Even with a few extra metres to build, your house extension can be contemporary and appear to give a huge amount of extra space.

Patio dining area with external lighting, and electric glass doors which allows for a completely open air kitchen and dining area. Ideal for warm, summer nights.

Smart use of an L-shaped extension with sliding glass doors. Perfect for a romantic drink and a view of the sunset.

Most planning for extensions will restrict you to a certain sq meterage. However, with a clever design, you can seamlessly blend your extension to your patio and then even to your garden to make it look like they are all one.

This is a good way to design your home extension; Try not to constrict yourself by building as many rooms as you can get. Opt towards making it a place where you can relax and not feel squashed.

Getting planning permission on a piece of land, or for a renovation opportunity, not only transforms the value of that plot, but also gives you the chance to create development opportunities.

Unfortunately, the planning process can be drawn out, confusing and riddled with doubt and problems — but what you stand to gain should make it all worthwhile.

It is quite possible to buy a building plot that already has planning permission, as many on the market do. However, this is not always as good an idea as it may at first seem, as the most desirable plots rarely get beyond the estate agent’s door before being snapped up by developers. Another factor to watch out for is that the planning permission in place may not be all it seems; for example, there may be no details about the size of the house.

The rules of planning are unpredictable, open to interpretation and often easily bent — and this is something that can work both for and against you. It is vital to have an understanding of the planning process because, put simply, ending up with the right permission is the only way you will end up being able to build the house of your dreams. Whatever your circumstances, there is often a way to negotiate and come up with a satisfactory solution, as the case studies that are linked below demonstrate.

Planning Permission Education

Probably the easiest way to understand planning is to hear it from the horses mouth. The UK Planning Portal provide an interesting 3D demonstration of a home, its’ parts and a clear statement of what does or doesn’t need planning – or what may need looking into.

INTERACTIVE HOUSE

If your property is Semi Detached please click on the link below to open the interactive model and find out everything you need to know about your Planning Permission requirements:

Launch the guide »

INTERACTIVE TERRACE

If your property is a Terrace please click on the link below and find out everything you need to know about your Planning Permission and Building Regulation requirements:

Launch the guide »

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

• You don’t have to own a piece of land in order to make a planning application on it.
• It should take no longer than eight weeks from the point of application until you get a decision.
• The objections of neighbours and local residents will not necessarily have any impact on the decision.
• It is possible to withdraw an application — if you suspect you might get a refusal, you can withdraw at any time you wish and resubmit free of charge.
• You can submit however many applications you like for any one site — and then choose which one you want to use most. As long as it is current, you don’t have to use the most recent.

Planning: Our Top Tips for Success

UNDERSTAND THE SYSTEM

Planning permission has a particularly unpredictable set of rules — open to interpretation and often capable of being bent. Unlike the Building Regulations, planning regulations differ from one area of the country to the next, while the scope for inconsistencies between planners – even within one authority – is huge. So if you want to self-build, renovate or extend, a flexible and pragmatic approach to achieving what you want is vital.

BUY LAND SUBJECT TO PLANNING

It is perfectly legal to make a planning application on land you do not own — you don’t even need permission from the landowner, as permission goes with the land rather than the applicant. It is common practice to make a purchase subject to satisfactory planning permission — which is then legally secured by exchanging contracts with completion conditional upon getting the permission you want, or by entering into an ‘optional agreement’, whereby you have the legal option to buy if you’re successful or to walk away if you’re not.

GET PRE-APPLICATION ADVICE

First find your local planning department. Your local planning department and its website is a free source of information that can help you to exploit opportunities. But you need to know how to use it and this is where it is extremely helpful to talk to a planning officer from your local authority. Try to achieve a good rapport rather than approaching them as an enemy, and aim to gain an understanding of the key issues you will have to deal with in order to get permission.

