Niche Design Architects

From house extensions to new homes and commercial developments, we create buildings thatowners love and visitors remember.

Niche Design Architects gives developers, domestic and commercial customers across Yorkshire a full and high quality architectural service with a personal touch. The RIBA-chartered practice, in Burley-in-Wharfedale, near Ilkley, was founded five years ago by talented and experienced architects, Chris and Cathy Hunt. They attract wide praise and recommendation for their skill in bringing ambitious projects to fruition. They are known for exceptional design, expert technical drawing, knowledge of Planning issues and Building Regulations and their friendly approach.

The Service: Concept design, Planning & Building Control approval/detailed design, Tender & Contract Administration. We were asked to improve the kitchen and dining area of this cottage which sits in an exposed but beautiful location on the moor above Bingley, West Yorkshire. A dilapidated porch was also to be replaced with a new entrance to the house. A simple solution was proposed which wrapped a single storey extension around the existing kitchen area providing more generous sized kitchen, walk in pantry and a large porch.

We were asked to convert and extend the basement of this Ilkley townhouse. The basement previously consisted of an integral garage and store rooms. The brief was to transform the basement into a space that could function as a separate living space with its own shower room and kitchen, although it is used as an additional living space with direct access to the garden. The extension enabled a terrace to be added to the kitchen/dining area, situated at upper ground floor level. The extension is treated as a contemporary addition to the original house, with white rendered and a frameless glass balustrade around the terrace.

We were asked by the owners of this home to extend the living area to form an open plan kitchen/dining and living area with access to the garden and to the basement level, (previously garages) into a new entrance/hall with a utility room and self-contained bedroom/home office with a shower room. The house is surrounded by mature trees, so maximising natural light to the interior was a high priority. This was achieved with large glazed sliding doors to access the rear garden, panoramic picture windows framing views of the trees and two large flat roof rooflights which bring light flooding down through the stairwell with new bespoke steel, timber and glass staircase and to the living area.

NDA were approached by our clients who had purchased a run down two bedroom semi-detached property and were wanting to downsize from their current home. We prepared a scheme to renovate the house and create a first floor by converting the loft and adding a rear extension. Due to the extent of the work it was decided that it would be more economical to demolish the house and rebuild on a similar footprint as the build would then be zero rated for VAT. Care was taken to ensure the neighbour was fully considered throughout the demolition and reconstruction and the relevant party wall awards were in place.

Niche Design Architects design and manage a wide range of projects worth 50,000 upwards. You choose how far through the process you want us to go. Whatever your project is, we guarantee to impress with our creativity, skill, experience and warmth. Our works spans Leeds, Bradford, Skipton, Harrogate, Ilkley, Otley, Keighley, Wetherby, the Yorkshire Dales and beyond. You might want a light-giving extension for your Harrogate semi-detached. Or do you need a garden office in Gargrave? Perhaps you have ambitions to self-build your own place on Ilkley Moor?

Having recently acquired this fantastic Victorian villa in the popular Duchy conservation area of Harrogate our clients asked us to look at extending the property to create a much larger family kitchen, dining and living space with a connection to the garden. The house previously had a small kitchen leading onto a large external terrace with steps down to the garden. The levels of the site are such that the ground floor level is a full storey above ground level to the rear of the property, with a basement at lower ground level.