FAQ's

• Call in professionals to get the job done properly, as there are important planning restrictions and regulations which need to be followed.
• Although a modern extension can look good on an old house, when it comes to selling on it is important to appeal to the average buyer's taste. Therefore it is more advisable for an extension to match the architectural style of the existing house.
• Be strategic: Extra bathrooms and large kitchens are usually good investments in family-sized homes, and a garage in a busy, urban area will also add value.
• The room that usually benefits the most from enlarging is the kitchen. Adding a kitchen/diner creates the farmhouse kitchen most people want and provides extra space.
• The old dining room can become an office, playroom, or an extra sitting room.
  Kitchen extensions also provide the opportunity to extend upwards - an additional bedroom can be built on top at the same time.
• Loft conversions are another good way of enlarging your house. Victorian or 1930s houses are ideal for these because of their high roof pitches. Prices will vary depending on how many bedrooms are added and whether an en-suite is built. A loft room will also require less planning and building requirements than a bedroom.
• If there isn't a reason to expand, consider applying for a further advance on your mortgage and give the house a makeover. A new kitchen, bathroom and carpets will revive the the property and increase its value at the same time.

Adding living space is more popular than ever, but many people start their extension project without knowing enough about design, the law, construction and planning. We reveal the 20 things you must know - and probably don't.

The 'Right To Light' Exists In Law

Rights of light are only likely to be relevant in city centres where buildings are very close together. In such circumstances contact a specialist lawyer.

You Can Have WCs Anywhere

It used to be a requirement of the Building Regulations for there to be a lobby between a WC and any other room. This was commonly conceived to be for reasons of hygiene and to relate to the kitchen where food is prepared.

Although it is desirable for reasons of privacy to locate WC facilities off hallways, circulation space, lobbies or the utility room, this is no longer necessary under the Building Regula­tions. It is, however, necessary for there to be a wash basin and suitable ventilation to all WCs.

Minimum Ceiling Heights

Although the legal minimum ceiling height has now been removed from the Building Regulations, there is still a practical minimum height and this is especially worth thinking about in attic and cellar conversions. All rooms should normally have a floor to ceiling height of at least 2.1m throughout (standard ceiling height is 2.4m). In rooms with sloping ceilings, at least 50% of the floor area should normally have a floor to ceiling height of at least 2.1m.

Avoid Through Rooms

Working out the most efficient and practical way to access an extension is often the great­est design challenge. Do not sacrifice more than you are gaining, for instance by slicing up a good sized bedroom in order to gain access to an extension that adds only one more bedroom of a similar size.

Using an existing room to access an extension rarely works unless it is sufficiently large and the furniture carefully arranged. Such rooms usually end up as nothing more than a corridor and a dumping ground for home­less storage.

Circulation space is very important to the healthy function of a house, ensuring that it is liveable and that the best use is made out of all of the space. When extending, this may mean rethinking the function of every room in order that the principle rooms, most importantly the kitchen, dining and living space, can all be accessed directly from the main hallway.

In smaller houses where there is no space for a separate hallway, it is a good idea to have at least a small lobby or enclosed porch to create privacy from the front door.

Make Your Conservatory Part Of Your Home

With a bit of redesign to reduce the glazed area, the section of exterior wall separating it from the existing house can be completely removed. This turns the conservatory into a true extension, and by incorporating sections of plastered wall and insulated solid roof, a conservatory can be used to extend an existing room such as a dining room or kitchen.

To turn a conservatory into an extension you must provide your local building control department with calculations that show that the amount of glazing in the windows, doors and roof of the conservatory/extension, together with the amount of glazing in the windows, doors and any roof lights in the original house, do not exceed 25% of the floor area of the conservatory and all floors of the house added together.

New windows and doors in the conservatory/extension will need to meet the current U-values required by the Building Regulations.

Consider Adding Basement Space

If you have an existing cellar, you can convert it into living space without using up the volume allocated to you under permitted development rights. Creating basement windows and external access will not usually require planning permission either, although it is always worth checking your local authority’s policy on basements.

Balance Your Accommodation

Although there are no legal requirements to provide more than one bathroom, it is practical to have a least one full bathroom on the same floor as the main bedrooms. For larger households it helps to have at least one en suite bathroom - ideally to the master bedroom.

If you are extending to add extra bed­rooms, clearly creating the number of bedrooms needed for the household is the main priority, but this should, if at all possible, be balanced by an increase in the number of bathrooms. Future buyers will expect at least one bathroom and a shower room on a four or five bedroom house and without this the value will be constrained.

An additional bathroom on the ground floor of a house should be a last resort. It is functional but will add little if anything to the property’s value as bathrooms away from bedrooms are impractical (aside from for those who work outdoors).

Knowing The Building Regulations

Even if you do not need planning permission for your extension, because you are using permitted development rights, you must get building regulation approval.

The Building Regulations set out minimum requirements for structural integrity, fire safety, energy efficiency, damp proofing, ventilation and other key aspects that ensure a building is safe.

Most repair work is excluded from the Building Regulations, with the exceptions of replacement windows, underpinning and rewiring. However, apart from certain new buildings such as sheds, outbuildings and some conservatories, all new building work, including alterations, must comply with the Building Regulations.

Typical examples of work needing approval:

• Home extensions such as for a kitchen, bedroom, lounge, etc.
• Loft conversions. Internal structural alterations, such as the removal of a load-bearing wall.
• Installation of baths, showers, WCs which involve new drainage or waste plumbing.
• Installation of new heating appliances.
• New chimneys or flues.
• Altered openings for new windows.

You Can Start Within 48 Hours Of Notifying Building Control

Once you have dealt with planning, if you are in a hurry to start building your extension, you can commence work immediately after giving the local authority building control department 48 hours’ notice. You are required to submit a ‘Building Notice’ and the required fee.