MAKE FRIENDS WITH THE ENEMY

Most objections from neighbours etc stem from a fear that their own properties will be devalued — and also often from a worry about the change that a new house will mean for them. Perhaps the best way to avoid objections, therefore, is to talk to neighbours and the parish council prior to making your application and try to accommodate in your design any specific concerns they have. If you can accommodate what might be trivial issues it could make the difference between a delegated approval and a planning committee refusal.

UNDERSTAND THE CONDITIONS

If and when you do get permission, it will be subject to certain conditions. This will include a time limit during which the application has to be started — now three years. Any conditions on your application are extremely important and a failure to comply with them can result in a ‘breach of condition notice’ (BCN) to which there is no right of appeal and which can be enforced through the courts by prosecution.

TRADE UP

If you come across a piece of land that comes complete with planning permission, don’t be put off if the nature of the approved house design does not quite meet your requirements. Just because permission already exists for, say, a bungalow, this does not mean that this is what you will have to build.

KNOW THE RULES

The rules of the planning game are not simple. They are produced by local authorities and referred to as ‘development plan policies’. They are supposed to be a guide as to where new housing is located and what kind of developments are built in that area.

These rules are not hard and fast, and it is really all about how well you can sell what it is you are applying for to the local planning authorities in relation to the policies in their particular development plan.

The development plan policies set out – often not particularly clearly – criteria for what will and won’t be acceptable. Villages and towns will normally have been given a development boundary – also known as a settlement boundary – and it is within this boundary that the principle of new development is allowed. Outside of these boundaries, land is usually grouped together as countryside and is extremely difficult to gain planning permission on.

Trying to comply with any of these vaguely worded policies can be very difficult — particularly if you are aiming to do so without the help of a good designer or planning consultant who is able to interpret exactly what the local authorities are trying to say.

TRY AN INCREMENTAL APPROACH

By submitting parts of a controversial scheme incrementally, planners are less likely to countenance refusal because they are always duty bound to compare it to what has already been approved — meaning that big leaps forward can prove too controversial for consumption, but incremental amendments to approved schemes are difficult to resist.

PRESENT YOUR IDEAS CLEARLY

Finally, spend money on presentation drawings of your development — planning authorities grant permissions for what is really only a picture at that stage.

HAS WHAT YOU WANT TO DO ALREADY BEEN REJECTED?

Check the planning office for records relating to the site you have in mind and investigate whether the plot has suffered any rejections or other forms of adverse planning history. What has gone on in the past will be the starting point that planning officers will base their new decisions on.

Planning Jargon: The Terms Explained

• Outline Planning Permission: A general approval to enable construction. This may simply be for one dwelling; it might also specify whether the new house is to be a bungalow, but will give little more detail. On plan, it merely constitutes a red line around a plot.
• Detailed Planning Permission: Specific approval for an individual design to be built, based on a set of drawings indicating details on elevations and even facing materials.
• Full Planning Permission: Another term for detailed planning permission. Some plot developers bypass general outline approval and go straight for ‘full’ permission.
• Permitted Development Rights: Developments that can be carried out without planning approval. They relate to existing houses and cover small-scale improvements, such as modest extensions, loft conversions and so on.

Good luck on your house extension project!

HOUSE EXTENSION IDEAS – CASE STUDIES & GALLERIES

channel4.com

Modern Extension Designs. Looking to extend your home but want to add style to your home? Here are just some looks to inspire you. All you need now is a building company to make it real…

Archinspire.com

Provide home design ideas, including house extension, contemporary room space design, such as living room, kitchen, bedroom, bathroom design, and garden landscape ideas. Also provide home improvement tips and tricks.

Blogcatalog.com – House Extension section

House extension blog post collection from around the web including house extension ideas, lofts and more.

