Contractors For Rear Home Extensions
In London, space comes at a premium – so finding an opportunity to extend your living space, without having to put your property on the market, is always welcomed. This is where rear extensions prove beneficial, as they give homeowners a means of creating additional space on their current home, by extending behind the property into a garden or yard area. We Love Build has worked on a string of rear extension projects in London, helping homeowners to enjoy more from the space that they have.
What does a rear extension involve?
A rear extension is the process of extending an existing home towards the back of the property; Typically, this means extending out onto a garden or yard space, to create more living areas.
Do I need planning permission for a rear extension?
While planning permission is essential for some specific home improvements, rear extensions fall into a slightly grey area, as they can occasionally be covered by something called ‘Permitted Development Rights’. Under this, the requirement for planning permission isn’t applicable, but in order for this to be the case, specific aspects have to be met. For example, single storey rear extensions on detached homes have to extend no greater than four metres from the original wall, or eight metres with prior approval granted, without needing planning permission. For most other house types (i.e terraced, or semi-detached) the rule is three metres maximum or six with prior approval. The best point of information for guidance on this is your LPA (local planning authority) as they will be able to advise you on the rules based on the location; as different areas can have different Permitted Development limitations.
Planning permission is almost always required for double-storey rear extensions, rear extensions where a different material will be used than what has been used for the current home, rear extensions greater than four metres depth, and rear extensions on listed buildings or homes that fall within a conservation area.
Our team of friendly, professional project managers will be keen to help you to determine your planning permission status once our designers have established the scope of the work to be carried out for your project – it’s what we’re here for.
Building regulations for rear home extensions
While you may or may not need planning permission for your rear extension to go ahead, there are no exceptions to whether or not you’ll need to adhere to building regulations. This criteria is in place to ensure that newly built dwellings are fit for use from a few key standpoints including fire safety, structural stability, electrical and plumbing systems, and damp proofing. Another important factor at this stage is assessing whether you’ll be extending onto a shared wall with a neighbour (party wall), as you’ll need to follow another set of guidelines and apply for planning permission if this is the case.
Why choose a rear extension?
Given the fact that you can carry out a rear extension (in some cases) without obtaining planning permission, they’re an extremely popular solution for homes where there is space for creating a new living area. Some of the other main benefits include:
Increasing living space without moving home
As we’ve already mentioned, a rear extension gives homeowners a way to create more living space, while remaining in their current property. In London, many homeowners are pushed to compromise on space in order to live in a specific area; a rear extension, where there’s viable space to build onto, is a solution for this, while avoiding having to navigate the property market.
Makes use of unused areas
In many cases, a rear extension takes the place of a garden or yard that wasn’t frequently used, turning it into a new, purposeful space in the form of the new building. Some homes have the luxury of being able to give up some of their garden space in order to build a rear extension, while still having some space remaining. For others, it’s simply a way to make use of otherwise unused space.
Ideal for creating open plan living spaces
Many of the rear extensions that have been designed by our architects and built by our construction experts have become open-plan living spaces, and many of these are spacious open-plan living rooms and kitchen/dining areas. This is a popular configuration for rear extensions, as it makes the hub of your home larger, while also making it feel more appealing. It’s also perfect for hosting loved ones, and for use as a multi-purpose space – for example, parents can keep an eye over kids doing homework at the dining table while they prepare meals when a rear extension is used as an open plan kitchen and dining space.
How long does it take to complete a rear extension in London?
The timeframe that our team will provide for your rear extension in London will depend on several factors. Some of these include whether planning permission is required, and if the extension is a single or double storey structure. As a rough estimate, rear extensions on properties in London can take anywhere between 5-10 months.
Book a design consultation with We Love Build, rear extension specialists in London
London Rear Extensions: Increasing Your Living Space