Architectural design for new homes, extensions, renovations & conversions
I design new homes, extensions, lofts and barn conversions across Solihull, Birmingham, Warwickshire and the Cotswolds. We work through your ideas together with conversation, sketches, and 3D views, and you choose the design before I prepare the drawings.
McTernan Design | Architectural Design Studio serving Solihull, Birmingham, Warwickshire and the Cotswolds
Working directly with Mark McTernan on your residential project
I'm Mark McTernan, BA (Hons), MArch, an architectural designer working across Birmingham, the West Midlands, Warwickshire and the Cotswolds. Many homeowners search for an architect when they want a home designed. I survey, design, and draw homes, and I prepare the planning and Building Regulations drawings. You talk to me from the first call to the final drawings. We start with what you want to change or build; I develop the proposal through sketches and 3D reviews, and you tell me what to adjust until you are happy.
What I design: new homes, extensions, lofts and barn conversions
New and replacement homes
For a new or replacement home, I start with the rooms you need and where the building sits on the plot: its roof, its windows and its relationship to the neighbours. We review the layout and the outside together in drawings and 3D views until you are happy with the proposal.
Small developments
For a small development, I work out access, parking, private gardens and how the homes sit together. Those choices set where each house goes and what rooms it can hold.
House extensions & loft conversions
An extension changes how you move through your home. I look at how the new rooms connect to the existing ones, where daylight reaches the middle of the plan, and how the roof and openings sit together. We compare layouts before you choose which one to develop.
Barn conversions
In a barn, the structure, roof, and openings determine where rooms can go. I look for ways to fit the accommodation you need and keep the features that make the building worth converting.
From first conversation to drawings: how a project runs
You send me your address and tell me what you have in mind.
We talk through the options. I show sketches and compare layouts, and I explain what each one changes.
Once the layout takes shape, I bring it to your home on screen. You ask for the changes you want, I revise the design, and you confirm when you are happy with it.
I prepare the planning drawings and submit them when you instruct me. Building Regulations drawings follow when you commission them, and I coordinate the structural engineer's information.
Review your design in 3D before you confirm it
I can show the working model on your television at your home and hide a roof, wall, or floor to reveal the stair, opening, or room connection we are discussing. If you choose virtual reality, you can walk through the proposed rooms in a headset while everyone else follows on the television. The 3D house design and virtual reality page explain each view.
Solihull conservatory replacement: a window seat that joins the house and garden
In the proposal I prepared to replace a conservatory in Solihull, I set back part of the back wall to create a patio seating area and a matching window seat inside, with a folding window linking the two.
The dining area is situated under the main gable, and a smaller roof outlines the window-seat area without enclosing it.
The project video illustrates the proposed design and how the house and garden relate.
Client feedback on extensions, conversions and renovations
Please read clients’ accounts of working with me on house extensions, a garage conversion and internal alterations. Their reviews describe the design discussions, communication and help with comparing options.
"We needed more space, but didn’t want to leave the area. We got the extra bedroom without moving, thanks to the first-floor extension designed by McTernan Design. We were able to see exactly how the spaces would work in 3D."
Sarah & James, Solihull, Householder planning (Side extension)
"If you’re thinking of a renovation, or a new build, or any type of alteration to your property, I would highly recommend Mark to be appointed. He is very professional and very much on the ball, always. Always happy to go through the smallest information with as much as detail as possible, and step to step guide and opinions"
Noorul, Kings Heath, Birmingham, PD & Householder planning (Side & rear extensions)
"Highly recommended. Mark assisted us with the design of a rear extension, garage conversion and redesign of several other interior rooms. Excellent, responsive service which helped us not just narrow down our options but helped us think about things we hadn’t ever even considered."
Tom, Stratford-Upon-Avon, Householder planning (Garage conversion, rear extension and internal renovation)
Planning application drawings and Building Regulations drawings
Planning drawings show the council the proposed building and site changes, and I prepare and submit them once you have confirmed the design. Building Regulations drawings turn the agreed design into construction details and specifications, with the structural engineer's design information where needed. Your written quotation sets out the stages, drawings, services and fees included. You see what you are commissioning before work begins.
View architectural design services or read how the design process works.
Common questions
Do I need a finished design before I contact you? "You can contact me at any stage, with or without a design in mind. Your address and a short note about your ideas are enough to start."
What is a free desktop appraisal? "I read the address and project details you send, think through the approaches that could work and note the planning points that apply. Then I ring you to talk about the next step and how I can help, before you decide whether to commission any further work."
What is the difference between planning drawings and Building Regulations drawings? "Planning drawings show the council what you propose to build. Building Regulations drawings go to Building Control, who check compliance, and to your builder, who prices and builds from the technical information, and they are a separate approval with a separate job."
Can I see my design in 3D before I decide? "Yes. You see the proposed rooms on screen at your home before you confirm anything, and you can choose virtual reality for a closer look at their size."
Which areas do you cover? "I work with homeowners, self-builders, landowners and small developers across Solihull, Birmingham, the wider West Midlands, Warwickshire and the Cotswolds. For each project, I check which council covers the property and which designations apply."
What to send when you first enquire
You do not need a completed design or a full brief to enquire.
Please send me your property or site address and a few lines about what you want to change or build in your home. Photos, rough sketches and existing drawings are useful, and you can add any questions about planning, neighbours or when to involve a builder. I will review what you send, then call you to talk through your project and how my architectural design service can help.