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Why are extensions are needed?
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Larger ground floor area
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Extra bedrooms
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Family growing
Does a house extension add value to my property?
An extension could add up to around 10 or 20% per cent to the worth of your home
Do I need planning permission for my garage conversion?
An addition or extension to your house* is generally considered to be permitted development. So you won’t need to go through the additional hassle of getting planning permission as long as:
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Your extension is no more than half the area of land around the original house (curtilage). The “original house” is seen as it was in 1948; after this date how it was newly built
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Your extension is not forward of the principal elevation or side elevation onto a highway
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Your extension is not higher than the highest part of the roof
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In the case of single storey extensions, it must not extend beyond the rear wall of the original house by more than eight metres for a detached house, or more then six metres for any other house
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The maximum height of your single-storey rear extension is not higher than four metres
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Extensions of more than one storey do not extend beyond the rear wall of the original house by more than three metres
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Side extensions are single storey with maximum height of four metres and width no more than half that of the original house
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Two-storey extensions are no closer than seven metres to rear boundary
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The materials are similar in appearance to the existing house
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Your extension does not include verandas, balconies or raised platforms
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Any upper-floor, side-facing windows are obscure-glazed; any opening is 1.7m above the floor
Conservatories are categorised as the same as any other extension, as set out above.
*Different rules apply to flats and maisonettes.
There are also different planning restrictions for designated areas such as Conservation Areas and if your property is listed. So check with your Local Planning Authority
Building Regulations
You might not need planning permission if you come under the permitted developments but you will always require building regulations approval. This means submitting a building notice to the local authorities beforehand. This is the standard procedure and usually the case for garage conversions. The construction work can still proceed and a building inspector will come around at different phases of the project and approve the work that is being carried out. As we are professional and confident builders and deal with these inspections on a regular basis you have nothing to be concerned about, as we project manage all aspects of each phase of the on-going building work as it progresses through to completion.
Once all the work is completed and to a satisfactory level, then the building inspector will issue a completion certificate.
If your house resides in a conservation area or the building is a listed property, or has some kind of a covenant attached to the building, then it's most likely that you may need planning permission. If you're unsure whether or not your home is situated in a conservation area, please check and discuss this with your local authorities and request details if necessary..
Designing an extension
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Finding an architect
Depending on the scale of the project, you may wish to involve an architect. There’s no law saying you need to use an architect, even for large renovations and builds, but some people find it easier to have a professional draw up the designs. Using an architect will generally mean you’ll get a better end result, however their fees are usually around 15%, so you’ll need to factor this into your budget.​
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Obtaining structural engineer calculations
A structural engineer can also provide technical drawings and calculations which can be used to seek Building Regulation approval and will then be used by your building contractor and/or architect during the renovation work.
Foundations
Foundations are required to transmit the load of the building safely to the ground. Therefore, all buildings should have adequate foundations (normally concrete), which will vary from one project to another depending on the circumstances of each case.
These foundations can be cast as deep-fill (filling most of the trench) or shallow-fill (where the minimum thickness to transfer the load to the soil is provided).
There are other types of foundations that may be used if the ground conditions do not make trench fill practicable. It is advisable to contact a structural engineer or speak to building control for further advice.
Factors to be taken into account of when designing a foundation:
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Type of soil
The type of soil that the foundation will sit on is important for two reasons:
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it should be able to bear the weight (load) of the foundation and the extension - different soils have different load bearing capabilities.
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the way it reacts to variations in moisture content (such as in prolonged rainy or dry seasons) can lead to the soil expanding or contracting. This is a particular issue with some clay soils. These changes mainly occur up to a certain depth (typically about 0.75m) therefore foundations should be made deeper so they are not affected by ground movement (although see "Trees" below).
Adjacent structures
It is important to ensure that the excavation for the new foundation does not undermine adjacent structures. In general it is good practice to excavate at least to the same depth as the bottom of the foundation to the adjacent building. If the excavation runs alongside an existing footing then care will be needed - for example, by excavating and concreting the foundation in shorter sections to avoid undermining a whole length of an adjacent structure (see also guidance on the The Party Wall etc. Act 1996).
Trees
Trees will draw moisture from the ground around them and beyond through their root system. As moisture is drawn from the ground it will have a tendency to shrink. How much the ground will shrink will depend on the following factors:
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Type of soil - Clay soils shrink more than other types of soil. Therefore excessive movement of the ground could cause damage to the foundation and the structure it supports.
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Size and type of tree - How large a tree or shrub will grow (its mature height), and the tree type will determine how much moisture it generally draws from the ground.
The presence of trees in clay soil areas can mean foundations need to be significantly deeper than might be first expected, although if the trees are far enough away, there may be no impact. Note: If existing trees are removed or significantly reduced in size, all or some of the moisture in the root system will be released over time into the soil and, if the soil is clay for example, could cause swelling of the soil and damage to nearby foundations and structure(s) supported.
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Drains and sewers
As the weight (load) from the foundation of a building is transferred to the soil it spreads downwards outside the footprint of the foundation at a typical angle of 45 degrees. If a drain or sewer is within the area covered by that 45 degrees area there is a risk that it could be affected by the load from the foundation and possibly crack. Therefore, the foundation excavation should normally be at least to the same depth as the bottom (invert) of the deepest part of the drain, sewer or its trench.
