Whom to ask if a house for sale can be extended

pieroabcd

Hi,
I've seen a house that fits almost all my requirements, but I need to know if a recess at the first floor can be used to extend a bedroom. The underlying kitchen at the ground floor is a perfect rectangle, so the recess would need to build on top of it.
The kitchen doesn't look like the typical kitchen extension on the garden, but an all in one with the rest of the house.
Whom should I ask to evaluate if it's possible to close the recess? A surveyor, or an engineneer or someone else?

Thanks

Slithery

Can you post some pictures and a floorplan (or just a link to the property)?

There's a few people here who should be able to give you a good idea whther or not it's possible or at least what exectly needs checking.

FreeBear

Anything is possible given a sufficiently large budget...

If there is already a single storey extension, it may be possible to extend upwards. The existing foundations may not be sufficient to support a brick extension, but it might be adequate for a lightweight timber structure - A structural engineer would be able to give you an answer, but he/she would need to do some invasive checks before giving an opinion. Most vendors wouldn't allow for that, so you'd have to wait until you had purchased the place.

Worth checking with the local council to see if they would allow a second storey to be added - If it is a conservation area, listed building, or subject to an Article 4 Direction, your plans may be scuppered before you even start.

AdrianC

The only people who can actively stop you extending it are the local authority.

You do not need to own the property to seek pre-planning advice (usually chargeable) or submit an application.

Mac_70_

What age is the property? Up until a few year's back (can't remember when old age sorry) single storey building only required nine inches of concrete foundations, two storey required twelve inches. 

Some builders being tight fisted did this, especially if it was large and a few of them too do. So you will have to expose the foundation to see its depth, if it's twelve inches then only planning holding you back. 

pieroabcd

The EA Saud that it was built in the 30s.

The ceilings must be 2.50/2.60.

This is the floorplan.

Actually it doesn't totally convince me in terms of accuracy because wherever I knocked I felt bricks, except in the kitchen.

At the moment I'm interested only in closing that recess to turn the boxroom into a real bedroom.

Would it be feasible?

Mac_70_

pieroabcd said:

Would it be feasible?

Expose the foundation in a few places and you will have your answer.

canaldumidi

Is your question related to construction, or consent?

Permission may be dependant on whether it's in a Conservation Area, is a listed building, or whether there are covenants in the Title. And of course normal planning control.

As suggested above, the biggest issue with construction is likely to be the foundations, and whether they are sifficient to support the aditional weight.

Who to ask? Well start by examining the Title (£3 here), potentially speak to a LA Planner, and then make a specific request for information from your surveyor.

seradane

pieroabcd said:

The EA Saud that it was built in the 30s.

The ceilings must be 2.50/2.60.

This is the floorplan.

Actually it doesn't totally convince me in terms of accuracy because wherever I knocked I felt bricks, except in the kitchen.

At the moment I'm interested only in closing that recess to turn the boxroom into a real bedroom.

Would it be feasible?

So if I understand correctly you want to fill in the square between the bathroom and Bed 3.

Biggest issue initially I can see is that adding a new bedroom there will potentially block off any natural light to Bedroom 3. If it's a semi or terrace, so that you can't open up a window to the side, then you won't be able to extend the full width of the back. Instead you would only be able to go 2/3 of the way across, so you could still leave a small window accessing Bed 3.

Unless you mean extending Bed 03 out to the full size of the infill, then that would be feasible.

pieroabcd

I mean to extend bedroom 3. I really don't understand what's the purpose of having a "bedroom" as small as that

bsms1147

Are there any neighbours adjoining that bedroom 3 wall? There may be issues if so in building up to the boundary. The 2nd floor may already go out as far as it can.