Shomera.ie

A House extension gallery. Creative inspiration

freshome.com

Interior Design & Architecture wesite with a lot of Home Extension posts and images to give you some ideas for your own extension.

chriswarrenconstruction.co.uk

Chris Warren and his team are well known in the Great Missenden and surrounding area for quality building including house extension.

coolboom.net

CoolBoom is a blog launched in January 2007 to collect and share a “personal taste” in architecture and interior design ideas. All the house extension you find in CoolBoom have gone through a selection process to create a nice, and functional blog.

busyboo.com

Their motto is “Rediscovering the power of simple design”. This site has a good home extension gallery.

conservatoryinfo.co.uk

Take a tour of conservatories, a beautiful type of house extension, and view a small sample of quality bespoke hand crafted hardwood conservatories by various hardwood conservatory specialists from England and Scotland.

redbrookconservatories.com

This is a conservatory gallery which is continually updated with new photographs as and when we acquire them.

You can use the filter selection within the site to view your preferred styles and click on each conservatory picture to view a larger version of the image.

PLANNING YOUR EXTENSION AT HOME

Let’s start from the beginning with the subject of house extensions.

1. Your house extension should look similar to your original home: Use the Brick Visualization Tool for help in select the correct brick to use.

2. Decide where is the correct place for the extension, take a look to this interactive house extension page for all the law about it.

3. Work out your maximum and minimum budget, this article can help you out: Building and Renovation Costs UK.

4. Create the plans for your extension.If you don’t know how to do it look at this article for more information: House Extension – Designing, Drawing and Submiting your own Planning Application.

5. Run the plans past your neighbours, read why in this article: Keeping in With The Neighbours.

6. Apply for planning permission and building regulations approval. Do you feel confused over what everyone means by plans? Take a look at this article: Planning permission for house extension?

7. The next steps are common sense logistics, fine-tuning and anything else which comes up including:

• Make any required changes to the plans.
• Appoint contractors or sub-contractors.
• Agree with neighbours any times during the day you can start and finish the build.
• Organise your current space to provide easy access for builders and less disruption for yourself (for example, if you have a spare bedroom, consider making it a temporary sitting room away from the mess).

USEFUL PAGES FROM THE PLANNING PORTAL UK

What is planning permission?

Planning Permission, in simple terms, is like asking if you can do a certain piece of building work. It will be granted or refused. Certain types of work are ‘permitted development’. This means that they can be carried out without any planning permission, so long as they comply with the rules and restrictions explained in the laws. Read more

Permitted Development

You can make certain types of minor changes to your home without needing to apply for planning permission. These are called “permitted development rights“. Certain development is granted an automatic planning permission by the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 1995, as amended, i.e. is classed as ‘permitted development’.

Planning application

If your building work does not qualify as permitted development your remaining option is to apply for planning permission. Keep in mind that while a proposal may not meet permitted development criteria that does not mean it cannot be done. An application for planning permission allows the local planning authority to assess your proposal against a range of criteria and decide whether or not to approve it. You will have to pay a fee. Read more

How do I apply for planning permission?

The Planning Portal is the Government’s official planning website. Every local authority in England and Wales accepts planning applications via the Planning Portal.

There are many benefits to creating and submitting applications online. It can be used to complete applications for consents including:

• planning permission
• lawful development certificates
• listed building consent
• conservation area consent

How do I contact my local planning authority?

To view information for a Local Planning Authority (LPA), go on the page and fill the form.

Download Building Regulations an explanatory booklet

PARTY WALL ACT

What is a party wall?

If you live in a semi-detached or terraced building, you share a wall or walls with your neighbour.  Such walls are known as party walls.  Party walls separate buildings belonging to different owners.

Where a wall separates two different sized buildings, only the part that is used by both properties is considered to be a party wall.  The rest of the wall belongs to the person on whose land it stands.

Your neighbours agreement must be gotten before starting any building works such as extensions, damp proofing works, structural alterations and some internal refurbishment.

