Householder Extensions and Conversions – Page 5
Design and policy detail for extensions, lofts, garden rooms, garages, porches and driveways.
Householder Extensions and Conversions articles – page 5
251 articlesRemoving a chimney stack in a conservation area
Chimney stacks are usually named as positive features in conservation area appraisals. How to check whether permission is needed, and why keeping the stack while losing the breast often works.
Raising the ridge height on a bungalow
Class B stops any part of a house rising above its existing ridge, so a bungalow roof lift always needs permission. What decides it: the street roofline, the eaves line and the windows.
Annexes and the single planning unit question
An annexe needs permission when it creates a separate dwelling. The planning unit factors officers weigh, why Class E rarely covers a garden annexe, and the conditions to expect.
Rear dormers on a semi detached house: the rules
A rear dormer on a semi detached house usually falls under Class B permitted development, but only if it stays below the ridge, keeps 0.2 metres back from the eaves and adds no more than 50 cubic metres.
Obscure glazing conditions on side facing windows
Obscure glass alone does not satisfy the condition. The window also has to be fixed shut below 1.7 metres, and an open casement overlooks just as well as a clear one.
Side extension setback and the subordination test
The Order limits a side extension to half the width of the original house and one storey. The setback from the front wall is a design convention, and it is usually what decides the application.
Matching roof pitch and eaves on a rear extension
Roof pitch only has to match under permitted development where the rear extension has more than one storey. Eaves height is the limit that catches most schemes, and the arithmetic is worth doing before anything is drawn.
Front extensions and why they are harder than rear ones
Extending forward of the principal elevation almost always needs permission, and the decision turns on the street scene rather than neighbour amenity. Here is how officers apply the building line test.
Green roofs and rainwater on a householder extension
A green roof rarely needs permission in its own right, and the build-up depth can take an extension outside Class A by adding height. Measure to the top of the growing medium, not the deck.
Air source heat pumps and the conditions attached
An air source heat pump is usually permitted development under Class G of Part 14, and the MCS Planning Standards noise limit of 42 dB(A) at a neighbour's window is what decides where the unit can go.
Extending a flat above a shop
Part 1 of the GPDO grants householder rights to dwellinghouses, and a flat is not one, so extending a flat above a shop is always a full application. Ownership, escape routes and noise from the use below decide whether it is feasible.
Juliet balconies, terraces and overlooking on an extension
Class A excludes any enlargement that includes a balcony, verandah or raised platform above 0.3 metres, so terraces always need permission. A flush Juliet arrangement with no platform can be different.
Rendering or cladding a house: when permission is needed
Re-rendering or cladding the walls of a house normally sits inside Class A permitted development, unless the property is in a conservation area or another designated area, is a flat, or is covered by an article 4 direction.
Removing a chimney stack from a terraced house
On a terrace the stack is usually shared, structural and part of the street rhythm. What the council controls, what the Party Wall Act requires and what a buyer will ask for.
Loft conversions where the roof pitch is too shallow
A loft with 2.2 metres to the ridge is marginal and below 2 metres will not work without altering the roof or the ceilings below. What the arithmetic is and which options remain.
Raising the ridge of a bungalow for a first floor
Class B stops at the existing ridge, so a ridge raise needs prior approval or a full application. What decides it, which roof form reads best, and why foundations matter early.
Garden rooms and the incidental enjoyment test
Class E permits garden buildings for purposes incidental to the enjoyment of a house. Which uses fall outside that, what the height and coverage limits are, and what a certificate proves.
Garage conversions and the parking a council expects
Converting an integral garage rarely fails on the building work. It fails on parking standards, a condition requiring the garage to be retained, or headroom once the floor is built up.
Front roof slope rooflights: the 0.15 metre rule
Class C allows roof windows in a front slope facing the road, but only if they project no more than 0.15 metres beyond the original roof plane. Article 4 directions and listed building consent change the answer.
Matching brickwork and mortar on a rear extension
Joints make up nearly a fifth of a brick wall, so the mortar decides the match. How to read the existing brick, get the coursing right and evidence it for a later sale.
Loft conversion escape windows and what makes a room habitable
The escape window is the easy part. In a two storey house, a loft conversion normally needs a protected stair, and the headroom over that stair is what decides whether the roof stays within permitted development.
Designing an extension next to a neighbour's extension
An existing neighbour extension lowers the harm to them and raises the cumulative effect on the street. How officers weigh the pair, and how to draw it.
Extending a barn conversion where rights were removed
Find the permission that created the dwelling and read every condition before assuming Class A is available. Curtilage, countryside policy and design that succeeds.
Building over a public sewer during a rear extension
A build over agreement is a Building Regulations matter, not planning. How to find the pipe, what the undertaker will ask for and why manholes indoors are trouble.
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