01
A better chance at planning
We read the council's rules before we draw a line, so your design starts on their good side.
RIBA Chartered · ARB Registered · North London
Architects for homes, developments and community buildings
You have a picture in your head of what your place could be. We help you get it approved, priced and built, with clear fees at every step.
What we do
What does DOR Architects do?
We're an RIBA Chartered architectural practice based in North London. Homeowners, developers and community groups come to us with a simple question: "What could we do here?" We find the honest answer, design something the council is likely to say yes to, and draw it so a builder can price and build it without guesswork. Before qualifying as architects, we spent a decade running building sites, so we design with real-world building in mind from day one.
Why it matters
Most projects don't go wrong on site. They go wrong on paper, months earlier.
A planning refusal. A builder's quote that's double what you hoped. Drawings that leave the builder scratching his head. We've seen all of these from the other side of the fence, after a decade running a construction firm. So from the very first sketch, we design with the builder and the council in mind. The result is a home you'll love, that actually gets built.
Our approach
What we take off your plate.
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No expensive surprises
We check what it will cost to build early on, before you spend money on the wrong idea.
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See it before you build it
Walk around your new space in 3D. It's much easier to decide when you can actually see it.
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Designed around your day
Where the morning light falls, where the kids drop their bags. We plan around how you really live.
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Drawings builders understand
Ten years on building sites taught us what builders need, so they can price fairly without padding.
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You talk to the architect
You deal with Dor from start to finish, not a junior you've never met.
For homeowners
Extensions, lofts and renovations in North West London
DOR Architects is a RIBA Chartered architecture practice based in Golders Green, NW11. Our house extension and loft conversion architects (including dedicated loft conversion architects) work across Barnet, Camden, Westminster, Haringey, Brent and Harrow, from the first sketch to planning approval and drawings your builder can price. Not sure if you need permission? Check whether your extension or loft needs planning in under a minute, or read answers to common extension and loft questions.
For developers
Site appraisals, planning and buildable schemes for developers in North London
We help developers understand what a site can achieve before they commit: feasibility and massing studies, planning strategy and pre-application advice, change of use (including commercial to residential conversions) and small residential schemes. See our site feasibility and planning services for developers, or try our checker for how many flats a building could take. Having run a construction firm for over a decade, we produce drawings contractors can price accurately.
For clubs and community clients
Community and club buildings, one phase at a time
Clubs and community groups rarely have all the money at once. Funding arrives in bits, and members have opinions (lots of them). So we break the work into stages, each with its own fee, and you agree one at a time.
Dor Cohen
Founder · RIBA Chartered architect
Loft, block of flats or clubhouse, you'll be talking to me from the first chat to the final drawing. I spent ten years running a building firm before designing full time, so I draw things builders can actually price and build.
About DORFind your starting point
What are you planning?
It's free, it's online and it takes a minute or two. No strings attached. Or send us a WhatsApp message.
DOR in 60 seconds
Who we are, in the time it takes to boil a kettle.
Who we are
- An RIBA Chartered architectural studio in Golders Green, NW11
- Dor Cohen, the architect you actually talk to, start to finish
- Ten years running a building firm before designing full time
- Homes, developments and community buildings across North London
What usually goes wrong
- You only find out the real fee when it's too late
- A lovely design that no builder can price
- A planning application sent off and hoped for
- Weeks of meetings before anything actually happens
What we do instead
- Clear fees for each step, before you say yes
- One 3D scan, then an accurate model of your home
- We design with you live on video, from your sofa
- Planning only if you need it, with a plan behind it
How we work
From first idea to builders on site, one step at a time.
- 01 /
Viability & Brief
Testing the planning envelope and commercial realities.
- 02 /
3D Massing & Concept
Shaping the volume, light, and flow in real-time 3D.
- 03 /
Planning Submission
Crafting the strategy to win over the borough.
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Technical Detail
Producing exact, buildable specifications to protect margins.
- 05 /
Construction
Standing by your side until the keys are handed over.
Portfolio
A few things we've built lately.
17B Hendon Avenue
Prime Japandi New Build
102 Torrington Park
Mixed-Use Development
Phoenix Canoe Club
Waterfront Community Architecture
2a Friary Way
Bespoke Residential Scheme
Local knowledge
Planning across North London
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Barnet
Our studio is in NW11, so Barnet is home ground. We design to Barnet's residential design guidance. In Hampstead Garden Suburb, plans also need consent from the Suburb Trust as well as the council.
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Camden
Much of Camden is covered by conservation areas, so materials, roof forms and rear building lines are looked at closely. We test what is likely to be supported before you commit to detailed drawings.
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Westminster
In St John's Wood and nearby streets, extensions and roof changes are often in conservation areas or near listed buildings. We prepare carefully detailed drawings that respect the street's character.
04
Haringey
Period terraces and semis in Muswell Hill and Highgate suit loft conversions and kitchen extensions. We check whether works fall under permitted development or need full planning.
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Brent
From Kilburn to Queen's Park, many owners extend into the loft or the garden. We plan layouts that add light and space while meeting Brent's design guidance.
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Harrow
Larger plots around Stanmore suit generous single and two-storey extensions. We shape schemes to Harrow's residential design guidance from the first sketch.
Questions
Common questions
Do you need to visit my property?
Usually just once, for a 3D scan that takes around an hour. After that, design reviews happen on video and drawings are shared online, so there are no repeat visits.
Is the fee fixed?
For homeowners, fees are set out stage by stage before you commit, starting with the survey, 3D model and concept design. Planning drawings are an optional later stage, because some work falls under permitted development. Developer and community projects get a tailored, staged proposal.
Can work be phased around funding?
Yes. Community and club projects often move in stages, and each stage can be agreed and paid for on its own.
Do I need planning permission for a rear extension or loft?
Not always. Many single-storey rear extensions and loft conversions fall under permitted development. We check your address, planning history and any conservation area first, then tell you whether full planning is needed. If not, a Certificate of Lawfulness is an optional extra for peace of mind.
Should I use an architect or an architectural technician?
For a simple box extension, either can draw it. An architect also shapes the layout, light and flow so the extra space really works, and you deal with the principal, RIBA Chartered and ARB registered, on every project, not a junior.
How do you keep the design buildable and on budget?
We ran a construction firm for over a decade, so our drawings are detailed for builders to price accurately. You see the design in 3D before you build, so decisions are made early, not on site.
Can you tell me what my site could achieve before I buy?
Yes. A feasibility and massing study tests what a site could realistically achieve against local planning policy, so you understand its potential and risks before you commit.
Do you handle change of use?
Yes. We advise on planning strategy and prepare applications for change of use and small residential schemes, including pre-application discussions with the council where useful.
So, what are you dreaming up?
Tell us a little about your place and what you'd like to do. It takes about five minutes, and there's no obligation.
Or just send us a WhatsApp message