In many cases, excavation or constructing foundations for a new building within 3 or 6 metres of neighbouring properties also needs written agreement. Read the full article at walthamforest.gov.uk

Read this article for a full explanation: The Party Wall Act 1996 explained

FINDING AN ARCHITECT

Selecting an architect is one of the most important decisions you will make when you have to start a project. You may use this selection methods:

Qualifications-based selection (QBS) (sometimes called “quality-based selection”) is one of the most common methods of selecting the best architect for the project. In particular, institutions, corporations or public agencies (sometimes represented by a committee) use this method. QBS is a system that chooses an architect on the basis of professional qualifications and proven competence. This procedure will provide your project with the best-qualified architect with whom you can develop a professional relationship. Such a relationship is very important for the kind of in-depth discussion which allows the architect and the engineers to deal effectively with issues on your behalf.

To achieve an objective comparison, QBS uses predetermined, value-based criteria that may include such factors as:

• the architect’s history and ability to perform required services;
• related experience such as past performance on similar projects;
• familiarity with local geography and facilities;
• experience and skills in project management; and
• design approach/methodology.

You can find al lot of architect to choose from at this links: List of UK Architect and Architects index

FINDING A BUILDER

Of course, a good way to start to find a good bilder is to get a recommendation from friends and family. But one good way is to check them out with Registry Trust, where all county court judgments (CCJs) against businesses and individuals are recorded. A CCJ is a judgment issued by a court when someone has failed to pay money they owe. This can be done online at its new website – www.trustonline.org.uk. You can find out whether the tradesman has ever been sued by unhappy customers or has CCJs, High Court judgments, fines or court orders taken out against them. Records are kept for six years.

You can use this websites to find builders: findabuilder.co.uk, mybuilder.com, findagoodone.com

Ask your friendly Core Architect Admin :)

This website is fueled by experience project managers and architects. Why not drop us an email and we will find you the best architect or builder in your area.

Chairs and ottomans

Choose the best style for your chairs and ottomans, there are a lot of different version and colors, here are some ideas:

Sofas

Another good ideas is to put a very beautiful sofa so that people can confortably sit.

TV stands

Chairs and sofas in this modern tims are usually used to relax in front of the TV and of course you need a good stand that fit with your style, take a look of this ones.

Small Table

The last idea for decorating your home extension is to put a beautiful small table.

Product credits to ashleyfurniture.com

Why do a Basement Conversion?

In the northern United States and Canada, many homes are built with basements that are used as utility rooms, playrooms, family rooms and even to house pools. Here in the UK, with space at such a premium, we’re waking up to the fact that the area under our homes may have great potential, and an increasing number of us are transforming previously wasted space into lifestyle-enhancing home cinemas, gyms and spas, as well as rooms with more traditional functions. And forget damp, dark and dingy – modern construction methods mean that today’s basements are warm, light, comfortable and airy.

What Type of Home is Suitable?

A basement conversion is particularly suitable for a terraced or semi-detached urban home where adding a conventional extension or going up into the loft isn’t possible. Perhaps the property has already been extended and there’s nowhere else to go, the garden is too small, or you’re after a pool, gym or new kitchen, which wouldn’t be practical in a loft. And, although more costly than other improvements, it could boost the value of your home considerably.

Making a Plan

As with any home build, you will need to create a floor plan before you start doing anything. Be sure to include where the exisiting walls and stairs are as well as any walls or doorways you want to add to the space. If you plan to divide the existing space into smaller rooms, then don’t forget to include a hallway. Most hallways are at least three feet across.

However, the visible basement is not the only thing you should consider. For those who live in chilly climates, make sure you make plans to properly insulate your exterior walls if they are not already insulated. Other items that go in your walls and require a plan include plumbing, electrical wiring and heating and cooling systems.

Plumbing

Depending on how you have designed your basement conversion, you may or may not need to install plumbing. If there are no plans for a bathroom, washroom or laundry room, then it is unlikely that you will need to install plumbing in your basement.

