Homeowners usually fall into two categories.
The experienced Homeowner / DIYer who buys and sells property and are experienced in extending and converting properties. They usually require planning and building regulation drawings and access to our trade discounts and suppliers. Often they introduce us to trade suppliers of their own which helps us to grow our network.
We then have inexperienced homeowners who possible will undertake two or three extensions in a lifetime. They need help from the initial design stage through to the completion of the build. Our service range has been designed to facilitate their needs and we are here to offer advice and savings at every stage helping to make all important decisions and preventing them from making the most common and expensive mistakes throughout their project.
Many homeowners forget that it is far easier to talk to your neighbours right at the very start when first thinking about an extension to get their initial reaction. Lots of neighbours will say “Just get on with it” that is your perfect result. Getting your neighbours on board should be one of your first jobs, especially if you get on well with them. It is also worth showing them your drawings when they are available so you can show them exactly what you propose to build. Getting them on board makes things so much easier so when your Local Authority writes to them to advise them or your proposed build it comes as no surprise. Also, if your project falls under “The Party Wall Act” you will need to consult with your neighbours so it’s far easier if they are aware of your plans from the offset.
We could spend a lot of time explaining what each of the above does and how important their roles are. We would recommend how important it is to stay away from plan drawers that offer drawings for incredibly low prices as the adage “You pay for what you get” comes to mind.
We as ex-builders and Architectural technicians are changing the rules. We listen to the type of extension you would like to build and for what you would like to use the extra space. We also discuss your proposed budget, so we know how much you want to invest in this improvement. It’s no-good producing designs for your consideration that fall outside your budget. It would be wasting your time and frustrate you as our client.
To help our clients will all this we have created a database of hundreds of our designs from our portfolio and can usually match your personal requirements with our database and we can show you similar designs that may well fulfil your personal requirements. We are now producing 3D visualisations and 3D tours of the designs.
What does this mean to you our client?
Often you can find the right design for your home from within our portfolio and with a few tweaks and amendments, you can see the design right for your home and save on design fees.
If you want a bespoke design we will be happy to produce this after a consultation for your approval. We can bring our designs to life with 3D visualisations and will even advise you of the indicative build cost ensuring our design is within your specified budget.
Once we agree we are happy with your final design, and we are ready to submit your Planning Application or an application to obtain a Certificate of Lawfulness if you are exercising your Permitted Development rights.
We submit your digital application via the government’s Planning Portal. Here the application is registered and you as the homeowner and applicant with receive a request for payment for the planning application to be processed. A planning application for a domestic alteration such as an extension is circa £234 whereas an application under Permitted Development is circa £131 as of July 2022.
Once you make this payment the local authority on receipt of the application will check the application to determine whether it is complete.
A valid application comprises
Once a planning application has been received accompanied by all the necessary information the local authority will send a letter of validation to the homeowner and agent. The Local Planning Authority (LPA) will then start the determining process.
It is only when an application is validated that the clock starts to tick on the eight or thirteen weeks that the Council should take to issue a decision.
Once the application is deemed valid the determination process commences, and the application is placed on the planning register and given an application reference number.
The application file is forwarded to the planning case officer who will start the assessment process by reviewing the file and may raise questions.
Normally, most minor and scale applications should be validated within three to five working days from the date or receipt. Major applications should be validated within ten working days.
Once an application as been validated and registered, the local authority (LPA) will then publicise and consult on it.
All LPAs are required to publish specific information about all planning applications on their websites, for example, the address or the proposed development and when representation must be made.
The LPA will also notify your neighbours if you submit a planning application (Neighbours are not notified if you are exercising your Permitted Development Rights) and or put up a notice on or near the site. In certain cases, applications are also advertised in the local newspaper. This gives the public the opportunity to express views. The parish town council or community council will usually be notified, other bodies such as the country council and the Environmental Agency may also be consulted.
Anyone can comment on your proposals, The relevant LPA will assess the relevant comments and in light of them, may suggest minor changes to the application to overcome difficulties.
This period of time after which the application has been registered and the consideration of the application is underway. The consultations have been sent out and the Planning Case Officer will be undertaking an assessment of the application including a site visit for cases other than householder applications unless assessed otherwise. The officer will be receiving consultation responses including from the Local Council and there may well be negotiations over amendments to plans or the submission of additional information. During this period, interested parties can log in to the Online Planning register and view not only the submission documents but all the consultation and third-party submissions.
