Home Extensions can provide extra bedrooms, an office, a playroom for your children, a larger kitchen or just a conservatory to relax in.
And extending your home is an excellent way to gain more living space without the hassle and costs of moving.
Depending on the design of your home you could consider a side extension, double or single storey rear extension, loft conversion or garage conversion.
But before deciding dip your toes into the world of home extensions, you should give careful consideration to the following:
Planning Permission and Building Regulations
The cost of home extensions
Designing home extensions
Building home extensions
Heating, electrics and plumbing
Is Planning Permission required for Home Extensions?
Not always. In many cases home extensions can be built under Permitted Development rights as long as you meet the required criteria. If your home extension does not meet permitted Development rights criteria, it will require planning permission.
Permitted Development rules as they apply to houses are as follows:
- No more than half of the area of land around the ‘original house’ can be covered by extensions
- No extension can be built nearer to a public highway than any part of the ‘original house’
- No extension can be higher than any part of the ‘original house’
- Single storey extensions must not extend more than 8 metres beyond the rear of the ‘original house’ for detached houses and 6 metres for other properties. For extensions of more than one storey the limit is 3 metres.
- Maximum height of a single storey extension must not exceed 4 metres.
- Maximum eaves height of 3 metres within 2 metres of a boundary
- Side extensions to be single storey with maximum height of four metres and width no more than half that of the original house.
- Two-storey extensions no closer than seven metres to rear boundary.
- Roof pitch of extensions higher than one storey to match existing house.
- Materials to be similar in appearance to the existing house.
- No verandas, balconies or raised platforms.
- Upper-floor, side-facing windows to be obscure-glazed; any opening to be 1.7m above the floor.
‘Original house’ means as it was originally built or on 1st July 1948 if built prior to that date.