However, if plumbing is necessary, then you’ll need to decide just where the pipes will go. Although it might be the most convenient to place the pipes above your basement, this is also the most expensive option because you need to pump waste and sewage out. If you are trying to keep costs down, then it may be a better idea to place the plumbing pipes below your basement.

Electrical 
Homeowners living in older houses may find that their electrical system needs a bit of upgrading. Although it can inflate your budget, making sure your electrical system meets or exceeds current system standards will help ensure that you and your family can enjoy a safe basement.

Keep the neighbours happy

Neighbours will understandably be nervous if you’re digging next to their foundations. The Party Wall Act must be complied with, which means neighbours sharing a wall must be consulted. They can request a written report answering any questions about subsidence or other issues.

Avoid complaints by talking to all neighbours about your plans before any official correspondence so they know what to expect. Digging out a new basement or lowering cellar floors means moving earth away from the site, causing more disruption.

Basements are good for

• Television/cinema room
• Games room/playroom
• Home office/study
• Gym
• Utility room
• Teenagers with drum kits
• Violin practice

And bad for

• Bedrooms: fire regulations mean bedrooms must have egress windows

The Lowdown

Approximate costs for basement conversions

• £850-£1,150 per square metre with existing cellar.
• £1,650-£2,200 per sq m if existing cellar floor needs lowering (room height should be two metres minimum).
• £3,000-£4,000 per sq m if new basement has to be dug out.

The prices are based upon user input and personal experience and are guides to the rough pricing rather than exact figures that you will pay.

If you have any of your own data to feedback to us then please do so below.

How much is my house extension, home renovation going to cost me?

This is the question most frequently asked by people looking at getting a house extension. To be honest at the start of a project it is impossible to quote building costs without working drawings and a list of materials, fittings and fixtures.

Building costs for house extensions or home renovations can vary considerably depending on a number of criteria:

• Choice of building materials, fittings and fixtures – bathroom and kitchen tap fittings, tiles, window frames, heating & cooling, lighting
• The extent of client involvement – does the client choose to perform any of the building works such as painting
• Commencement and duration of the building works – does the project extend over the Christmas holiday break or during seasonal busy periods – this will add to any interest cost and/or rental costs if you need to move out
• Seasonal building market conditions – the number of rain affected days – this will add to any interest cost and/or rental costs if you need to move out
• Town planning delays – this can result in additional costs and potentially add months to your building project
• Size and competence of the selected building firm or builder – the bigger the business the more overheads and, by necessity, will pass this cost on to you
• Each builder will factor in a different profit margin
• Soft landscaping
• Varying professional fees – architect, draftsperson, town planner, structural engineer, soil report, building surveyor, etc
• Abnormal ground conditions requiring additional site costs – a sloping block and/or the need to dig deeper to reach solid ground and so concrete pours will vary
• And finally, there is the point of location, location, location. For example, a House Extension in London may cost more than a House Extension in Manchester, only because the cost of building is greater in London than in the North West.

However, considering that planning permission and drawings from start to finish wil usually wind up at about £1,500 give or take some, the prices below will give you the averag costs for a house extension. The rest is up to you and your preferences in the refurbishment of the interior.

Loft Conversion Prices

As mentioned above, the bottom line when planning any building project is ‘How much will it cost’. Loft conversion prices vary from region to region within the UK and, of course, no two conversions are likely to be the same.

But, we can use some ballpark figures and rule-of-thumb.

The first, and arguably the most important, is that by building a loft conversion you should immediately add at least the amount you spend onto the value of your house.

And it just keeps on getting better.

Figures released in July 2006 show that a loft conversion which incorporates a bedroom and en-suite bathroom can add up to 20% to the value of your home. These figures show true to date. Click here for more information on raising property value of your home.