It is quite common for the appointed planning officer to only make contact via emails or telephone calls to raise questions with the applicant and or planning agent to consider and make alterations to the application. What is frustrating is often the planning case officers may be so busy with caseloads that they do not consult with the homeowner and or planning agent and may decline an application without this valuable consultation meaning that the application has to be resubmitted. This is frustrating to the applicant as it can add unnecessary time while a resubmission has to be processed. Applicants and or Planning agents have no warning when this is about to happen and have to deal with the situation as it happens. The LPA planning agents have blamed this in the past due to COVID and having to work from home. I am pleased to report that most LPA are now back at work, and they are happy to have this consultation so they can approve the application the first time around.
DETERMINATION / DECISION
Most LPA planning case officers will have decided on the application, and it is quite often that they may on occasions request in writing an extension to the time limit target date as they may be awaiting information from others etc. Sometimes the Planning agent will suggest the same. In most cases the final decision is sent out in writing to the applicant and or planning agent within the eight-week period sometimes it is sent out a little earlier. If an extension of time has been requested then a date is usually agreed upon and achieved.
These discussions can often resolve concerns that the LPA planner may have and can be the difference of an application being approved or declined. As your planning agent, we will be monitoring your application and updating you during this vital eight-week planning period.
The LPA planning case office grants/refuses planning permission by sending the applicant and or planning agent a letter notifying you of their decision.
If on a rare occasion a planning application or permitted development is declined we at the Home Extension Advisory Service will explain your rights to appeal and the process for the appeal.
When building an extension, you will need Building regulation Approval to ensure the works have undertaken meet and comply with the current edition of the Building Regulations.
Right at the start, you need to decide whether to make a “Full Plans” Building Regulation application or submit a “Building Notice.”
With a Building Notice, it is possible to carry out the work without prior approval, but the responsibility of ensuring the work is in full compliance is entirely that of the builder.
If you choose a Full Plans application, you will know from the start that the working drawings have been checked and approved by the building inspector and that the plans fully comply with all of the Building Regulations.
These regulations are comprehensive and quite complex. A Full Plans application would need to include a set of plans that demonstrate to the building inspector that what is being proposed conforms fully to the regulations.
The other advantage of this route is that the approved drawings will show everything the builder will need to know in order to provide a fixed quotation.
These days, you can choose to use either a local authority inspector from your local council and run through Local Authority Building Control (LABC), or an inspector from a government-approved private building inspection company. This is the case for new builds, as well as alterations, extensions, and loft conversions. Approved inspectors are registered with the Construction Industry Council (and must re-register every five years to maintain high standards).
A building inspector appointed through LABC, and an approved inspector will carry out the same duties for a self-builder. They will check plans for compliance when a full plans application is made and carry out site inspections when requested to check work on-site at various stages.
However, only an inspector from your local authority has powers of enforcement, and an approved inspector must hand the project over to the local authority if there are problems with the project that cannot be resolved informally.
Whether you choose public or private, it pays to contact your building control body early. This will give you an idea of the fees that will be involved, which will depend on several factors, including the size of your project and the number of site visits required. You could also get advice on complex aspects of your scheme.
There are usually eight statutory inspections, which have to be made during the course of construction. The inspector will want to make quite a few additional visits as the work proceeds.
At least two days before any work begins, it is a statutory requirement that the building inspector be informed that the work is about to start.
Commencement – This first inspection allows you to meet and discuss your proposals and subsequent course of action with your Building Control Surveyor. This is particularly important for Building Notice applications where no plans have been submitted for approval.
Foundations – Allows ground conditions to be checked to ensure that the foundations are sufficient to carry the load of your proposals. This inspection must take place before the foundation concrete is poured.
Oversite Materials – An inspection will be made before floor areas are concreted or covered to ensure materials and insulation over the site are suitable.
Damp-Proof Courses and Membranes – Wall damp-proof courses, floor damp-proof membranes, and methane barriers are to be inspected prior to covering with brickwork or concrete.
Drainage Alignment and Fall – All new drainage is inspected for alignment prior to covering over, and to ensure adequate access and fall is provided.