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Size and construction of new building
The foundation will need to support more weight (load) from a two storey building compared to a single storey. This has a significant factor in determining design, particularly in respect of its depth and width. This is directly related to the bearing capacity of the soil supporting it. The width of the foundation is also governed by the wall thickness.
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Ground condition
Generally the topsoil is taken away and good undisturbed ground is found i.e. ground that has not been built on. In some cases there are areas which have previously been backfilled, such as above where drains have been laid or to level a site, which consist generally of soft, mixed soil with foreign objects. The foundation can not be poured until undisturbed ground has been found.
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Landfill sites
Some properties have been constructed on landfill sites which may require a more extensive form of foundation like piling as the depth of undisturbed ground could be many metres deep. An alternative may be a "raft" foundation. A structural engineer will be able to advise you further.
For health and safety reasons, care should be taken when working in trenches due to the risk of collapse causing potentially serious injury.
Fire precautions
When you are investing this kind of money into your home it's a very good idea and opportunity to review and upgrade the fire precautions that you currently have set in place, and the future alarm set-up. Smoke detection, mains operated alarm systems can unquestionably offer significant improvements to fire safety within your home. Also building regulations will require alarms to be fitted when integral garages are changed to a habitable environment.
This website Local Authority Building Control has some good sound information regarding the building regulations that affect garage conversions.in England.
Also this is a link for Milton Keynes Council Building Regulations Extensions.
A full plan of application or building notice will need to be issued to your local building control department, They will in turn register your conversion and carry out various inspections throughout the building process. On completion you will be issued with a final certificate of completion for your project.
Call Luxe Conversions for a FREE Consultation and FREE Quotation
01908 886634
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Some other things to consider
Home insurance
Do I need to tell Insurance about extension?
If you are planning to project manage the extension by yourself, then I would say that this is definitely a must. Phone them and arrange for the appropriate insurance for your type of conversion. If you fail to inform them about your intentions, and any loss or damage that occurs while the building work is being done, then your standard and current home insurance might not cover certain attributes while your garage conversion is being completed and going through the necessary steps.
It's also worth mentioning that you need to instruct your current insurance company that you are in the process of building an extension as it could void your main policy also because your original policy is based on the main structure and not any additions or structural changes. Just give them a call and explain the situation letting them know about your intentions and property renovations. A lot of property owners fail to do this and would be upset to learn that their property is not insured. Please don’t let this be you and phone your insurers to make the amendments.
Luxe Conversions Working Procedure
After you have contacted us, we will book you in for a free home visit and consultation. Here we can meet and discuss your garage conversion requirements and find the best and most cost-effective solution that we can build for you. Also on this initial visit, we will perform some calculations of your garage space and listen to your ideas on what you would like to achieve with your conversion project.
After gleaning all this important information from our consultation we will move forward and prepare a quotation for your approval. Once you have viewed an accepted our detailed quotation we can arrange another visit to make sure that you are familiar with everything about our quote and understand the cost and exactly what you will be getting for your money with us. Our quotations and pricing are always transparent and easy to understand. We like to be upfront with our clients and we will never just go ahead and do something without their full approval,
Once a reasonable timeframe is agreed upon and the extension work commences, our professional builders will come and introduce themselves and start your project. It's always a good idea to inform your neighbours about the work you are having done, just out of politeness, it keeps everyone happy during the building process.​
How our Extensions are built
Any extension building project will usually follow these series of events. Here are those events simplified into an easy list. As always, it will of course all depend on the actual type of extension that you require
1) Obtain the architectural drawings approval from your particular local authorities
2) Remove existing buildings or earthworks
3) Build the new foundations
4) Install any drainage and utilities
5) Install floor insulation where applicable
7) Build walls up to damp course
8) Construct ground floor slab
9) Finish building external cavity walls
10) Construct the new roof
11) Install first stages of plumbing and electrics
12) At this stage walls can be plastered and floorboards can be fitted
13) Completion of all the finishing touches, kitchens, bathrooms, decoration
14) Remove all excess building materials and any excess debris
FREE Project Management
If you are interested in having a garage conversion completed on your property, then it always pays to have it project managed as part of the process, as this can be important to the overall success.
You can be rest assured with Luxe Conversions as we include our own project management that is inclusive for every conversion, extension, new build or renovation work that is completed on your premises. The great news is that this service is FREE and included in the overall price.
Our FREE project management looks after each of the building phases as they progress. This ensures your conversion runs smooth and efficient from beginning to end. Any unexpected problems will be attended to by your manager and any concerns that you may have will be answered and addressed by them.
Your project manager will manage and take care of all the professional tradesmen, such as bricklayers, carpenters, qualified electricians, plumbers, tiling work and plasterers and coordinate their activities as the building work goes ahead.
This is also simple for you as a customer, as you only need to deal with is your dedicated project manager from the start, and along the way to the handover of your garage conversion.
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For a Free Consultation, friendly advice and a transparent easy to understand Quotation