In London loft conversion prices usually cost up to £50,000 though throughout the UK the average seems to be around the £20,000 – £35,000 mark.
These costs are when employing a specialist loft conversion company and they can be drastically reduced by doing some of the work yourself. Much of course depends on the type of conversion. For example, a basic storage solution can often be done in just a day or two and there are some specialist loft conversion companies who will, for around £1000-2000, install joists, a new hatch, lighting and a loft ladder in just 24 hours.

But, for a full scale, and well built loft conversion, loft conversion prices are usually somewhere between £19-£50,000.

If you have any questions regarding your building or refurbishment project feel free to leave it in the comment section below.

The importance of bringing in a good, professional designer as early as possible cannot be overstated. They will come up with ideas that may never occur to you and advise on achieving your aims within your budget. They can also steer the project through development, minimising compromise so you end up as close as possible to your ambition, adding space and that elusive ‘wow’ factor, too.

The Royal Institute of British Architects has a good library in London where you can find many books and material related to house extensions, ideas for designs and planning and how to refurbish them. Find material like this, directly from proven architects is a good point to start finding ideas for your house extension project

Another idea is to study the house extension designs from well-known architects as a way of determining your extension design.

House extension in Chiswick (provided by architect your home)

You can also find a good amount of useful online home design websites. We would recommend taking a look at our house extension category for house extension ideas, galleries and planning information – we have worked hard and searched the web to give you modern house extension design ideas.

Most popular types of home extensions:

Single Storey Extensions

Extending your home with a single storey extension as opposed to moving to a new house can prove to be a more economic and satisfactory solution that suits your family’s present and future needs. A new extension is a sensible investment that can add to the value of your home and provide the additional internal space required enabling you to make the most effective use of your accommodation.

Double Storey Extensions

A two storey extension can make a substantial difference to your home, not only giving you extra space in your lounge, kitchen, dining room or other living areas, but also increasing the available bedroom accommodation or providing an additional bathroom. This type of extension often gives you enough space to avoid having to move home, at a cost which is far more affordable.

Side Return Extension

A side return extension is usually used to create extra space in existing rooms or to re-arrange your interior floor plan to create extra space that could include: bedrooms, bathrooms or living space. Side return extensions can also be combined with rear extensions to form a wrap-around extension.

Conservatory Extensions

Investing in a conservatory extension is a wise move that will add value to your property and provide room that is flexible enough to be used in a variety of ways. By purchasing a conservatory, you’re not just buying another room… ‘you’re investing in a whole new way of life.’

The Cube:

‘The Cube’ design has been developed with the following key functions in mind; sustainable development, pre-fabricated construction methods, visual impact and cost efficiency.

The major benefit of The Cube extension is that it can be installed for the same cost as a glass roof conservatory, which means you get the benefit of thermal mass construction providing great energy efficiency, large glazing with bi-fold doors and frameless skylights, allowing maximum day light penetration and amazing opportunity for evening star gazing when relaxing or entertaining.

Where do I start?

A general process for getting an extension built might be
1. Sketch out some plans/ideas yourself
2. Approach an architect and get some detailed drawings made
3. Apply for planning permission
4. Get some quotes in (can be done before planning permission if not sure on budget I guess)
5. Agree contract with builder. A useful suggestion that some people have done is to break down the payment into different sections based upon completion of job.
This is just a simplified overview, you will also need to get building regulations approval and permission (at least no dispute) from your neighbours as well.

Prices:

An extension to your house can be a easier option to moving for gaining more living space, but how much will it cost for types of extension of different sizes? See our general uk building price guide.

As a rough idea you can typically say that it will cost £1000 per m2 or  93 per ft2 including basic plumbing and electrician work. This price is per unit area of internal floor space and so a 5x4m single floor extension will have a total floor area of 20m2 and a double storey will have 40m2.

Typically, single storey house extension costs will cost more per metre squared than a double storey. In theory a triple storey would cost less still. In practise the difference in cost may be small though. The price per square metre also depends on the size of the property.

