Architectural

Permitted development rights could allow you to build your extension without explicit planning permission. Section 55 of the Town & Country Planning Act defines ‘development’ as a building operation (structural alterations, construction, rebuilding, most demolition); significant changes of use of land and/or buildings subdivision of a building(s).

Prior to starting work, you will need to appoint a building control inspectorate (either local authority or private practice) to carry out the building control function for you home extension. There are three different types of building control application. Let’s take a look.

Prior to starting work, you will need to appoint a building control inspectorate to carry out the building control function for you home extension. There are three different types of building control application.

Homeowners commonly misunderstand the difference between building regulations and building control. It is important to know the difference so that you are better informed about the house extension process, and able to keep pace with some of the more technical conversations and decisions pertaining to the progress of your home extension.

We know that building regulations are the minimum standards to which your extension must be built. They govern literally every aspect of construction, exhaustively detailing how things should be. As a homeowner you aren’t expected to know the ins and outs of these, but it is handy to know the main stuff.

At the outset of design work on a house extension, homeowners are meaningfully involved in setting out the design brief and provide input to planning-level drawings. Then towards the end they find themselves the centre of attention as the working drawings are specified around their requirements.

When it comes to drawing up the structural designs for a house extension, the Structural Engineer will sometimes make assumptions about the building before crunching the numbers. Doing so carries risks and where possible it is preferable to carry out opening up works to the property as a means to baseline what is currently there, minimise guesswork and better plan for what needs to be done to open up the new space safely.

Why you need a structural survey for your extension- It is always recommended that your Structural Engineer completes a physical survey of your home before producing the calculations and structural design for the extension. Some Engineers do not and instead make assumptions about the building that later need to be proved or disproved on site. Doing so is risky.

If an Architect is to form, then a Structural Engineer is to function. There are many hues of Engineer, designing structures in a diverse range of fields from tunnels to turbines, bridges to boardrooms. A residential Structural Engineer works with homes and houses and is usually brought into the project by your Architect. As far as your extension goes, the Structural Engineer will perform three primary functions.

“What happens if my neighbours refuse party wall notice?” is one of the most common questions homeowners ask in relation to party wall matters prior to building their extension. It is also an inaccurate one. Your neighbours cannot refuse your party wall notice, but they can dissent, or fail to respond to it.

After taking the decision to extend, the first things you need to do are to produce a good design brief for your Architect and organise your design ideas in a design journal. These two documents combined are the best way to communicate the deliverables of your home extension to your Architect.

Ask ten Surveyors to explain the party wall process in simple terms and you will get 20 different answers (seriously, try it). It’s not that they’re being difficult, it is because party wall matters are inherently involved and can get quite complicated, quite easily. For now though, what you need to know is this. Here is a very simple guide to the party wall process.

Having established that you will need to serve party wall notice to neighbours sometime in advance of starting the build, the next thing to figure out is what the optimal moment to do so is. Here's an article about the best time to serve party wall notice to neighbours. Enjoy!

You may have produced a great design that ticks at the planning boxes, but still find that your proposed development comes up short 😕If your planning application is refused, you have four options. Check them out 👉 Click here! #planningapplication #help

Home extension?🏠 After taking the decision to extend, the first things you need to do are to produce a good design brief for your Architect and organise your design ideas in a design journal 📐📏 Find out how to set yourself up for success with a good design brief.

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