Alexandra Powell

Alexandra Powell is an architect and the Managing Director of Powell Design & Construction, a family-run residential architecture and construction business based in Staffordshire, and the guest on Episode 7 of The Healthy House Podcast, “Before You Build: How to Get Your Home Project Right.”

On the episode, Alexandra talks through what actually separates a successful renovation or extension from one that runs over budget, overruns on time, or simply doesn’t suit the way a family lives once it’s finished. She explains why a good architect’s first job is to ask questions rather than draw — understanding how a household actually uses its home and challenging assumptions about what extra space needs to achieve, sometimes revealing that a well-designed reconfiguration can deliver what an extension was expected to provide.

She covers why costs, structural surveys and specialist advice are best brought in at the design stage rather than after a scheme is fixed, how 3D models let homeowners experience a proposed space before committing to it, and what to look for in a builder beyond the headline price — a clear contract, communication and an agreed payment schedule. For anyone working on an older property, she sets out a fabric-first approach to insulation, ventilation and energy efficiency, and closes with advice on designing a layout that still works as a family’s needs change.