How To build a Home Extension

Your guide to help you construct a residential house extension in the UK. From sunroom extensions to attic and loft conversions. From house and loft extensions in London to house extension designs and plans. We have an opinion and comment on just about every aspect of how to architect your home for most types of residential extensions.

Building an extension to your home can be a complicated matter but when broken down into its constituent parts is a fairly logical process that simply requires a methodical approach with a good understanding.

Obtaining Planning Permission is often seen as the first step but this is not the case. Selecting your Building Designer, Architect or Technician to help you realise your ambitions or aspirations in the correct way is probably the most important first step there is.

Without good initial design advice you will probably embark on an ill thought out scheme where your initial thoughts remain unchallenged.

Your house extension could be a loft conversion, a new conservatory, a two storey side extension, a single storey rear extension, a detached garage or swimming pool building or just internal alterations for remodeling the internal layout of your home.

Whatever you are considering, the design principals are often the same. Good thought through design will lead to an easier route for the on site construction process. This web site will provide you with ideas, concepts, strategies and tactics that will help most homeowners realise their dreams.

This web site is still being enhanced and is continually updated with new content so please do bookmark this site and return often.  We want you to enjoy and benefit from our 30 years experience so this web site is full of well written great content of relevant articles & guides specifically focussed on house extensions in the UK.  You will not find any 'copy, cut and paste' content on this site unlike some of the other 'spammy' house extension web sites on the internet.

Please utilise our links on the right to navigate your way through the various stages of a home extension. We have had 30 years of building design experience for residential development that we would like to share with you so that you are better informed before engaging the professionals you need.

Extending your home can encompass the following areas:-

A house extension or home extension usually requires planning approval or planning permission. Planning consent can sometimes be irrelevant if permitted development rights are used in England.

Town and country planning often dictates a framework of what type of house extension design is acceptable.

On October 1st 2008 the Pd rights where amended or revised for greater flexibility when extending a home without formal planning permission.

Householder extensions are usually for loft conversions, two storey side rear or front extensions, dormer windows, garage conversions sheds, car ports and basements.

Permitted development rights or PD rules usually means 'what can I build without planning permission. This can also relate to garden buildings, swimming pool enclosures, garden rooms, home studios and granny annexes.

Whether you are exploiting your permitted development rights or applying for planning permission., most home extensions also require Building Regulations approval. Building design for true construction scheme can be very complicated but your home extension architect or designer is usually well experienced in providing you with the necessary plans and specifications for this purpose.

Building permission usually relates to Council planners, local authorities and your local authority Building Inspector although there are now private Building Inspectors that you can employ for the all important Building Regulations approval.

Planning appeals to the Planning Inspectorate can be a second level of approval method if your house extension scheme is refused planning approval. This used to be under the wing of the DOE. All appeals reconsider the planning application again at a higher level of authority. Planners will be required to support their decision to refuse.

Building permissions for a house extension require detailed building plans showing all the necessary construction details supported by a specification manual.

Where Planning is often refused for a house extension, there are normally site specific issues giving the council grounds for refusing a home extension. Issues such as green belt, flood plains, building within a conservation area or AONB, within the grounds of a listed building, works that affect a tree under a TPO or forming a new highway access.

New dwelling houses, bungalows, one for one redevelopment sites also require formal planning permission and fall outside of a householder planning application.

Many loft conversions, roof extensions and dormer windows can also be built without planning permission under permitted development of the Town & Country Planning Act.

Many home extensions will add additional bedroom space where off road car parking and other highway issues can be assessed.