Beginners Guide to extending your home

If you are looking for more room within your home, perhaps an expanding family or making room for an office? An extension is a fairly large project to take on and we would recommend you use a trusted trader like Clockwork Maintenance to assist with the more tricky parts of an extension. Here we look at the different ways of extending property as well as making use of existing space, as well as planning permission.

Add an extra storey

One of the cheapest ways to extend without having to sacrifice any outdoor space would be to extends upwards or downwards. You will already have an idea of outlay by following the foundations of the rooms. A loft conversion would create space above the house, these are often light and airy rooms, you could check your neighbourhood for attic windows as this may be an indication as to whether you would get permission to do the same. Alternatively you could add a basement, however this would be more common in Victorian Houses in high-value areas.

Divide a Room

If you have a particularly large room, you may be looking at adding a wall to create two private spaces. This could be separating a open plan lounge to a lounge and dining area, or perhaps an additional bedroom by dividing a master bedroom. Although you don’t need planning permission for this (unless it’s a listed property) you should consult a professional prior to going ahead with this work to check for any risks.

Extension

When considering an extension you must ensure it is seamless, the best extensions will be those that look part of the original property. Although this can be difficult, depending on the age of the property in regards to matching old materials and new materials. If an exact match is not possible, we would recommend to extend in a slightly different style, perhaps a contrasting period or a contemporary design?

Planning Permission

For extensions there is something called Permitted Development (PD) which means that you do not necessarily need to seek planning permission providing that you follow some PD guidelines. We have outlined these below.

• Under PD extensions must be built in a similar material to the existing house.
• Extensions and other buildings must not exceed 50% coverage of the land around the original house. Outbuildings must be factored into this calculation.
• You cannot build forward of the front (or highway facing) elevation of the house.
• The roof pitch must match that of the existing house.
• Eaves must not exceed the height of the original home. Single-storey extensions must be no higher than 4m.
• Single-storey extensions to detached homes can be up to 8m on a detached house and 6m on a terraced or semi-detached.
• Two-storey extensions must not project more than 3m from the rear wall of the original house, or be within 7m of the rear boundary.
• Side extensions cannot be greater than half the width of the original house.

If you require to extend your property not in line with these guidelines, you must seeking planning permission from the council which can take 8-12 weeks. If you would like any assistance with extensions, PD or planning permission, please don’t hesitate to contact us.