Considered
architecture
for the way
people actually live.
An independent, design-led architectural practice working on residential extensions, retrofits, remodelling and new builds across Mid Sussex and Surrey. Outstanding architecture, grounded in technical detail.
Architecture is rarely about a single grand gesture. It's the composition of ideas, the right material, the right form. But fundamentally, detail is the design.
Jake White Architecture is a Mid Sussex-based residential practice working across Sussex and Surrey. We handle every stage of a project, from the first sketch through to building completion, working directly with homeowners, developers and design-and-build contractors. We also provide specialist technical services to fellow architects and design practices.
The practice is led by Jake White MCIAT, a Chartered Architectural Technologist with over 20 years of construction experience. We work in 3D CAD from the first measured survey onwards, which means structure, services and fabric are coordinated at the drawing board rather than negotiated on site.
We're small on purpose. Every project is drawn by the people you meet, with the patience that good architecture demands.
From feasibility
to practical completion.
We offer the full range of architectural services for residential projects, working to the RIBA plan of work. Engage us at any stage. Most clients come in at sketch design and stay with us through planning, building regulations and on to site.
Concept Design
Every project starts with a detailed 3D CAD measured survey, so nothing is left to assumption. From there we develop design options that make the most of your space, budget and planning context, with a strong track record on challenging sites: conservation areas, AONBs and listed settings.
We keep the process straightforward and keep you informed at every stage, so you understand your options and can make confident decisions. Survey, sketch design and a submitted planning application are typically delivered eight to fourteen weeks from the first conversation.
Building Regulations
Planning permission is only half the story. We produce detailed technical drawing packages that resolve structure, fire safety, energy performance, ventilation and drainage properly. Working in 3D CAD means conflicts between structure, services and fabric are caught at design stage, not on site.
We work closely with structural engineers, building control and other consultants to make sure the project starts off on the right foot, and actively look for solutions that keep construction as buildable and cost-effective as possible.
Principal Designer
Two separate roles with two separate sets of duties: CDM 2015 Principal Designer, and the Building Regulations Principal Designer introduced under the Building Safety Act 2022. We understand both in detail and can help you set the dutyholder framework up correctly from day one.
Health and safety is considered throughout our design process as a matter of course. We design to reduce or eliminate risk rather than treating compliance as an afterthought, and can advise on which appointments are required for your specific project.
Contract Administration
Issuing instructions, reviewing progress, certifying payments and managing change. As a Chartered Architectural Technologist, Jake is qualified to administer the building contract on your behalf. Recommended on projects with a construction budget above £200k.
Having the designer administer the contract means technical queries on site are resolved by someone who knows the drawings inside out, rather than being interpreted by the contractor alone. On smaller projects we can offer RIBA stage 5/6 services to support the BRPD role instead.
Visualisation
Realistic visualisations are a natural output of our 3D CAD workflow, not an expensive add-on. CGIs at planning stage can be the difference between approval and refusal. We also produce high-quality renders for other architects and designers needing 3D support.
For more complex or prominent projects we produce high-quality photorealistic renders, from early massing studies through to planning-grade visualisations and marketing imagery.
BIM Consultant
Complex buildings, intricate roofs, structural steel, tight service coordination, benefit from being resolved in 3D before they reach site. We offer BIM and 3D CAD coordination directly to architects, engineers and contractors used to working across disciplines on tight programmes.
We have extensive experience coordinating geometry across architectural, structural and steelwork packages to resolve clashes and buildability issues at design stage. If you're dealing with a coordination challenge, get in touch.
Drawn in Sussex.
Built across the South.
Based in Haywards Heath, in the centre of West Sussex. We work on projects across the Mid Sussex towns, the wider county and into Surrey. If your home is within roughly an hour's drive, we'd be glad to come out and see the site.
Local enough to know the planning officer. Big enough on detail to back it up.
5 Halleighs, Whitemans Green
Cuckfield
West Sussex, RH17 5DD
By appointment
Mid Sussex
- Haywards Heath
- Cuckfield
- Lindfield
- Burgess Hill
- Hassocks
- Hurstpierpoint
- Ditchling
Wider Sussex
- Brighton & Hove
- Lewes
- Horsham
- East Grinstead
- Crawley
- Henfield
- Steyning
Surrey & beyond
- Dorking
- Reigate
- Redhill
- Godalming
- Cranleigh
- Haslemere
- Farnham
Good buildings
begin with a
conversation.
Tell us about the property and what you're hoping to do, even if it's only an idea. Initial conversations are free, and we'll tell you honestly if we can meet your needs and ambitions.