About Us

studioCASS is a bespoke and cost-effective home design service, created specifically for private householders by Cass Associates, an award winning, multi-disciplinary practice established in the north-west since 1983.

We are chartered members of the RIBA, the RTPI and the Landscape Institute, guaranteeing you expert professional advice of the highest quality to help you build or extend your home.

studioCASS is a bespoke and cost-effective home design service, created specifically for private householders by Cass Associates, an award winning, multi-disciplinary practice established in the north-west since 1983.

We are chartered members of the RIBA, the RTPI and the Landscape Institute, guaranteeing you expert professional advice of the highest quality to help you build or extend your home.

Our Approach.
Every home is unique. We can help you create yours, designed to meet your individual specification and exceed your aspirations.

We will allow time at the outset to explore and clearly understand your priorities and objectives and will then guide you carefully through the development process – the design of your home will always be regarded as a joint effort between us.

A domestic construction project may be the largest single investment that most of us will make in a lifetime and with our help you can go forward with confidence, avoiding the many potential pitfalls and without sleepless nights.

studioCASS is certified for Quality Management under ISO 9001 and we carry full professional indemnity insurance.

Services and Expertise.
Most of our clients appoint us from the all-important ‘first ideas’ stage through to project completion. This enables us to contribute the maximum value to a project and ensure that the initial ideas are translated properly into built reality.  However, we are also able to offer specialist advice in individual disciplines or for particular phases of a project when required.
Our specialist expertise includes (click here):
• Initial advice on planning
• Feasibility studies and concept design
• Full architectural and landscape design
• Listed buildings and conservation work (RIBA-accredited Conservation Architect)
• Pre-application discussions with Local Authority
• Planning and listed building consent applications, appeals and negotiations
• Building Regulations approvals
• Technical design and specification for tender and construction
• Contract administration, cost management and certification
• Low carbon design and sustainability advice
• Garden design and planting specification
• Tree surveys and TPO negotiations
• Protected species ecological surveys and advice

We can also call on a wider network of trusted professionals, such as engineers, arboriculturists, heritage consultants and ecologists, for specialist input when needed.

Our Fees.
Our aim is to both inspire and add value to your project through good design and efficient management of planning approvals and contract administration.  These benefits can more than offset the cost of our fee, whilst also allowing you to proceed with confidence, knowing that you have an experienced professional advisor helping you through the design and development process.

We offer a range of possible fee options, including fixed fees, hourly rates or a percentage of construction costs, and these can be structured to whichever is most suitable for each stage of your project.

Our initial consultation is always without charge or obligation, following which we will confirm with you, in writing, our agreed scope of services and associated fees before proceeding.