Services
New Build Home Design
One-off houses and replacement dwellings across Dorset and Hampshire, designed around the plot, the light and the way you want to live.
LUSO Architecture designs new homes from the first conversation on site through to the drawings a builder works from. Most of our new build commissions are one-off houses on their own plots, or replacement dwellings where an existing house has reached the end of its useful life and the land deserves better.
A new house is decided by its site. Before any design work we look at orientation, levels, trees, neighbours and access, and at what the planning authority is likely to support on that plot. The design then grows from those facts, which is what makes it buildable and gives the planning application a sound footing.
What the service covers
- Site appraisal and feasibility
- A measured view of what the plot can take: constraints, planning history, designations such as conservation areas or the National Park, and the likely scale of house.
- Concept design
- Layouts, form and materials worked through with you in design workshops, with 3D models and CGIs so the house can be judged before it is drawn in detail.
- Planning application
- Drawings, the design and access statement and the supporting reports, submitted and managed through to decision.
- Technical design and building regulations
- The construction drawings and specification that take an approved design to site and satisfy building control.
- Interiors
- Interior design carried out in the same studio, so the inside of the house is designed with its structure and not after it.
New homes designed by LUSO
Kariba House, New Forest
A one-off luxury residence set within the landscape of the New Forest, this contemporary home has been carefully designed to sit quietly within its…
Hurn Road, Avon Castle
This project is a contemporary new-build home designed with a clean and simple approach, focusing on strong proportions, natural materials, and…
Seymour Road, Ringwood
This project is a new-build 4-bedroom home designed to make the most of a long, narrow plot, with a strong focus on open-plan living and connection…
David’s Lane, Avon Castle
This project comprises the design and construction of a high-quality new build five-bedroom dwelling, carefully conceived to deliver a contemporary…
Brooklands, Felsted
This project proposes a new-build two-bedroom dwelling set within a rural agricultural field in Essex, carefully designed to support the client’s…
Broadway, Hengistbury Head
This concept design proposal in Broadway, Hengistbury Head, Christchurch, envisions the complete redevelopment of the site through the demolition of…
New Build Homes: common questions
- Do I need planning permission to build a new house?
- Yes. A new dwelling always needs full planning permission, including where it replaces an existing house. Permitted development rights cover some changes to existing homes but never a new one.
- Can you design a replacement dwelling on a plot I already own?
- Yes, replacing a tired house on a good plot is a large part of our work. The planning authority will look at the size of the new house against the one it replaces, and the rules are tighter in places such as the New Forest National Park, so we establish what is realistic before design begins.
- How long does planning take for a new home?
- The statutory period for deciding most applications for a single new house is eight weeks from the date the application is validated. In practice the time before submission matters as much: surveys, design and any pre-application advice all come first.
- Do you work outside Dorset and Hampshire?
- Most of our projects are within reach of our studios in Canford Cliffs and Ringwood, but not all. Brooklands is a rural new build in Essex and Seven Acres is a masterplan in Surrey. Tell us where the site is and we will say honestly whether we are the right practice for it.
Where we work, and further reading
Start a conversation
Ready to discuss your project?
Whether you are planning a new build, a renovation, or a development, we would love to hear about it.