Hello, I'm James.

I'm originally from the South West, and I have always been drawn to buildings that sit quietly in their surroundings: houses that feel as if they belong where they are, and make life easier for the people inside them.

I spent more than a decade working for other practices in the UK and abroad before starting my own. One of the projects from that time, a 1960s bungalow in Woking, I led while at Lees Munday Architects.

Too often, homeowners are asked to commit to drawings, or to a builder's price, before anyone has tested whether the idea is right for the house. That is how an extension ends up solving the wrong problem, or money gets spent twice.

So in 2020 I set up James Williamson Architects in Woking to work the other way round: work out what is actually wrong with the house first, test the options against planning, structure and budget, and only then design. That is what the Clarity Pack is for. Since then we have worked on more than 150 projects, with 28 different planning authorities, and 98% of the sites we have taken through planning gained permission in the end.

I'm also a member of the AECB and passed the Passive House Institute's Certified Passive House Designer exam in 2019, so warmth, comfort and running costs are part of the conversation from the start, not an add-on at the end.

I don't look to impose my architectural style on anyone. The aim is to guide you towards the home you actually want. What you are buying is someone who understands the sequence: what needs deciding first, what can wait, and what will cost you twice if it is decided in the wrong order.

That is why every project starts with a conversation and, for most, a Clarity Pack, before anyone draws a scheme or asks a builder for a price. And it is why I will sometimes tell you that you don't need me yet, or that the sensible thing is to pause.

I lead every project myself, from the first call onwards, with a small production team behind me on the drawings. You deal with the person who visited your home and knows why each decision was made.

Most of our work is extensions, renovations and loft conversions for homeowners in Woking, Guildford and across Surrey, along with the occasional new home. Many of our clients have never worked with an architect before, so we explain things plainly and put the costs and the risks in front of you early.

No additional work is ever started or invoiced without your agreement in writing first.

If you want to know how we think about a house before we draw it, what good house design comes down to and how we work, plainly say it at more length.

• RIBA Chartered Practice

  Chartered by the Royal Institute of British Architects, which means the practice is insured, follows the RIBA Code of Practice and is led by a chartered architect. See our RIBA practice profile.

• ARB registered architect

  James is on the Architects Registration Board register, number 088216J. Only registered architects can use the title. Check the ARB register entry.

• AECB member

  A member of the Association for Environment Conscious Building since September 2023, and listed by the AECB as an approved service provider for building design since January 2026. See the AECB listing.

• Passivhaus Trust member

  A Standard member of the Passivhaus Trust, which brings membership of the International Passive House Association with it. It sits behind our passive house and retrofit work: fabric first, airtightness, good windows and ventilation designed in from the start. About the Passivhaus Trust.

• LABC Registered Partner

  Registered on the LABC Partner Authority Scheme through Guildford Borough Council Building Control. Our building regulations applications go to one partner authority, whose decisions every local authority in England and Wales accepts. About the Partner Authority Scheme.

• Woking Chamber of Commerce member

  A member of the Chamber for the town the practice calls home. Most of our clients and many of the builders, engineers and surveyors we work with are within a few miles of the office. About Woking Chamber of Commerce.