ADDING AN EXTENSION 

Adding an extension lies at number five in the list of top home improvements. And in these days of people preferring to improve, rather than move, they do make sense.

Making the most of your current home is the sensible option in 2008 with a struggling housing market and a credit squeeze to contend with.

But before you start, did you know there is a huge range of new buildings and extensions that can be built, and alterations and modifications that can be made without needing anything but building regulations consent? This is known as permitted development and is probably the most useful piece of planning jargon to understand.

There are some great loopholes that will allow you to maximise the potential of your home although do bear in mind that some freedoms do not apply to listed buildings and restrictions apply in some areas.

To help you understand what improvements can be made to your home without needing planning approval the organisers of the National Homebuilding & Renovating Show, at the NEC from April 10 to 13, have some excellent tips.

However, if you want free expert advice straight from the horse’s mouth then go along to the show and speak to local authority building control and planning experts. They will be available between 11am and 4pm every day on the Planning Portal stand (B19) to give advice to anyone thinking about carrying out building or renovating work.

Free 30-minute sessions worth £150 are available and they can be pre-booked online. For further information visit www.planningportal.gov.uk/expert 

New Windows and Doors

No permission is needed to create new windows or doors in an existing house, regardless of whether a new first or ground-floor window might overlook an adjoining property or be objected to.

This creates endless possibilities to take advantage of existing views, improve the outlook and feel of existing rooms or to entirely rearrange the way a house is used and laid out internally.

Attached Buildings

Existing non-habitable areas, such as integral garages, outhouses and other attached buildings, can be converted into part of a house without permission.

There are plenty of 1960s houses, built with integral garages, which can be massively improved by incorporating this space into the ground floor, as well as numerous Victorian houses with attached outbuildings to the rear.

Loft Conversions

Utilising an existing roof space to create additional rooms does not require permission. Loft space takes up a large unused percentage of most houses and converting it is an efficient and cost-effective way of transforming a house.

The necessary staircase and other internal changes can all be done without the need to consult with the planners. This applies equally to new houses as to existing ones. Bear this in mind when looking at an approved design for a new house on an existing plot – could it be improved by creating a third storey?

Single-storey Extensions

Provided a house has not been extended before – or since 1948 if it was built before that date – it can be enlarged by a total of 10 per cent of its volume or 50cm3 if it is a terraced house. This additional space includes roof extensions.

For larger, detached houses it is 15 per cent or 70cm3. This is a pretty big extension – about the size of a large single garage. There are some rules that you need to watch out for (relating to roof pitch and proximity to an existing road) but by using your Permitted Development Rights in this way you can make big improvements.

These rules do not apply if you live in a conservation area or Area Of Outstanding Natural Beauty, so check. Visit www.planningportal.gov.uk for more information and take advantage of their online volume calculator.

Gates, Walls and Fences

The look of a house and the privacy you enjoy can be radically affected by the walls and fences that surround it.

Walls and fences generally do not need permission on the boundary provided they are no more than two metres in height, or no more than one metre where they are next to a road. Within a garden, which could in theory be one inch in from the boundary, it is OK to construct walls or fences or other means of enclosure up to three metres high, provided no more than half the garden is so enclosed.

Outbuildings

The construction and use of detached buildings in a garden offers huge possibilities for additional space. It could be a games room, home office, teenage lounge, workshop, laundry, guest bedroom etc.

Constructing outbuildings is restricted in Conservation Areas and AONB, but it is not restricted in green belt areas and offers real potential to make otherwise very restricted plots much more useful.

There is no actual limit to the floorspace of outbuildings as long as they do not cover more than half the garden area or exceed four metres in height (three metres with a flat roof). They should be further than five metres from the house and not situated between the house and any road.

Rooflights

The insertion of rooflights in any existing roof does not require permission so a roof conversion becomes a real possibility even if the space is quite limited; the fire escape necessary for building regulations can sometimes be created through an enlarged rooflight.

Existing single-storey ground-floor rooms like kitchens and living rooms can be made much lighter and more airy by opening up the ceiling to expose the roof and the insertion of rooflights.

Inside your home

Rearranging the interior of a house to create or subdivide rooms using partition walls does not need planning permission. Inserting or removing floors does not need permission.

A barn conversion, with large areas of vertical space, may look good but does not always make for efficient use of the building’s space and may not always be practical. Inserting new floors to create the additional rooms does not need planning permission.

Do Your Homework

Do your homework and get as much information as possible. Contact your local planning office to find out about permitted development rights or visit the Government website www.planningportal.gov.uk/buildingwork

Visit The National Homebuilding & Renovating Show at the NEC from 10 to 13 April and meet local authority planning experts on the Planning Portal stand (B19) who will be able to advise you.

The show also features over 550 exhibitors, The Eco Homes Show, The Smart Home Show, The Restoration Pavilion and 120 free seminar and masterclass sessions over the four days.

Tickets are £10 in advance or £14 on the door (children under 16 go free). For more information visit www.homebuildingshow.co.uk or call 0871 945 4547.

By Cathy Stanworth