Building Regulations Article

Darren was recently invited by Ideal Home Magazine to share his expert advice about meeting building regulations for an extension. His article covers which building regulations might apply to extensions, if you might need just a building notice or full planning application, if it is possible to build an extension without building regulations and what other permissions you might need for building an extension.

Which Building Regs apply to extensions?

Building Regulations are need for all building work, these are legally binding requirements that ensure all construction work meets regulatory standards for safety, energy efficiency and accessibility and is fit for purpose.

Depending on the scope of the extension you might need to get Planning Permission before you start work. This applies if the project is a significant addition or alternation, it affects the external appearance or if the property is listed or in a conservation area.

Permitted Development is often an option for smaller extensions that meet specific criteria and don’t need Planning Permission. These are usually minor changes like adding a small conservatory or extending a kitchen. However, this can vary depending on the location and type of property so it is always best to double check with your local authority before you start work.

If you live in a terrace property, or want to build onto a neighbour’s adjoining wall, you will need to get a Party Wall Agreement in place. This ensures that both you and your neighbour are aware of and agree to the work, protecting both parties’ interests and addressing any potential disputes.

Do you need a Building Notice or full plans application?

This largely depends on the complexity of a scheme. For a larger, more arduous project we would always suggest you apply for a full planning application, as this route is a more detailed approach. As part of the submission, you include full architectural drawings, specifications and other documentation specific to the scheme. This careful approach ensures everything is pre-approved, reducing any risk of potential issues or costly changes later on in the build.

Building Notice is a simplified route, with only the essential details getting submitted. This can allow for flexibility during the build and can allow you to get started onsite quicker. However, during the construction phase the Building Control Officers would regularly conduct on-site inspections and recommendations which could involve additional unexpected changes as there are no set detailed plans in place. This route can work well for smaller, less complex projects.

Is it possible to build an extension without Building Regs?

No, it might be possible to build an extension without planning permission but not without building regulations as these are legal binding requirement in place to ensure the construction work meets regulatory standards and the building and fixtures are fit for purpose.

Building regulations apply to almost all types of building work, from small porches, a loft conversion or a large rear extension, they all must meet the minimum standards. If you go ahead without these necessary approvals in place, your local council could require you to remove it, or rebuild it to the meet the standards, it would also complicate a future sale of your property.

What other permissions or approvals do you need to build an extension?

Depending on the work needed and the property you are extending, there might be some other approvals you need to get in place before starting work.

When working on a listed building, any alterations—including extensions—require Listed Building Consent from the local planning authority. Listed buildings are protected for their historical and architectural significance, and any changes need to preserve their integrity. Doing work without this consent can lead to serious consequences, including fines or criminal charges.

If you don’t own the freehold of the property, such as in a leasehold arrangement, you must get Freehold Consent from the freeholder or landlord to clarify everything before proceeding with the extension. Lease agreements can have clauses that restrict modifications, so it’s crucial to carefully review the lease. This consent ensures you are legally allowed to make changes to the property, including building or extending.

A Party Wall Agreements are needed when the work involves a shared wall, fence or structure, often found with terrace or semi-detached properties. This agreement outlines how the work will be carried out, including when access is required and any potential impacts on the neighbour’s property. It protects both parties and can help avoid future disputes. If there’s no agreement in place and work starts, you may face legal action, especially if the work causes damage or encroachment on the neighbouring property.

Finally, we would always recommend using approved building inspectors for your project, as we often find this route is quicker, easier and better value for money.

 

The full article can be found here, or get in touch if you want to speak to the team directly about your extension project.

April Practice Update

With the start of the second quarter we wanted to take an opportunity to briefly share a practice update some of our project news,  thoughts and advice.

Regency Villa Starts Onsite

Work has started on the Regency Villa, a Grade II Listed townhouse in central Southampton. Our design will sympathetically refurbish,extend and reimagine this beautiful period property, to create a wonderful family home.

The four-storey listed townhouse had previously been subdivided into a House of Multiple Occupancy (HMO), our project strips back the modern and out of place additions, to restore the home back into a a stunning single dwelling.

The design will deliver a scheme that enhances the rich, historic personality of the original dwelling, upgrading the energy efficiency of the property, to create a functional and joyful home for the owners and their young family.

You can find full project details here.

How to Start a Self-Build Project.

If you are thinking of starting a self-build project, we understand that it can often feel daunting.

The team here at Studio BAD have over 50 years’ collective architectural experience, designing self-build houses and extensions. We are perfectly placed to help you understand the process and have recently answered some key FAQ’s on this topic to help you get your project started.

You can read the full article here.

