Home Upgrades That Don’t Need Planning Permission
What if we tell you that you can carry out many home upgrades without having to worry about what is or what is not permitted by the planning council? Let’s discuss home upgrades that can be carried out without the hassle of planning permission.
When building a house, how often do you remain worry-free and not think about the repercussions that could befall you from the planning council? Not often, right? But what if there are loopholes in planning permission you can exploit? Yes, there are many renovations and home upgrades that are considered permitted development. In fact, you would be surprised to know that you can even plan and build an extension or a loft conversion, and you won’t have to crumble down under the thought of paying heed to planning permission. All you need to do is understand how much is permitted development for your plan and you won’t have to drop a sweat to bring it to fruition. Here are 11 useful home upgrades you can make without the need to apply for planning permission.
Most loft conversions can be done under permitted development and is one of the most efficient and cost-effective ways to expand your existing footprint. Especially when it’s a compact home, loft conversions are an excellent option as the space to expand is limited yet makes for a good habitable living area.
The reason why a loft conversion may not often require planning permission is because most loft conversion works are done internally, which are unlikely to cause any significant impact on surrounding areas or neighbouring properties.
Ensure the following for a loft conversion building without planning permission –
- The total area of the additional loft space should not go beyond 40 cubic metres for terraced houses and should not exceed 50 cubic metres for semi-detached or detached houses.
- If the converted loft height does not exceed the highest part of the existing roof, then you may not require planning permission.
- If you are installing a dormer, make sure you install it at the rear or side elevation and not on the front elevation facing a road.
- If the loft conversion has a side elevation, then the windows must be obscure. If they are openable windows, then their height should be 1.7m above the internal floor level.
- Materials to be used on the exterior of the new loft space should be similar in appearance to the existing house.
Like loft conversions, some single-storey extensions also fall under permitted development limits, provided they are planned and built according to the stipulated permitted rules.
The bonus is that you can either plan a rear extension or a side extension and take complete advantage of the permitted development rights.
- For rear extensions, you can extend up to 4m from the original property for detached homes and 3m for semi-detached and terraced properties.
- If you are planning a side extension, you can extend up to 50% of the width of your existing house.
- The height of the extension can go up to 4m for both rear and side extensions and not beyond that.
- If you plan for large-scale extensions that go up to 6m and 8m, then you have to get prior approval.
- Materials used for extensions should be similar to those used in the existing house.
Mind you, this is only a conversion and not an extension. Extending a garage building is not permitted development.
However, if you are only converting your garage space into a habitable area such as a home office, a guest room, or even as another living room which involve works only in the interiors, you will then not require planning permission.
4. Installing Solar Panels
This is an easy one. With the government’s push to reduce carbon emissions and more initiatives driven towards sustainability and energy efficiency, homeowners are more than welcome to install solar panels without the need to apply for planning permission. However, the installations should not extend more than 200mm beyond the roof plane.
5. Internal Renovations
If you are planning to extend your kitchen to make it an open-plan one, there is a great chance it could happen without you requiring planning permission, provided you do not remove or replace a load-bearing wall, a chimney, or a beam.
Adding an ensuite to your bedroom usually will not warrant planning permission.
Replacing fixtures of a bathroom or kitchen too can be carried out without the need for planning permission.
6. Adding a Porch
When we talk about useful things, a porch is one of them. A porch can add great value to your house in the form of a wet room, a boot room, or any utility. The only thing to be wary of is that it should be 2m away from any nearing boundary (neighbouring or a highway) and should not be more than 3m in height.
7. Installing Rooflights and Velux Windows
Rooflights and velux windows are a great way to welcome ample natural light inside your home. They are usually covered within permitted development unless they exceed 150mm or go beyond the highest part of the roof.
For velux roof windows, side-facing windows must be obscure-glazed and non-openable unless they are 1.7m above the floor level.
8. External Cladding
Permitted development gives you the right to replace, repair, or furnish the exterior cladding of your house provided there is a similarity in appearance between the new and original cladding.
9. Insulation
Adding insulation is considered as internal work, which means it doesn’t affect any region (neighbouring or the road) surrounding it. The only thing that can affect the chances of planning permission is when a layer of thermal coating is applied that goes on to alter the appearance of the building.
10. Outbuilding
Under permitted development rights, you can build outbuildings like garages, garden sheds, summerhouses, swimming pool, a home office, gym or even a poultry or livestock for domestic purposes.
The clause is that the outbuilding should not exceed 50% of the total curtilage area. Another permitted development restriction is the height, which should be under 4m for dual pitched roof and 3m for other roofs.
Outbuildings need to only be a single-storey building whose eaves height should not exceed 2.5m.
11. Replace or Upgrade Windows
You can always choose to replace or remodify your windows to improve their energy efficiency, enable more ventilation, or allow more natural light, provided the appearance of the house is not altered by the addition of substitution of any materials.
If you plan to replace or upgrade your side windows, make sure they are obscured glazing.
Conclusion
Building without planning permission is not as complex as we may think. Besides finding the loopholes in planning permission, careful considerations and understanding of permitted development will help you do away with the hassles of running into planning permission. This will not only save you building costs and the costs associated with miscellaneous works, but it will also save you significant time and energy.
A very important element to note is that if your house is in a conservation area or is a listed building, you have no choice but to seek the permission of the planning authority regardless of the scale of the upgrade.
If you are unsure whether certain works fall under permitted development rights or not, do not worry. Apart from being specialists in extensions and conversions, we at Extension Architecture offer expert advice and guidance on all types of planning issues, including building regulations, to help you sail a hassle-free journey when embarking on a project.
