Are you wanting to create a new focal point or utilize space within your home, but putting off your dreams with the dread and headaches of planning permission?? Here is a simple guide to home improvements without having to go through the struggle of planning approval process. 

Interior Designs

Starting from within your home, you are free to go as far as your imagination may take you. As long as you keep within the original plans of the house you can build or demolish walls to your heart’s content, either creating an open plan room for living, dining, kitchen or all if you choose, you can also create cosy living space to keep warm in the winter. 

When reinventing the space, you still have to comply with certain regulations and receive approval when it comes changes such as structural and electrical. 

It gives you the chance to make the most of the space within your home. With the help of an interior designer, you can achieve a room which solely represents you. 

Garage Conversions

If parking around your area is a problem and you have a large amount of free room within the footprints of your home, you are free to put it to good use and have a garage built. However, the garage may only be used as a domestic space and not commercial. The garage must not be in front of the side or principal elevation of the home. 

The height of the building cannot exceed 4 meters, no part of the garage can be within 3.5 meters of the boundary of the property grounds if there is a road to the rear of the house.

World heritage sites – areas of natural outstanding beauty, also influence on the rules and regulations of the garage. For instance, if your house is situated within one of these conservation areas, the garage must not be between the house and the boundary of the site. If the garage is built as a solitary building, it cannot exceed being 10 meters square. 

Single-Storey Extensions

Single-storey extensions are another great option for home improvements that you can add to the back and sides of your home. With any changes you make to the building there are regulations you must keep to, in order to avoid having to get planning permission. 

The extension cannot sit in front of the principal elevation (Front of the house) 

The materials used should be similar so that they match or sit nicely with the original materials used with the existing property.  

The extension cannot exceed being 3m in depth and 7m length, it cannot rise above the original house’s height. Its maximum potential height is 4 meters.

Rooflights

Rooflights enable a home to become an open and light area, creating a brighter home without the added cost of electrical installation. Same as single-storey extensions or garages, the roof lights themselves cannot project more than 15cm from the roof slope (they can’t exceed the original height of the roof). If the roof lights extend forward of the roof plane on the elevation fronting a road then they are not permitted.

Materials of a similar sort used of the roof are to be used. Rooflights are not permitted on a building which is located in a “Conservation Area” or an “Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty”. 

The newly installed roof-light cannot be any closer than 0.5 metres from the edges of both the highest and lowest points of the roof. A gap of the same measurement must also be left along both sides of the roof.  

Loft Conversions

With most loft conversions, you do not need planning permission. They fall under your own permitted development rights. However, you will need to get planning permission if your plans exceed certain limits and conditions, such as extending or altering the roof space beyond its current limits. 

These include: 

• The new space should not be larger than 40 cubic meters for terraced and 50 cubic meters for detached/semi-detached properties. The conversion should not extend over the original roof slope at the front of the house. 
• It cannot be extended any higher than the highest point of the existing roof. It should also not include any balconies, raised platforms or any other kind of additional platforms. 

Outdoor Swimming Pools

Who doesn’t love the idea of having their very own outdoor swimming pool?

Following strict rules, you are allowed to have a pool as long as it does not cover more than 50% of your garden.

• The pool cannot cover more than 50% of your garden/land.
• No balconies, verandas or additional raised platforms are allowed, however, the pool can be covered as long as the building is not facing forward and in front of the principal elevation and fronting a road. The building must be single-storey with a maximum height of 2.5 metres. They must sit within a boundary of 2 metres.
• When situated within an area of natural beauty or conservation areas and World Heritage Sites, the regulations change, and the boundaries become smaller and, in most cases, require some sort of planning permission.

Conservatory

Similar to a single-storey extension, the building cannot exceed the highest point of the original building. Excluding the original house, all other buildings combined cannot take over more than 50% of the grounds.

• The edges of the extension cannot exceed the height of the original house, the eaves are no more than 3 metres in height if any part of the extension is built within 2 metres of the property’s boundaries.
• If the plans for the extension adds over 100 square metres of floor plans, it may become liable for a charge from the community Infrastructure Levy (depending on if a charge has been set from the local planning authority)

Semi-detached/terraced houses can make addictions up to 6metres, detached houses can add larger extensions up to 8m, both without planning permission.

Whichever type of home improvements you choose to make, you should look into the regulations that you will have to comply with.

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