Planning secured in National Park

We are thrilled to have secured planning for The Granary, a beautiful heritage building set within the New Forest National Park, and also located within listed building curtilage.

The interesting scheme converts and infills an existing open carport space. Our design has places an emphasis on celebrating the original character of the building, highlighted through contemporary interventions.

You can find full project details here.

 

To join our mailing list for monthly practice updates, please contact us directly at darren@studiobad.co.uk

Difference between a renovation and a retrofit?

Homebuilding & Renovating Magazine have once again asked Darren to share his knowledge with their readers. This month the article looks at explaining retrofits and renovations, which can be found in their April edition of the publication. Here we share his thoughts on the topic, if you have any more questions about this topic get in touch with the team today.

What is the difference between a renovation and a retrofit?

When it comes to renovating or upgrading an existing building, the terms renovation and retrofitting are often used interchangeably, but they refer to two distinct approaches. These processes may overlap, but it is important to understanding the key differences.

A renovation typically refers to making good what is already there, this type of work focuses on repairing or restoring a property back to the original condition. This is often part of the scope of work when working on period properties, to restore the property back to its original condition which might have been lost over time and neglect.

Retrofitting is about making updates that improve the performance of a structure, often in terms of energy efficiency, sustainability, and modern functionality. It’s the process of enhancing the existing structure with modern technologies and systems without altering its fundamental character or appearance. For example, this might typically include replacing single glazed windows with energy efficient double or triple glazing, adding insulation to walls or the roof to improve thermal performance or switching to renewable energy systems like solar panels or an air-source heat pump.

How do I start my self-build project?

Thinking about starting a new project, but not sure where to start?

If you are thinking of starting a self-build project, we understand that it can often feel daunting and you might not quite know where to begin. The team here at Studio BAD have over 50 years’ collective architectural experience designing self-build houses and extensions; we are perfectly placed to help you understand the process a little deeper to ensure you get your project started on the right foot.

Here we sharing some of the most FAQ’s we get from clients at the start of the process, but do get in touch if you have any further questions that we have not covered here.

 

How do I find a suitable plot of land or property?

If you don’t already have a property that you are looking to transform, then this is a good starting point. This is not always an easy process to find a suitable site, if you haven’t already we would suggest you narrow down your geographical search area and use online databases (for plots of land you can use PlotBrowser). It can also help to get friendly with local estate agents, to help you find that perfect site that can be transformed to perfectly suit you.

Ideally don’t buy any land before you have planning approval in place. Once you have found a potential site, this is a good time to speak with an architect or specialist planning consultant. This gives you an opportunity to check for any restrictions which might impinge on your vision, and arrange to a purchase subject to planning approval.

How much will a self build cost?

Before you commit to buying any property or land, and before you engage with architects too deeply, it is wise to put a realistic budget together on what you have to deliver your project. A very rough guide for a standard domestic construction can cost anywhere between £2,500 and £5,000 + per square meter, depending on the work involved, the level of the finish, complication of the scheme and the quality of the finished fixtures.

Do remember to keep around 15 – 20% in the budget for contingency. This is essential for any unexpected issues, even with the most well experienced team there will be some surprises along the way, especially when working with an existing property.

 

How do I design a house?

Once you have your site and budget sorted, it is now time to think properly about what you want to achieve. Obviously, it is good to understand the practical needs of the property, such as number of bedrooms, bathrooms and if you need any space to work from.

We would also suggest you think about how you want to live, and how this might adapt over time. For example, do you like open plan kitchens that form a social hub of the house, or do you prefer keeping the kitchen mess out of sight from the rest of the home? If you have children, it is worth planning for their evolving needs; a home suitable for living with a toddler is very different to living with a teenager. A good design should build in flexibility, so the property can support your needs easily as they change over time.

The better idea you have of what you want to achieve, the easier the design process will be. If you are not sure exactly what you want the end result to be, we would strongly suggest you take some time to consider this properly, as otherwise it can create a long and costly design process to get to a point you are comfortable with.

Do I need to work with an architect?

Although you don’t technically need to work with an architect, we strongly advise that you do for most projects. If the scheme is quite simple to explain and doesn’t need high degree of design work, then you might be able to work directly with a skilled contractor and get results you are happy with.

If your vision is more complex, either looking to design a new home or reimagine an existing property, the years of training an architect undertakes can ensure we can get the most from the design, increasing the value of the property in terms of personal value and monetary value. An architect can unlock the potential of a property, or site, to create a home that perfectly fits your needs and maximises the potential of its setting.

