"Permitted Developments"

[J4CKO]

looking at extending the back of the house, apparently until 2019 you can, with certain provisos go 8 meters back on a detached, we need about 4 so thats well within and height wise you can go 4 metres.

Is it that simple, do you not need any planning permission ?

Also, any good packages for designing a 3d walk though to try different ideas for the resultant accommodation ?

Also, for an extension, do people always engage the services of an architect to plan/design it or do some go straight to a builder if they know what they want ?

[J4CKO]

Yeah, thought that would be the case, dont spoil the ship for hapethof tar and all that.

We are getting closer to being able to kick it off, just need to check the other bits we have had issues (cracks in bay) with arent going to require more work and expense than the £1500 or so I have allocated.

Want to turn the existing kitchen into a downstairs bathroom (existing one is a lash up in the garage) and utility, use the existing dining room as the new kitchen and whack a 4m by 8 m (approx) extension across the back, levelling ti off with the existing small extension on the back of the rear lounge.

So will need to fit out a small bathroom with shower, build the shell, put a kitchen in, add floorings, relay the patio etc.

Am reckoning on 30 grand for the building and 15 to put a kitchen and all the rest in, so hopefully no more than 50 grand allowing for budget creep.

benefits are, get a decent utility,

Proper downstairs bathroom rather than a plasterboard stuff partition box in the garage.

get my garage back

need a new kitchen anyway

Decent size dining room

[J4CKO]

V8RX7 said:

As always it depends.

For an extension on a standard house I'd be staggered if an architect could come up with a better design than a decent builder - frequently the builder will have more experience having worked on hundreds of similar projects with differing designs.

The problem is finding a decent one.

When a friend wanted an extension I told him to have a look around the area then look at their plans online.

After he found what he wanted I told him to knock the door and ask the owners what they thought and who built it.

They were happy to chat and he used the same builder to do his job.

Next door are in the process of having one done and they seem to be doing a fine job, may just harass them.

Where I think we need an architect is bits like how we integrate it with the existing extension to the back of the lounge, currently has a window but would be inside after the extension and how to approach that whilst keeping decent light etc.