Householder Extensions and Conversions – Page 8
Design and policy detail for extensions, lofts, garden rooms, garages, porches and driveways.
Householder Extensions and Conversions articles – page 8
251 articlesAnnexe or separate dwelling: the ancillary occupation test
An annexe is ancillary only if it is used as part of the same household as the main house. These are the physical and functional indicators case officers weigh, and the conditions that follow.
Dormer proportion and set-backs that get approved
The cubic allowance tells you what you can build without permission. Proportion, set-backs and width decide whether a dormer is approved when an application is needed.
Wraparound extensions and the permitted development trap
A wraparound is one enlarged part extending beyond two walls, so the side extension limits apply to the whole of it. The half-width condition is what removes the right.
Two storey rear extensions and the neighbour amenity tests
Permitted development limits rarely decide a two storey rear extension. Separation distance, overbearing effect and loss of outlook do, and each one is argued differently.
Subservience in side extension design and why it matters
Side extensions are refused on subservience more than on anything else. The ridge set down, the front set back, roof form and where the principle is relaxed.
Side return infill on a Victorian terrace
Side return infills are often permitted development, and the eaves height limit near the boundary decides the roof form. Daylight, party walls and build over agreements do the rest.
Basements under a terraced house: policy and practice
Excavating within the footprint of a terraced house is often not development at all. The lightwells, steps and garden extensions are what bring the application, along with ground and party wall issues.
Obscure glazing conditions and the levels that apply
Obscure glazing conditions are the standard council answer to an overlooking objection. The obscuration levels, the 1.7 metre opening rule and what happens when the glass is replaced.
Juliet balconies, balconies and the overlooking test
Class A of the GPDO excludes balconies, verandas and raised platforms, so a balcony on a house needs permission. A Juliet balcony with no floor to stand on is treated differently.
Garage conversions and the loss of a parking space
Converting a garage is usually permitted development. The council's parking standard, any Article 4 direction and the bedroom count decide whether that holds, and what evidence answers a highways objection.
Materials of similar appearance in permitted development
The materials condition in Class A asks for similar appearance, not a perfect match. Where that line falls decides whether a rendered or clad extension is permitted development or a planning application.
Hip to gable conversions and the roof volume budget
Class B gives a house 40 or 50 cubic metres of extra roof space. A hip to gable takes a share of that before the rear dormer is drawn, and the arithmetic decides whether the conversion is permitted development or a planning application.
Side extension width and the half the original house rule
The half-width rule compares your extension with the house as first built, not as it stands. Here is how to establish the baseline, the height limits and what to submit.
Rear extensions on a corner plot and the side boundary
A side wall that faces a road is treated like a front. That single rule removes several householder permitted development rights on corner plots and catches owners out repeatedly.
Removing a front boundary wall to widen your access
Demolishing a front boundary wall is usually permitted, until the house is in a conservation area or the wall belongs to a listed building. The dropped kerb is a separate consent again.
Integral garage conversion: the parking question councils ask
Most integral garage conversions are permitted development. The objection, when it comes, is almost always about the parking space you have just removed and what replaces it.
Driveway gates, visibility splays and the highway
The one metre height limit, the five metre setback and the visibility splay decide most driveway gate schemes. Two separate consents are usually involved.
Fitting a shower room into a loft conversion: the rules
A shower room inside a loft rarely needs planning permission. The soil vent pipe, the extract terminal and the new window are what the council can control.
Adding a first floor to a chalet bungalow within the roof
A chalet bungalow already has rooms in the roof, which changes the permitted development sums. Volume allowances, ridge height and dormer design decide whether you apply.
Matching materials: what similar appearance really allows
Permitted development asks for materials of similar appearance, not an identical match. Format and texture matter more than colour, and mortar matters more than either.
Extending a house with an outbuilding already in the garden
Extensions and garden buildings draw on the same permitted development allowance. Here is how to work out how much of it an existing garage has already used.
Dropped kerbs, hardstanding and surface water in one job
The paving and the dropped kerb are decided by different people under different laws. Here is the order to do them in, and what the 5 square metre run-off rule actually says.
Replacing a flat roof with a pitched roof
Putting a pitched roof over a flat one raises the roof, which makes it an enlargement rather than a repair. Which GPDO class applies decides the limits, and height is what fails most proposals.
Garden rooms with a shower and a bed: where the line is
A gym with a shower is incidental. A studio with a bed, a kitchen and a tenant is a separate dwelling. Class E of the GPDO turns on the word incidental, and that is where garden room projects fail.
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