Pre-plasterboard – This allows for the inspection of hidden work and is to be carried out prior to plaster-boarding. This will include any structural steelwork and roof construction.
Drain Test – Wherever possible, the new drainage systems should have a water test carried out on them, to check for performance and water tightness.
Prior to Occupation – If you intend to occupy the building prior to completion of the full works, we need to carry out an inspection before occupation.
Completion – Notification is required when the works are completed to allow this inspection to be carried out. If everything is found to be satisfactory, a Completion Certificate will be issued. Ideally, this inspection is carried out before the builder leaves the site.
Providing that each stage of inspection has been notified to the Council, and the Building Control Surveyor is satisfied that the work complies with the Building Regulations, a “Completion Certificate” will be issued. This certificate is your evidence that the work complies with the Building Regulations and is often required for the sale of your property.
If your design requires structural alterations, like the alterations listed below you will need to employ the services of a Structural Engineer. We at the Home Extension Advisory Service will always advise you if the services of a structural engineer will be required and we are happy to go out to structural engineers to obtain competitive estimates. You may wish to approach Structural Engineers for your own estimates for this requirement and we will be happy to send the technical information and drawings to Structural Engineers you wish us to approach.
The Structural Engineers’ job is to work out how the changes to your property will need steel beams and possible steel posts etc to maintain structural stability to your property. His role is to work out and design these steels with diagrams and calculations. This technical information is required to support your building regulation application and all the information will be required by your builder at the early tending stage. If the builder does not have this vital information at the tender stage when providing a quotation their price could increase by thousands of pounds when they are in receipt of this information later on in the proceedings.
When extending an existing property, it is common for clients to want to form wide openings through existing walls. The weight of the structure above the openings can be calculated and appropriately sized steel beams can be introduced, usually supported at the ends on concrete pad stones.
However, on some occasions, particularly where the corner of the existing property is to be removed, the alterations can adversely affect the overall stability of the property. In this instance, it is necessary to maintain stability by the introduction of a steel portal frame which comprises steel posts supporting an upper beam. The beam and post are rigidly connected, and the posts are connected to the existing brickwork on the sides of the opening. The [posts need to be supported on new foundations.
Where internal openings are formed clients frequently do not like to see large piers projecting on each side of the openings. This is particularly common in kitchens where any projections can adversely affect the layout of the kitchen units. To overcome this steel posts can be introduced to reduce the size of the projections and on occasions, the projections can be illuminated altogether by incorporating steel posts within the thickness of the brickwork. However, this is not always possible adjacent to narrow party walls.
It all depends on the work to be undertaken. We at the Home Extension Advisory Service will advise you if you may need the services of a Party Wall Act Surveyor/s. We would advise you to download the Advisory guide to the Party Wall Act using the link provided below.
The Act came into force on 1 July 1997 and applies throughout England and Wales. (The Act does not apply to Scotland or Northern Ireland).
The Act provides a framework for preventing or resolving disputes in relation to party walls, party structures, boundary walls and excavations near neighbouring buildings.
Anyone intending to carry out work (anywhere in England and Wales) of the kinds described in the Act must give Adjoining Owners notice of their intentions. The Act applies even to Crown, government, and local authority-owned property.
Where the intended work is to an existing party wall (section 2 of the Act) notice must be given even where the work will not extend beyond the centre line of a party wall.
Note: A party wall may not necessarily have a boundary running through its centre line for the whole of its length but for only part of its length.
It is often helpful in understanding the principles of the Act if owners think of themselves as joint owners of the whole of a party wall rather than the sole owner of half or part of it.
Adjoining Owners can agree with the Building Owner’s proposals or reach an agreement with the Building Owner on changes in the way the works are to be carried out, in their timing and manner. Where a dispute arises in relation to a new party wall or party fence wall under section 1, and where there is no written consent by the Adjoining Owner within fourteen days to a notice served in relation to an existing structure under section 2 or an excavation under section 6, the Act provides for the matter to be resolved by a surveyor or surveyors in a procedure for the resolution of disputes explained in paragraph 12 of the recommended booklet we advise you to download if you want further information about The Party Wall Act 1996 – using the link below:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/preventing-and-resolving-disputes-in-relation-to-party-walls/the-party-wall-etc-act-1996-explanatory-booklet.
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Email: info@theheas.co.uk
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