Archisolve

Archisolve Crystal is professional, approachable and passionate. I am Crystal Mintram and Archisolve is my business. I look forward to hearing from you. Best wishes

Crystal

Crystal at Archisolve provides creative, practical designs for extensions and internal alterations - offering a comprehensive service, including planning and building control drawings and applications. I offer Architectural services with a focus on delivering quality drawings at reasonable prices and with outstanding customer service. I enjoy working directly for domestic clients designing extensi

ons and alterations to their homes. I love getting involved with my client’s ideas and being creative together. I will always produce different designs so we can discuss options until the client is completely satisfied. I then go onto manage the planning stage and submit those drawings and applications on behalf of my clients. Planning is rarely a straight forward process but I act as the buffer between my clients and their local authority. I attend all meeting with the Planners and will always talk through any queries with them. I take the worry away from the client, while at the same time always keeping them up to date with proceedings. I realise communication is the key to a good working relationship. Once we have planning approval we go onto the less well known Building Control stage. Here I produce detailed drawings with construction notes for the project. These drawings evidence that we are adhering to the Building Regulations, which are the legal standards for construction in this country. I partner with Southampton City Council Building Control department and have a good relationship with them. Another benefit of having those detailed drawings is that your builders can give you more accurate quotations, I specify everything from the foundations to the roof structure and everything in between. This leaves a lot less chance of miscommunications, costly mistakes and frankly heart ache during the build. I also work with local project managers, other Architectural practices and established builders offering professional drawing services. My drawings are very good, but of course, so are many others. What makes me stand out is that customer service is at the heart of my business. I am passionate about people and making the most of their space. I see the difference it makes in my clients lives and I love being part of that. I am a splash of colour in a stuffy industry, I am professional but approachable and personable. You can look at some recommendations from clients here - http://www.yell.com/biz/archisolve-southampton-7603755/

Have a look at my new website here - http://www.archisolve.co.uk/

Please get in contact for any building requirements.

The 3 things I love most about this job -1) when a client says ‘I never thought of that’ during the design meetings. Thi...
11/09/2026

The 3 things I love most about this job -

1) when a client says ‘I never thought of that’ during the design meetings. This makes me feel really good and I hear it often ☺️

2) this sounds weird..but thinking about my clients living in their new space 🤔😅 I just love that they’re enjoying family life in this new home I helped create. I always think about it when I drive past projects.

3) thinking about all my projects that have gone to locals builders over the last 13.5 years, and how that has helped grow their businesses and fed their families etc. I love that 🥰

Being self-employed can be hard, but it’s also given me immense joy and deep satisfaction. I’m grateful for that 🏠

Wow, just off the phone from New Forest National Park Planning department and they are so wonderful to deal with. They r...
08/09/2026

Wow, just off the phone from New Forest National Park Planning department and they are so wonderful to deal with. They really work in partnership with designers and clients and want to help rather than obstruct. A joy to deal with, frankly!

Today I hand over a finished project in Lyndhurst.

This is me not working, early morning in the New Forest last weekend - we’d just come across a herd of about 60 deer 🦌 It’s a special place 🌳

A happy client in Highfield 🥰 I handed over their ready-to-build project last week - can’t wait to see it finished 🏡
07/09/2026

A happy client in Highfield 🥰 I handed over their ready-to-build project last week - can’t wait to see it finished 🏡

This month I will be handing over 6 finished projects, some in Upper Shirley, also Highfield, Chandlers Ford, and the Ne...
02/09/2026

This month I will be handing over 6 finished projects, some in Upper Shirley, also Highfield, Chandlers Ford, and the New Forest.

All ready for dream homes to be built and brought to life 💗

As we start to move towards a cooler autumn it’s a great time to start planning an extension. It gives you something exc...
30/08/2026

As we start to move towards a cooler autumn it’s a great time to start planning an extension. It gives you something exciting to look forward to through the darker months and you’re ready to build as soon as you would like to in the new year.

Under a certain planning scheme, you can submit plans for a rear extension of up to 6m on a semi-detached or terraced house, or up to 8m on a detached house. If your neighbours don’t object, you can get automatic approval without going through the full planning process. 🏠

I don’t know why I’m thinking about this today, as the rain has started (thank goodness) but here we are, solar panels 🌞...
27/08/2026

I don’t know why I’m thinking about this today, as the rain has started (thank goodness) but here we are, solar panels 🌞

Some things to consider:

🌞 South-facing is best, but east and west roofs still work well (around 15–20% less output).
🌞 Avoid shade from trees, chimneys or nearby buildings where possible.
🌞 A typical 4kWp system needs around 15–20m² of unshaded roof space.
🌞 A roof pitch of 30–40° is ideal, but flat roofs can work too.

You do not need planning permission in most areas for solar panels, but if you’re in a conservation area or a protected (listed) property then do check with your local planners first. 🌞

When designing an extension, the new floor level will usually match the existing house.If the outside ground level is fa...
20/08/2026

When designing an extension, the new floor level will usually match the existing house.

If the outside ground level is fairly standard, I’ll specify an insulted, traditional concrete floor.

But if there’s a significant drop outside, a suspended floor can be a much better solution, using a concrete beam and block system.

Just in case you were wondering about flooring, on Thursday afternoon… 🤔😁

19/08/2026

Have you ever noticed that side extensions are often set back from the front of the house? You will now 😅

That’s not just for aesthetics. Planning guidance often insists that side extensions be ‘subordinate’ to the main house, and setting them back helps achieve this and avoids creating a terraced appearance. 🏠

Fun fact 😂

This week I will be visiting Highfield for a quotation, I am presenting designs for 3 storey extension in Waltham Chase,...
10/08/2026

This week I will be visiting Highfield for a quotation, I am presenting designs for 3 storey extension in Waltham Chase, I am handing over a finished project in Winchester…and one day I’ll take my teen and her friends to the beach! 🏖️🌞

Often clients approach me with a design they have already drawn themselves, and this is a good starting point. Although ...
08/08/2026

Often clients approach me with a design they have already drawn themselves, and this is a good starting point.

Although sometimes the designs do not work from a construction point of view, because there are so many details to consider…and why would they know that stuff?! 😁

I’ll always draw up what the client wants, even to show why it doesn’t work, and then present more designs to incorporate everything they wanted into something buildable 🏠

Sometimes clients have no starting point, so I get free creative rein - and I like that too 😊

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Southampton

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