Extending Building Building

Posted by Nobody on April 27, 2009, 2:16 pm

I'm working on a potential extension, and need to know some of the
following.

When building this or even planning this extension what legislations or
hurdles will I have to overcome to make it a reality. (Other than the actual
building of it itself)

I know about:

Building regulation requirement,

And

Planning permission

What else is there.

Any solutions to avoid any possible hurdles would also be welcome.

--
Say: He is Allah, the One and Only; Allah, the Eternal, Absolute; He
begetteth not, nor is He begotten; And there is none like unto Him. (112,
1-4)

Posted by Cwatters on April 27, 2009, 5:14 pm

> I'm working on a potential extension, and need to know some of the
> following.
> When building this or even planning this extension what legislations or
> hurdles will I have to overcome to make it a reality. (Other than the
> actual building of it itself)
> I know about:
> Building regulation requirement,
> And
> Planning permission
> What else is there.
> Any solutions to avoid any possible hurdles would also be welcome.

Reading between the lines I would say you are probably based in the UK like
me. Can I recommend the forum here because the alt.building.construction
newsgroup is mostly USA based...

http://www.ebuild.co.uk/cgi-bin/forums/discus.pl

Planning Permission
================

Planning Permission may not be required. Small extensions are sometimes
possible without PP because they come within "Permitted Development Rights"
See "Extensions" on this site...

http://www.planningportal.gov.uk/england/genpub/en/1115314762582.html

Be aware that PDR are sometimes removed when PP is granted for the original
building or an earlier extension. Check with the local planning office. If
PDR have been removed in the past then PP will be needed and might be harder
to get.

If PP is required for your extension I recommend the book "How to get
Planning Permission" by Roy Speer and others. Try for the most recent
edition you can find as the rules change. Was on Amazon last time I looked.

Planning Guidance
================

Some councils publish Planning Guidance documents which include advice on
local architectural features that should be included or not included. Here
is an example of one councils guidance notes on "Dormer Windows" showing
examples of shapes that are deemed "acceptable" or "unacceptable". Many
other similar documents may exist. Some councils are better than others at
providing such guidance documents..

http://www.bradford.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/C4D6D888-3C8C-4934-A08C-24FD5FFDD708/0/dormer_windows_policy.pdf

Building Regulations
================

This comes after Planning Permission. PP is often seen as a subjective
process where as Building Regulations is much more objective. Once you have
PP it's not normally a problem to get Building Regulations approval.

For large projects you have to make a Building Control Application in
advance of starting work. The Building Control Officer at the council will
want a set of drawings and may request some calculations be done to justify
the design (eg size of beams and lintels) or to demonstrate compliance with
the Building Regulations (eg level of insulation). Once he's happy he grants
permission to start work. For simple projects you can avoid the need for
drawings, file a Building Notice and start work. However this relys on the
builder knowing what he's doing. If not you could find out later that the
BCO wants something taken down and redone so that it meets the regs.

Covenants
============

Check your house deeds because their might be conditions in them that
prevent or restrict what you can build. My garden has a covenant on it that
says I cannot keep pigs.

Choosing a Builder
===============

Seek recommendations, go see work they have done for other people, get three
quotes.

Never just ask how much will it cost to build. Sit down and write a "Request
for Quote". This is typically a list of everything you want done plus a set
of construction drawings (eg typically the drawings done the Building Regs
Approval but can be more detailed). Send the RFQ to three builders. One of
the most common problems people have is with money. They make the mistake of
not getting a detailed written quote then towards the end of the project the
builder says something like... "My quote didn't include laying floor tiles,
painting the walls, disposing of the rubbish or repairing damage to the lawn
etc etc. When you get the quotes back don't just look at the total. Check
they have made the same assumptions. Suppose you told the builder that you
wanted to choose the bathroom suite, check that they have both included the
same amount of money as a place holder. Otherwise you aren't comparing like
with like.

Before you accept a quote agree timescales and payment schedule. Have
someone else check the schedule is reasonable or you can end up having paid
90% of the money with only 50% of the work done. If the builder is a crook
he will dissapear as it's not worth coming back for the last 10%.

That's a bit rushed and I'm out of time. See you on the ebuild forum.

Posted by jloomis on April 27, 2009, 8:14 pm

Planning
Engineering
Drawings
Ideas.....
Money

Posted by RicodJour on April 28, 2009, 9:26 am

ual

> building of it itself)
> I know about:
> Building regulation requirement,
> And
> Planning permission
> What else is there.
> Any solutions to avoid any possible hurdles would also be welcome.

You are asking "what don't I know". You are the only one that can
answer that.

Ask specific questions if you want useful answers.

R

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