Guides
Photo: Jim Linwood · CC BY 2.0. Cropped, resized, and saved as WebP and AVIF.
Short reading, in plain words, before you offer or hire. These pages are about the rules in general. Your house still needs its own report.
4 min
What this report is
A plain guide to the report you get before you offer, or before you talk to an architect or planning consultant.
6 min
Permitted development, in plain words
Some home improvements are already allowed by national rules. Here is the simple version.
6 min
Green Belt extensions, in plain words
In the Green Belt, the size of the original house often matters more than the style.
5 min
Questions to ask before you offer
A short list to put through the seller before you pay a price that needs a big extension.
5 min
How to read a nearby decision
What the reference means, and why the same street matters more than a wide average.
6 min
Do I need planning permission for a rear extension?
The simple rules for a single-storey extension at the back of a house in England.
5 min
Do I need planning permission for a side extension?
Side extensions are tighter than rear ones. Here is the plain version.
5 min
Wraparound extensions
A wraparound joins a rear extension and a side extension. The rules are stricter than people expect.
6 min
Loft conversions and dormers
A loft can be allowed without a full application. A dormer on the front is a different question.
5 min
Outbuildings and garden rooms
A garden room is often allowed. A separate little house is not.
4 min
Garage conversions
Turning a garage into a room is often simpler than an extension. The old permission can still say no.
4 min
Porches
A small porch is one of the simplest projects. A big one is not.
5 min
Basements
A basement is a big project. Planning and the party wall are separate problems.
5 min
Conservation areas
A conservation area does not ban extensions. It does make the visible ones harder.
5 min
Listed buildings
If the house is listed, you need a second consent, even for work that would otherwise be allowed.
4 min
Article 4 directions
An Article 4 direction takes away rights you would otherwise have had.
6 min
The house-buying checklist
What to check before you offer, so you do not pay for a house that cannot take the extension.
5 min
How to choose an architect
Hire someone after you know the likely job, not before.
4 min
How long planning takes
The official target for a householder application is 8 weeks. Real life can be longer.
5 min
What to do if you are refused
A refusal is about that scheme. It is not the end of every plan.
5 min
Lawful development certificates
A certificate is the council saying a project is lawful. It can still be a no.
5 min
Party wall basics
The Party Wall Act is not planning permission. You can need both.
5 min
How much extensions cost
Wide ranges only. Get quotes. Prices move, and every house is different.
5 min
Two-storey extensions
A two-storey extension almost always needs permission, and the side gap matters.
4 min
Front extensions
Work on the front is the job neighbours and councils notice first.
4 min
Hip-to-gable loft conversions
Changing the side of the roof from a hip to a gable adds space, and it changes the pair.
5 min
Larger-home prior approval
The bigger single-storey rear extension uses a lighter process. Neighbours still get a say.
4 min
Trees and preservation orders
A protected tree can shape an extension more than the planning policy.
5 min
Neighbours, daylight and privacy
The council is often saying no because of the house next door, not because of the style.
4 min
Building regulations and planning
They are different. You can need one, the other, or both.
4 min
Dropped kerbs and front parking
A driveway is a highway question as well as a planning question.
4 min
Flats and maisonettes
Most of the easy house rules do not apply to flats.
4 min
New windows and doors
On an ordinary house, new windows are often fine. On a special house, they are not.
3 min
Fences, walls and gates
The usual height limit is 2 metres, and 1 metre next to the road.
4 min
Solar panels
Roof panels are often allowed. The limits are about projection, and about listed buildings.
5 min
Annexes and granny flats
A room for family is different from a separate house in the garden.
4 min
Corner plots
A house on a corner has two fronts. That changes the rules.