When looking for an architect we believe it is important to look for a team who have relevant experience to your project. For example, if you are looking to add a basement extension or are working on a listed heritage building (read more about working on listed building here), it is best if you can work with a team who already have completed experience of these complex projects.

As designing your dream home can be an emotional project, it is important that you actually like and enjoy working with your architect! We would always advise you to work with someone who’s design work you admire, but also that you want to spend the next 6 / 12 months talking to.

 

What other benefits are there of working with an architect?  

Architects don’t just help create a beautifully designed homes and buildings, there is so much more that they can do to support your self-build project to make the process easier at each step.

During the planning process an experienced architectural team can help guide you, this is especially important if there should be any issues or objections to the application. The designs might need to be revised, or the application might be taken to planning appeal and then the architectural team will be able to systematically approach this to help achieve a positive outcome.

Architects’ co-ordinate other professionals needed on your project, such as the structural engineers, party wall surveyors and building control, ensuring all aspects of design are brought together and the design meets with building regulations and local restrictions.

At the tender process your architect can help you to reviewing contractor quotes, to check all aspects of the build are included as you might expect, to help you understand which option might be the best fit for you and your project.

Throughout the onsite construction stages having an architect involved can be hugely beneficial. By closely collaborating with your contractor, they can check the build is progressing in line with the design, to make sure the finished product turns out just as you imagined it. Additionally, they can be help to deal with any unexpected changes which often happen during a build, helping to quickly resolve design complications or material changes, so the end design is still in line with the concept designs.

 

If you are looking to start a self build project get in touch to see how we can help, at Studio BAD we are a talented team that are as excited in your project as you are.

How we secured planning for The Granary

Last month we finally secured planning for the plans to amend The Granary in the New Forest, we often find planning isn’t difficult to secure for our clients however this project was a little harder to achieve due to its setting within listed building curtilage (it is a heritage asset not listed building status itself). We felt it might be an interesting tale to share, to show the importance design, perseverance and communications can have on a project.

From the onset we knew it might be a tricky scheme to get over the line, as pervious planning applications had stated that the retention of the open bays on the ground level were essential as an intrinsic aspect to the character of the building. However, from investigating the project, working with planning specialists and talking to the local neighbours and council members, we felt we might be able to design something that everyone could agree on.

The property itself does not have an individual listed status, but the building is set within the curtilage of a grade II listed farmhouse and barn, which had to be taken into consideration when preparing the design within the sensitive site. You can read more about working on listed and heritage buildings here.

Our careful design introduced glazing to create an infill to two of the open bay sections, to create a larger living and kitchen space on the ground floor and allowing for an additional bedroom to be created on the first floor. The glazing highlighted the change as a modern addition, preserving the character and appearance of the original scheme.

The initial planning permission refusal was going to be refused, based on the conservation officers concern over the impact this work would have on the character and appearance of the property. We reviewed the comments and refined our design, removing aspects like a Juliette balcony on the first floor and changing the roof light on the side extension to be flush to reduce its visual impact.

Unfortunately, this modified design proposal was still going to be refused, so we took it to a committee where members of the Council took their vote and the permission was granted having won by majority. Taking this route was not an option we take lightly, as we respect the planning department especially in terms of preserving our architectural heritage, but we felt this design had carefully worked with the existing building and would not be detrimental to the heritage of the building. The changes would also allow the owners to stay in the home they loved, rather than out growing the two-bedroom property and having to move.

Alongside working this design work, we also worked to speak to the local council, local authority and neighbours to garner their thoughts and approval of the scheme. The neighbours were actively supportive of the scheme throughout the process, some even spoke at the committee meeting in favour of the plans. This pro-active dialogue with authorities was vital at the planning post-submission stage, to show the sympathetic design was essential for the owners and was approved by those local to the site.

Get in touch if you have a heritage or listed project you might need help achieving planning on.

Solent University Collaboration

We are really excited to have teamed up with Solent University and Mettricks, collaborating on a project for the second year graphics students at the University which looks at ways to help reposition the city.

Background:
Southampton is a city rich in culture from both the past and present. There is so much to love from the architecture to the music, to the food – there’s nowhere quite like it. Although not everyone thinks this way, and we want to show them Southampton is a place to be proud of!

Challenge:
Looking at ways to help reposition Southampton away from its current perceived image; to make it relevant to its current residents and visitors. The project is to create a poster campaign that showcases the cities creativity and culture, to make it somewhere we can all be proud to belong to.

The work will focuse on key areas of the city, including: Arrival/Departure (the docks, train station, airport), Nature, Heritage, Literature, Sport, Music, Theatre, Art.

We cannot wait to see the results from this inspiring work later this year.