There are basic costs that don’t increase too much with size and hence the cost per square metre will decrease as the floor area increases.

We have recently added a more comprehensive list of resources for your house extension with our article House Extension Inspiration and Planning Guides Feel free to have a look! (July 2010)

In the article, “Can I build a swimming pool in my house?” I covered many points to consider in installing a swimming pool in your home including how to get planning permission for a swimming pool, pool safety & inspiration.

The fitting of a swimming pool into a home is a the dream of many homeowners. In the US and other hotter continents a swimming pool in the garden is a common sight for middle classed homes in the suburbs. But what about the colder continents? Don’t they get the fruits of such luxury?

The main problems to be considered for a swimming pool inside your home are:

• Humidity, the condensation of a pool inside your home will be vast. Without proper precaution and foresight in your pool planning you will find paint peeling and your windows blurred with condensation.
• Damp throughout your floors with tiles popping up and water creeping towards your walls, causing expensive damage
• With a pool in your home you are basically allotting for a good portion of your home room space to be taken up which can make the rest of the house feel small (even a 4-5 bed home)

Sterling Home Improvements, a building company in London worked out a great solution for the installation of inside swimming pools.

The House Extension / Pool Project:

What you are seeing here is a the construction of a new single story horseshoe shaped rear extension (approx 90m sq), creating two new bedrooms, new bathroom with sunken bath, dining area and large pool/spa room.

In the image below you will see the design provided by Sterling Home Improvements London.This is the finished render of the pool and home extension

Swimming Pool Cover Down

Swimming Pool cover up

The pool cover is mechanically operated and doubles as a floor when lowered, new wet sauna and central patio area with wet/dry tiled pond.

This patented design by Sterling Home Improvements has become the all new craze in London and other large cities in the UK. The pool cover, weighing almost a ton, has a laminate design by tile photography. The room tiles were photographed and this was then printed in high resolution on a non-slip laminate which is also soft under the feet, thus creating the apparency of a seamless floor.

Powered by custom-built German winch motors hidden in the ceiling – the operator has only to flick a switch and down come 4 magnetized hooks which connect themselves to the rings, secretly placed under 4 flaps in the cover.

The winch motor is weight sensitive and will not move even if there is 5 ounces of extra weight on the pool cover. Additionally, once the cover has reached the ceiling, it slots in to a illuminated area, creating a soft ambiance of light – perfect for a nice swim.

Fitting the swimming pool:

Here you can see the pool coming in. It required a 100 ft crane to lift it over the building, due to restricted access from the rear.

Once the pool went in, so did the remainder of the extension around it. heavy duty, automatic ventilation systems were fitted into the pool room which detect when the condensation in the room becomes too high for internal sustainability. This allows for a fresh, swimming area, without damage to the home.

Contact Sterling Home Improvements London for further information.

The fact is that home improvement is one of the largest growth areas in our economy today. Many people today are improving there home as opposed to moving because it’s cheaper. The most common home improvement are conservatories followed by extensions and loft conversions.

Therefore, to keep a firm rein on these developments; planning requirements are getting tighter to ensure that the type of home improvement is in keeping with the surrounding houses and neighbourhood. I am sure we all agree – “nobody would wish to live next to a monstrosity”.

Approximately 60% of conservatories built will require planning permission.

Under the present legislation you may not require planning permission providing you meet with the following conditions:

• No more than 50% of the land which surrounds the “original house”* can be developed. If you require a conservatory that covers more than 50% planning permission is required.
• If the proposed conservatory faces any road, planning permission will be required.
• Maximum depth for a conservatory on a detached property is 4000 mm
• Maximum depth for a conservatory on a semi deched property is 3000 mm
• The maximum height of a conservatory is 4000 mm
• Conservatories built to the side elevation of a property a maximum of 4000 mts high and no more than 50% that of the original house
• At least 50% of area that will form the external boundary / edge of the conservatory must be glazed and 75% of the roof area to be covered with either glass or polycarbonate.(Building regulations)
• All conservatories must be separated from the house by an external quality door, patio door or French doors. (Building regulations)

Conservatories on listed building, national parks, Broads Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, conservation areas and World Heritage Sites planning permission will be required.

