Before adding, look again.
The first design decision is often about what to leave in place.
Existing buildings
Measure what is there
The first visit is a chance to notice things that a plan cannot fully explain: the window used every morning, a step that holds afternoon sun, the wall that makes a garden feel sheltered. These observations belong in the brief.
Change with a reason
An extension is not always the answer. Sometimes a different opening or a better route through a house can give existing rooms a new purpose. We test these smaller changes before proposing more space.
Keeping useful fabric also keeps the particular character of a place. New work should make that character easier to live with rather than erase it.