Generally the Building Notice method is more suitable for simple works where detailed drawings are not required, but it can be used for any project, with the exception of work to listed buildings.

For most extensions it is best to make a Full Plans application. This involves submitting detailed drawings, specifications, calculations and a location plan for inspection by the local authority, together with the application forms and appropriate fee.

Building control has to respond within five weeks unless you agree to give them an extension to two months. A Full Plans submission allows any irregularities to be resolved before work commences.

With a Building Notice, the building control officers can ask for proof of compliance at any stage, so it is essential to make sure they make all necessary inspections and provide any structural calculations when requested. When the project is completed and inspected by the local authority, a completion certificate will be issued which will prove useful if the property is ever to be sold on. Application fees are set individually by each local authority.

Remove Your Walls

You don’t need walls to define rooms. Creating larger, more open spaces will help to make a properly feel larger. The fewer walls you use, the more spacious and light a property will feel.

You can define separate rooms and functions by using all sorts of other features such as furniture, lighting, floor coverings, decoration, floor or ceiling levels, and informal room dividers such as kitchen island or peninsula units, fire­places, open shelving, island walls or even the staircase.

If you are unsure whether it will work, visit show houses built by developers. Most now feature at least an open plan kitchen breakfast space instead of a separate kitchen and dining room.

There Are Different Rules For Conservation Areas

If you live in a Conservation Area your permitted development rights (extensions and alterations that do not require planning permission) are restricted. Each local authority has its own policy for Conservation Areas but generally the basis of the policy is to prevent the loss of character of the Conservation Area.

Consequently planning is required for the addition of dormer windows or any other change to the shape or height of the existing roof, including the addition of Velux roof lights if they face the highway. This means that attic conversions will almost always require planning permission in a Conservation Area.

If the usable space is limited, consider raising the roof height by rebuilding it, or even lowering the existing ceiling height below. Accessing a habitable loft conversion requires a permanent staircase and this will need landing space.

If you decide the cost of a full conversion cannot be justified because of space constraints, consider improving the loft space to create storage accessed by a foldaway loft ladder or space-saver staircase? This can be achieved at a significantly lower cost than a full conversion.

Extending A Listed Building Can Be Problematic

Permitted development rights do not apply to listed buildings, so any extensions will need both planning and listed building consent. The design of any extensions to a listed building need to be of a very high quality and it will be necessary to use the services of a specialist architect or surveyor.

It will be essential to work closely with the local authority conservation officer. Each officer will have their own perspective on what will alter the character of a listed building. It is a criminal offence to alter a listed building, inside or out, without listed building consent.

Permitted Development Is Not Always Straightforward

Under the new rules, the ‘original’ (as it stood in or prior to 1948) rear wall of a detached home can be extended by up to 4m in depth with a single storey extension; this is reduced to 3m if you live in a semi or terrace. If your proposed new extension will be within 3m of a boundary, then the eaves height is limited to 2m under PD.

If you hope to build a two storey extension (no higher than the house), this can project up to 3m from the original rear wall, so long as it is at least 7m from the rear boundary. It’s also important to note that no extension can project beyond or be added to what is deemed to be the front of the house or an elevation which affronts the highway. A side extension cannot make up more than half your house’s width.

Furthermore, with the exception of conservatories, new extensions must be built of materials ‘similar in appearance’ and with the same roof pitch as the main house. So while PD rights are beneficial, there’s a lot to consider before starting work.

Minimum Room Sizes

Know The Party Wall Act

Your neighbours cannot stop you from build­ing up to, or even on, the boundary between your properties, even if it requires access onto their land (providing you have planning permission to do so, and there are no restrictive covenants).

There's A Difference Between an Estimate and a Quotation

An estimate is normally a contractor’s guess as to what your extension will cost. Whether given verbally, or in writing, is not legally binding and the final bill may exceed it.

A quotation is a definite price. When deciding which builder to choose, always get written quotations from at least two firms, ideally ones that have been recommended to you.

The written quotes should itemise the work to be done, provide a breakdown of costs and a total, and state whether VAT is included. When you receive the bids, check whether there are any caveats which might involve extra expense. Also, compare provisional sums for work such as foundations to make sure you are comparing like with like.

Beware Of Removing Trees

There's A Difference Between an Estimate and a Quotation

An estimate is normally a contractor’s guess as to what your extension will cost. Whether given verbally, or in writing, is not legally binding and the final bill may exceed it.

A quotation is a definite price. When deciding which builder to choose, always get written quotations from at least two firms, ideally ones that have been recommended to you.

The written quotes should itemise the work to be done, provide a breakdown of costs and a total, and state whether VAT is included. When you receive the bids, check whether there are any caveats which might involve extra expense. Also, compare provisional sums for work such as foundations to make sure you are comparing like with like.

A Shower Can Be Added Anywhere

A basic shower room need measure only 900mm wide by 1.8m (or 2.6m if it is to include a WC and basin). The cost of creating a shower room within a bedroom will be £2,500-3,000 providing the plumbing is within reasonable proximity.

You Probably Can't Claim VAT Relief

Most extensions will be subject to VAT on labour and materials at the standard rate of 20%, especially if you use a contractor to undertake the work. If you use local trade­smen who are not VAT registered you can save the 20% VAT on their labour, but you will still have to pay VAT on materials at the standard rate.

Some extension projects are eligible for VAT relief, such as work to listed buildings (zero rated), the conversion of an existing dwelling that changes the number of units (reduced rate of 5%) and work to a building that has been unoccupied for at least two years (reduced rate of 5%).

To benefit from VAT relief you must use a VAT registered builder — you cannot reclaim the VAT yourself.