* The term “original house” means the house as it was first built or as it stood on 1 July 1948 (if it was built before that date).

Even if you may not have had an extension built to the house, a previous title-holder may have done so.

The above mentioned only applies to extensions after the 1 July 1948.

We have listed some additional information and conditions which attract planning permission:

• If you build within 2m of the boundary line and the highest point at that junction is 4m or more high.
• If your conservatory covers more than 50% of the original garden.
• If your planning development rights have been removed.
• Grade II listed buildings. These may require a hardwood conservatory with a glass roof.
• Where a conservatory is 20m or less from a road or public footpath.
  (see sketch A)

Sketch A: Irrespective of the size of the conservatory, should the distance between points A and B be less than 20m planning permission may be required.

Shaded Area may be any of the following:

• Road
• Highway
• Motorway
• Public Foot Path
• Bridal Way
• Access to another property
• Access to other garage

Impact onto the Boundary Normally the local planning officer will be looking at the projection of the conservatory i.e. how far it will protrude into the garden, normally they are happy at about 3m projection from the original house. However, should the proposed conservatory extend more than 3m he may not look at it so favourably and ask for it to be reduced in size? The reason for this is so your neighbour does not have to look at a large brick wall more than 3m long. Hence the term impact onto the boundary.

To overcome this you may wish to include a facet to your conservatory which may help in some situations. (See sketch B) This should be done by your supplier as a matter of course.

Sketch B: You can see from this sketch that the total impact onto the boundary is 6m and you could expect the planning office to reject your application.

If planning permission is not required a letter of lawful development from the council is always a good item to obtain. So should you wish to sell your property in the future, your have proof that you have complied.

From Powerhouse Company, the Spiral House comes with a creative architecture plan and an home extension in the shape of a spiral. The unusual exterior makes the place very inviting and it made us eager to search for more. Below you have a bunch of pictures that can best describe this residence. We hope you will let yourself be inspired by them. But before you start your exploration, here are a few words from the company describing this project: ” The extension is designed as a spiral connecting the more public to the more private rooms of the house. This spiral creates an intimate patio, a sloping roof garden. It not only extends the house, it also extends the family’s way of life, creating a continuous ‘loop’ for living”.
A really nice architect job!

There is always a need for the maintenance of our homes but often we are not gifted with the things that are required to follow to ensure a proper maintenance. It’s always a good idea to handover the job to specialists who can effectively make our thoughts into reality. How many times we have encountered the situation where we need to add an extra room or to convert the unused garages to one of the rooms of our utility? We never seem to derive to the conclusion how this can be achieved. The most difficult of them all is perhaps building a new home where we tend to confuse ourselves with ideas from others professional expertise is mandatory or to be precise comes to the rescue in all the above mentioned cases.

There are so many advantages that we get from the professionals who are into these home development projects such as architects and builders. They can derive ways which can help us to get the maximum out of the limited resources and the end result is true value for our hard earned money. After all that’s what we all want. Personally many people are hardly aware of the quality materials that are required for the modifications this is best done by the professionals. Again our thoughts are limited to certain extent compared to the professionals so we can never come out with a plan of designing the home in a way which makes the neighbours compulsive to admire it.

Imagine that attic which was hardly of any use being converted to multiple rooms with all the facilities a room needs, they have the skills to do the same. Occasions are always an indispensable event in the lives of social people. So be it a social occasion or a personal one like marriages we need to give that special look to our homes and also look to have it done reasonably. Then there can be some of the intermittent works like bathroom or kitchen renovation, repainting the rooms etc. all these tasks can be made easy with able professional support.

Here are some examples of house extensions.