Residential Architects Serving Leeds, Alwoodley, Moortown & Roundhay.
Considering an extension, major renovation or bespoke new home in Leeds? Understanding what might gain planning approval, what is achievable within your budget and where to begin can often be the hardest part.
Brightman Clarke Architects is an RIBA-chartered residential practice working across Leeds and Yorkshire. Our experience includes a substantial renovation and extension in Alwoodley, and we can guide you from those first conversations through planning, technical design and construction.
Bespoke House Extensions | Complete Home Renovations | Luxury New-Build & Self-Build Homes
Expert Knowledge of the Leeds Area.
North Leeds contains some of the city’s most established and desirable residential areas, including Alwoodley, Roundhay, Adel and Bramhope, together with Scarcroft, Shadwell and the surrounding villages.
The architecture is equally varied. Large detached family homes, Arts and Crafts properties, Victorian houses and more contemporary developments can sit alongside mature trees, established gardens and sensitive landscapes.
Planning can therefore be an important consideration from the outset. Conservation areas, protected trees, neighbouring properties, access and the character of the existing street can all influence what is likely to be appropriate.
Our role is to understand these issues early, explore the opportunities they create and help you make informed decisions before investing heavily in a design.
Explore our extension and renovation projects.
Bespoke House Extensions in Leeds and North Leeds
A larger home does not always mean a home that works well.
Many properties in Alwoodley, Roundhay, Adel, and the surrounding areas have generous floor plans and gardens, but their internal layouts may have evolved over decades. Kitchens can be separated from family spaces, extensions may not make the most of the garden, and valuable floor area can be poorly connected.
We look at your existing home as a whole before deciding where additional space is actually needed.
Sometimes the answer is a substantial extension. In other cases, reconfiguring what is already there, introducing more natural light or creating a better relationship with the garden can transform the way the home feels.
Planning, construction cost and buildability are considered alongside the design so that your budget is directed towards the changes that will make the greatest difference.
Discover our completed house extensions and renovations.
Discover some of our completed house extensions.
Latest House in Leeds: The Pines, Alwoodley
Our work in Leeds includes The Pines in Alwoodley, where a dated family property is being completely transformed through a major back-to-brick renovation and a series of carefully considered extensions.
Rather than simply making the house larger, the project reorganises how the family lives throughout the home. Split-level living spaces open towards the garden, previously underused areas have been reconsidered, and new accommodation makes much better use of the existing building.
It is a good example of the way we approach renovation projects: understanding what is worth retaining, identifying where investment will have the greatest impact and bringing the old and new together as one coherent home.
View The Pines, Alwoodley.
Explore our bespoke self-build and new homes.
Bespoke New-Build and Self-Build Homes in Leeds
Opportunities to create an individual new home may come from a replacement dwelling, an unusually large garden, a previously developed site or land on the edge of an established neighbourhood.
The challenge is often understanding the site’s realistic potential.
Before becoming too attached to a particular design, we consider the planning context, neighbouring properties, access, trees, landscape, orientation, and levels. We can then begin to establish what kind of home could work and how your ambitions align with the site and available budget.
For more sensitive locations around the outer edges of Leeds, landscape, Green Belt and conservation considerations can make this early thinking particularly valuable.
The architecture might ultimately be contemporary, traditional or somewhere between the two. We believe the right answer should emerge from the site, your brief and the way you want to live rather than from a predetermined house style.
Discover some of our completed house extensions.
An RIBA-Chartered Residential Practice
A major residential project can represent years of planning and a significant financial investment, so choosing the right architect matters.
Our team specialises in bespoke homes. We will give you clear professional advice, talk openly about planning and budget, and explain the implications of important design decisions as the project develops.
You remain at the centre of the process, supported by an experienced team from the first ideas onwards.
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![Architect Designed Contemporary New Home]()
Architect Designed Contemporary New Home
“…Their designs are both stunning and practical, and from a builder point of view they are achievable, which translates to a successful build in terms of timings, cost and end product… We have no hesitation recommending Brightman Clarke to anybody seeking an architect.”
Whitshaw Builders
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![Sensitive House Extension]()
A Sensitive House Extension
“ We chose Brightman Clarke after meeting with Chris Brightman… They were the most interested in our ideas and wishes of all the architects we saw, but also came up with solutions we would not have thought of… No hesitation in recommending them and in fact we have done so several times already. “
Ruth
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![Extension & Total House Refurbishment]()
Extension & Total House Refurbishment
“A tired 60's house with lots of potential that the team at Brightman Clarke helped us realise. Couldn't have asked for more. Highly recommended!”
John
Frequently Asked Questions
Every project is unique; no single answer on our website will cover your project perfectly. Here are some ballpark answers to help give you a starting point. You can read more FAQs here
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Yes. We work across Yorkshire and have residential experience in Leeds, including a major renovation and extension in Alwoodley. We welcome enquiries from Alwoodley, Roundhay, Adel, Bramhope and the wider North Leeds area.
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That depends on the property and what you hope to achieve. The scale of the extension, neighbouring homes, protected trees, conservation-area requirements and the character of the site may all be relevant. We consider these issues early and advise on the most appropriate planning strategy.
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Yes. Budget is an important part of the conversation from the beginning. We can help you understand whether your ambitions and anticipated construction budget are reasonably aligned and develop the design with buildability and cost in mind.
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Absolutely. Some of the most successful projects combine careful restoration and reconfiguration with clearly contemporary additions. The aim is not necessarily to imitate the original architecture, but to understand it and design the new work so that the whole property feels considered.
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Yes. We specialise in bespoke new homes, replacement dwellings and individual houses on sensitive or challenging sites. Early feasibility work can be particularly useful where planning potential is uncertain.
What Happens Next?
You do not need a finished brief or drawings before speaking to us. Every project starts with a chat.
We can begin with a conversation about the property or site, what you would like to achieve, your concerns about planning and the budget you are considering.
From there, we will explain what we believe the sensible next steps are and whether any additional investigations are needed before design work begins.
Whether you are transforming an existing home in Alwoodley, extending in Roundhay or considering a new home elsewhere in North Leeds, our aim is to help you move forward with greater clarity and confidence.
We can begin with a conversation about the property or site, what you would like to achieve, your concerns about planning and the budget you are considering.
From there, we will explain what we believe the sensible next steps are and whether any additional investigations are needed before design work begins.
Whether you are transforming an existing home in Alwoodley, extending in Roundhay or considering a new home elsewhere in North Leeds, our aim is to help you move forward with greater clarity and confidence.