A reflection - Three years of BCAE: From one big leap to a shared vision

On 27th June 2022, I sat at a loaned desk in a friend’s office with a blank notebook, a handful of contacts, and the tiniest spark of an idea: what if I could create something of my own?

I’d just left a role designing super homes in the Ribble Valley - homes on greenbelt and open countryside, each one unique and considered. A friend approached me and asked if I’d help secure planning permission for three new homes within a sensitive green belt location. I said yes. 

That “yes” changed everything, and as I reflect on the past three years I am astounded at how things have progressed, in the best possible ways.

Year 1 – One step into the unknown

The early days were brand new, exciting, and I’ll be honest, occasionally a little scary. Ben Craven Architects was born with little more than a name, a few sketches, and a whole lot of drive, all while working on those three homes and The Barn. But I wasn’t alone.

My old boss, Graham Lea, gave me a place to sit in his office and the kind of quiet support that makes all the difference. Realising that a website is a powerful source, a lot of time was spent finessing the tone, message and design.  Soon enough, meaningful projects began to land. Clients who genuinely cared about design. People who wanted to create something lasting and beautiful.

Some highlights from that first year still make me smile:

• Park Avenue – a 4,500 sqft Georgian-inspired new build in the greenbelt

• A full-house renovation in Hutton

• A string of design-led extensions and bungalow transformations

That year, I realised something really important: people weren’t just hiring an architect - they were trusting someone to guide them through one of life’s most emotional and important investments.

That trust became the foundation of our mission:

To offer an exceptional service throughout the home-building journey. To be our clients’ advocate - simplifying, supporting, and taking away the worry. A full, premium service designed entirely around them.

Year 2 – Becoming BCAE

By the end of 2022, the scale – and the ambition - of the work had grown. It was becoming more than a one-person show and CitySide got in touch with a 70-bed care home. That’s when I reconnected with my university friend Arron and we had a discussion about how we could combine high quality domestic and commercial schemes in the same practice.   

In early 2023, he left his role as project running Architect and joined me on my journey. We rebranded as BCAE Architects, combining his commercial expertise with my residential design background. It just worked - we successfully found a way to balance the two, creating meaningful design and spaces at all scales.

We brought in Elliot from Squink to help us shape our brand. From day one, we agreed: this wouldn’t just be about buildings. This would be about bringing in the right people at the right times to help support us. About delivering homes with soul, built on relationships, not just drawings. It was also about creating a strong, fresh brand, something that would shout quality.

We need to add in here that After four months of working in a home studio, we got our Chorley office, our landlord took a chance on us and we are still there now.

That same year we made our first hires -  Lucy and Phoebe. We’d only planned to make one appointment, but we couldn’t choose between them… and honestly, it was one of the best decisions we have made.

That year gave us clarity on what kind of practice we wanted to build - and it became our vision:

To grow into the full-service, high-end practice of choice in our region - known not just for our design, but for our outstanding customer care.

We’d work with the best local talent, offer clients a true concept-to-keys experience, and build a studio where every person felt valued, seen, and proud of what they do.

Year 3 – Finding our voice, defining our future

2024 was a year of sharpening our business model. We joined YAB networking, which was a game changer. Being the Mastermind in the first week helped us step back and ask: who are we, really? What do we stand for? And who do we want to work with?

The answers came easily: We’re approachable. We’re professional. We care deeply.We challenge the brief, we advocate for our clients, and we always deliver stunning results.

That year, we met Kerrie, who helped us shape a long-term business plan that feels exciting and ambitious. Grace came on board  and started developing the brand and our voice even further.

We really started steering our ship.

We totally changed our website following YAB, messaging and the way we were perceived.

Elliot smashed the website and the re-design, AGAIN!!

And the work we were doing really started to step up a notch:

• The Cow Shed – an off-grid new build in open countryside

• Prospect Farm – four new super homes in the greenbelt

• A bold, subterranean new build we still can’t talk about (but it’s amazing)

• We introduced our Coffee With an Architect Service which was an instant hit.

  
  

That year, our values became clear. Not just words on a wall, but something we lived every day:

We’re friendly, upbeat, and professional. We listen carefully, design creatively, and deliver thoroughly. We shoulder the burden, and we share the joy. We’re people people - and we’re with our clients, all the way.

Year 4 (So Far) – A Real Practice, With Real Heart

This year has been full of firsts:

We hired Lena, Tarran, and Gil.

Jess has joined us as an interior designer, to the huge benefit of both our team and our clients.

We have Joe starting in September after an amazing T-Level placement we have offered him his apprenticeship place with us during his studies at university, rounding out a team that’s vibrant, committed, and brimming with talent.

We have also moved into a new studio space in Altrincham alongside REMM as our reach across the North West grows.

We’ve built connections across the industry, refined our brand voice, and have more and more people seeking us out — clients, collaborators, specialists who want to work with us because of who we are, not just what we do. We’ve been featured in several leading publications across the region and beyond and shortlisted for prestigious awards.

From a desk to a dream — thank you

Three years ago, I said yes to one project, with no idea where it would lead. Today, we’re BCAE - a full-service architectural practice doing the kind of work we love, with people we truly admire.

We’ve built homes, but more than that, we’ve built relationships, expanded our network. We’ve helped people turn dreams into plans, and plans into places they’ll raise families, host birthdays, find quiet, and feel proud of.

We’ve grown as a business, but also as people, learning the ins and outs of building a team, a business and a fantastic client base, all while having young families.

Who would have thought, 2 lads who met at university 15 years ago would now be running a practice together and in just 3 years, have 9 team members, amazing clients, nearly 150 instructed projects, 2 offices and a vast network of people we work closely with (some of whom have become good friends).

So to every client who trusted us, every colleague who joined us, and every supporter who cheered us on - thank you. You’ve made this possible.

We’re only three years in, and we can feel it:

The best is still to come.

– Ben