood plain at Egham Hythe and the Thames edge

The lower ground towards Egham Hythe, Staines and the river carries flood risk designations, and the area has a documented flooding history. Finished floor levels, resilient construction and surface water disposal can all shape what is consentable.

We check the flood position at the free design visit and prepare the supporting flood risk information as part of the application where the site needs it, rather than letting it stall an otherwise complete submission.

Flood zone position checked before design work begins
Resilient detailing and floor levels designed in from the start
Drainage strategy tested where the water table sits high

Rental conversions and compliance

Egham's student and rental market means a significant amount of local work involves converting or upgrading houses for multiple occupancy. Fire separation, escape routes, sound insulation and ventilation all have to be designed rather than assumed, and retrofitting them after a cosmetic refurbishment is expensive and disruptive.

We design compliance into the layout from the beginning, so the fire strategy, acoustic separation and ventilation are resolved on the drawings and evidenced for building control rather than argued about at inspection.

Our Process

Five stages, one company,no gaps in between

01
Free design visit
We come to the property in person, walk the space with you, and talk through what is realistic on that plot, that roof or that lease before any fee is discussed.
02
Concept design
Our ARB-registered architecture team draws the scheme in-house, tests the options against your budget and agrees a design you are happy to submit.
03
Planning and building regulations
We prepare and submit the application to your local authority, handle officer queries, and follow it with the building regulations and technical package.
04
Build under JCT contract
Directly employed building staff and long-standing subcontract teams carry out the works, with the project valued monthly and staged payments following that valuation.
05
Handover and defects period
You get sign-off, the completed drawings and a 12-month defects period as standard. New builds are handed over with an NHBC or LABC structural warranty.

Egham questions

Answers beforeyou commit to anything

Nearby coverage

We work across the counties bordering Egham

If your project sits on the edge of Egham, or you own property in more than one of these areas, the same team covers all of them under one point of contact.

All areas All services Contact us

Exterior of a white thatched cottage refurbished by SMART Developments

Talk to us about your Egham project.

Tell us the address and what you want to achieve, and we will arrange a free design visit, including a straight read on Green Belt, levels and flood risk before you spend anything.