5 things you should know before extending your home

Adding living space is more popular than ever, but many people start their extension project without knowing enough about design, the law, construction and planning

Balance your accommodation

Although there are no legal requirements to provide more than one bathroom, it is practical to have at least one full bathroom on the same floor as the main bedrooms. For larger households it helps to have at least one en suite bathroom, ideally to the master bedroom.

If you are extending to add extra bed-rooms, clearly creating the number of bed-rooms needed for the house-hold is the main priority. If at all possible ensure this is balanced by an increase in the number of bath-rooms. Future buyers nowadays expect at least one bathroom and a shower room on a four or five bedroom house and without this the value will be constrained.

Consider adding basement space

If you have an existing cellar you can convert it into living space without using up the volume allocated to you under permitted development rights. Creating basement windows and external access will not usually require planning per-mis-sion either, although it is always worth checking your local authority’s policy on basements. All work must, however, comply with the Building Regula-tions.

Know the party wall act

Your neighbours cannot stop you from build-ing up to, or even on, the boundary between your properties, even if it requires access onto their land (providing you have planning permission to do so, and there are no restrictive covenants).

The Party Wall Act etc. 1996 allows you to carry out work on, or up to, your neighbours’ land and buildings, formalising the arrange-ments while also protecting everyone’s inter-ests. This is not a matter covered by planning or building control.

If your extension involves building or digging foundations within 3m of the boundary, party wall or party wall struc-ture, or digging foun-dations within 6m of a boundary, the work will require you to comply with the Party Wall Act.

Ensure your project is fully protected

Many people don’t know that most home insurance providers will not cover the building if you are changing the structure of the build, for example extending, doing a conversion or renovation.

Builders will often say they have insurance but it is important to check their documents as the majority have liability cover which will require you to prove fault in the event of a claim, which can mean a lengthy legal battles. This may also not cover any natural events claims, such as fire, flood and storm damage.

Renovation insurance is a 'thing' and you must invest in it. This is a single 'all-risks' policy providing both structure and contract works insurance. The policy will cover you for the existing building structure and the contract works in a joint names policy which the employer controls and owns as a first party insured.

Including both structure and contract works insurance, offering you 'all risks' cover and peace of mind throughout the period of works. The cover is purchased on an ad-hoc basis for the period of the project.

Know the building regulations for extensions

Even if you do not need planning permission for your extension, because you are using permitted development rights, you must get building regulation approval.

The building regulations set out minimum requirements for structural integrity, fire safety, energy efficiency, damp proofing, ventilation and other key aspects that ensure a building is safe.

Most repair work is excluded from the Building Regulations, with the exceptions of replacement windows, under--pinning and rewiring. However, apart from certain new buildings such as sheds, outbuildings and some conser-vatories, all new building work, including altera-tions, must comply with the Building Regulations.

Examples include;

1. Home extensions such as for a kitchen, bedroom, lounge, etc.
2. Loft conversions. Internal structural alterations, such as the removal of a load-bearing wall.
3. Installation of baths, showers, WCs which involve new drainage or waste plumbing.
4. Installation of new heating appliances.
5. New chimneys or flues.
6. Altered openings for new windows.

Milly Oddie

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