Planning Requirements for Extension

M

MichaelBurke

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We are considering adding an extension/sunroom to our house. Does anyone know up to what size can I get away with before I need to apply for permission?
 
Small scale domestic extensions, including conservatories,
do not require planning permission if the extension is to
the rear of the house and comply with the following:

• the original floor area of the house is not increased by
more than 40 square metres. It is important to note that
where the house has been extended before, the floor
area of the extension you are now proposing and the
floor area of any previous extension, including those for
which you got planning permission, cannot exceed 40
square metres;

• for terraced or semi-detached houses, the floor area of
any extension above ground level does not exceed 12
square metres, this includes any previous extensions
carried out;

• any extension above ground floor level is at least 2m
from any boundary;

• any extension does not exceed the height of the house;

• any extension does not reduce the area of private open
space, reserved for the occupants of the house, to less
than 25 square metres.

There are also rules about the height allowed in such an
extension. These are that:

• if the rear wall of the house does not include a gable, the
height of the walls of the extension must not exceed the
height of the rear wall of the house;
• if the rear wall of the existing house has a gable, the walls
of the extension (excluding any gable being built as part
of the extension) shall not be higher than the side walls
of the house;
• in the case of a flat roofed extension, the height of the
highest part of the roof may not exceed the height of the
eaves or parapet. In any other case, no part of the new
roof may exceed the highest part of the roof of the
house;
• a gable is the upper part of a wall (normally triangular),
between the sloping ends of a pitched roof.
There are also rules about the required distances between
windows in extensions, the facing boundary of the
adjoining property and the use of the roof of the
extension. These are;
• any windows proposed at ground floor level as part of
an extension should not be less than 1 metre from the
boundary they face;
• any windows proposed at above ground level should be
not less than 11 metres from the boundary they face;
• the roof of any such extension should not be used as a​

balcony or roof garden.
 
We've added an extension to our house. It's meets all the critirea above so we didnt need planning permission. However, the solicitor insisted we got an engineer or architect to give a letter certifying that the extension didnt need planning permission before they release the mortgage money. This cost us €363 and the engineer was agast (to say the least) that the solicitor would require a letter from him for such a small amount. Is this normal? we've done no other structural work to the house since we moved in 20+ yrs ago. Do we have a right to challenge the solicitor?

Beckie
 
ok... but is it normal to be "by the book" for a single story extension 10ft x 10 ft. Also, as we have a business in a small town in the midlands, the solicitor would know us well. It's not as if we were strangers off the street. The engineer, a very reputable company, was of the opinion that the solicitor is over the top and adding unnecessary expense.
 
Beckie,

The solicitor was correct in getting an Engineer to sign off the work, this will also cut down on any problems that may arise if you were ever to sell the house in the future. At least now you have a certificate to say that all works carried out were in compliance with the building regs and were exempt of planning.
 
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