Changing the render of the house - planning permission?

tsolrm

I must admit I am having some doubts about this because the information online is very vague about this.

Top bit of our house is rendered with pebbledash (falling off and in general in a terrible condition - leaking into the bedroom) and brick (the side that we are rendering looks horrific due to previous work done to the house where a door was removed) so we are looking to completely render the house in white. We live on a cul de sac so our house will stand out.

Do we need planning permission for this? The company we hired to do this say no - but they would say that.. I understand that improvements to external walls come under permitted planning development but there is a note there about a 'similar look' - the look here won't be similar.

Also am I correct to understand that given the whole house is rendered - building regs do apply?

dimbo61

Speak to your local planing department.
You don't need to give your name/address.
Could you add outside insulation to improve the Energy efficiency ?

user1977

Doubt there is a planning issue if it's not a conservation area or a listed building.

FreeBear

user1977 said: Doubt there is a planning issue if it's not a conservation area or a listed building.

As above, not a planning issue, but... If you are rendering more than 25% of the exterior, then building regs* kick in. If you involve Building Control, they will want to see insulation added to the walls to improve thermal efficiency. Although, there are a couple of cop-outs for this. If the work is not technically or functionally feasible, then it should be upgraded to the best standard that can achieve a payback of less than 15 years (based on the cost of the materials).

If you are adding external wall insulation, drain pipes may well need to be moved and window cills extended. Detailing around windows and roof line is critical so as not look piggin' ugly or allow water to penetrate between the wall & insulation. It is often easier to insulate the walls internally at the expense of losing ~75mm of floor space.

I'm in the process of chipping off pebbledash (waiting on scaffold at the moment), and will be putting a smooth coat on after patching cracks & blown areas. Not going back to brick, nor rendering the lower half, so can avoid involving BC.. Still insulating internally as each room gets refurbished/redecorated..

*) https://www.planningportal.co.uk/permission/common-projects/external-walls/building-regulations

Slinky

FreeBear said:

user1977 said: Doubt there is a planning issue if it's not a conservation area or a listed building.

As above, not a planning issue, but... If you are rendering more than 25% of the exterior, then building regs* kick in. If you involve Building Control, they will want to see insulation added to the walls to improve thermal efficiency. Although, there are a couple of cop-outs for this. If the work is not technically or functionally feasible, then it should be upgraded to the best standard that can achieve a payback of less than 15 years (based on the cost of the materials).

If you are adding external wall insulation, drain pipes may well need to be moved and window cills extended. Detailing around windows and roof line is critical so as not look piggin' ugly or allow water to penetrate between the wall & insulation. It is often easier to insulate the walls internally at the expense of losing ~75mm of floor space.

I'm in the process of chipping off pebbledash (waiting on scaffold at the moment), and will be putting a smooth coat on after patching cracks & blown areas. Not going back to brick, nor rendering the lower half, so can avoid involving BC.. Still insulating internally as each room gets refurbished/redecorated..

*) https://www.planningportal.co.uk/permission/common-projects/external-walls/building-regulations

@FreeBear what happens with the gap between the downstairs ceiling and the upstairs floor? Is there a requirement to insulate between?  We're having trouble finding a cavity wall installer. Building control want us to insulate as we've removed the 1960s concrete tiles to replace with slate and are rendering the brickwork below.

FreeBear

Slinky said: what happens with the gap between the downstairs ceiling and the upstairs floor? Is there a requirement to insulate between?

That is a very good question.... Where the joists run parallel to my walls, I'm dropping the insulation boards down between the gap (it is just over 75mm). Where the joists go into the walls, I'm filling the void with fibreglass loft insulation. As this insulation project only involves the upper half of the building, I'll be leaving the wall next to the staircase for another year. Upper half of the building is solid brick wall, so cold and prone to condensation in places.

Slinky

FreeBear said:

user1977 said: Doubt there is a planning issue if it's not a conservation area or a listed building.

As above, not a planning issue, but... If you are rendering more than 25% of the exterior, then building regs* kick in. If you involve Building Control, they will want to see insulation added to the walls to improve thermal efficiency. Although, there are a couple of cop-outs for this. If the work is not technically or functionally feasible, then it should be upgraded to the best standard that can achieve a payback of less than 15 years (based on the cost of the materials).

If you are adding external wall insulation, drain pipes may well need to be moved and window cills extended. Detailing around windows and roof line is critical so as not look piggin' ugly or allow water to penetrate between the wall & insulation. It is often easier to insulate the walls internally at the expense of losing ~75mm of floor space.

@FreeBear going back to this, can you point me in the direction of the info about payback etc please? I've just calculated the area we are retiling, and it amounts to less than 3.75m2 (14 sqm), plus a bit above first floor ceiling height into the apex of the roof (which we could insulate in the loft if required). I'm wondering if we can get around our problems of trying to find a company interested in insulating such a small area with cavity fill, or messing around with internal insulation, by offering to increase insulation elsewhere in our home as an offset. We have an existing flat roof extension built many years ago which we could upgrade (we intend to anyway in the future, but it's not in the existing plans we have with building control at the moment).

FreeBear

Slinky said:

FreeBear said:

user1977 said: Doubt there is a planning issue if it's not a conservation area or a listed building.

As above, not a planning issue, but... If you are rendering more than 25% of the exterior, then building regs* kick in. If you involve Building Control, they will want to see insulation added to the walls to improve thermal efficiency. Although, there are a couple of cop-outs for this. If the work is not technically or functionally feasible, then it should be upgraded to the best standard that can achieve a payback of less than 15 years (based on the cost of the materials).

If you are adding external wall insulation, drain pipes may well need to be moved and window cills extended. Detailing around windows and roof line is critical so as not look piggin' ugly or allow water to penetrate between the wall & insulation. It is often easier to insulate the walls internally at the expense of losing ~75mm of floor space.

@FreeBear going back to this, can you point me in the direction of the info about payback etc please?

Approved Document L, Conservation of fuel and power, Volume 1: Dwellings (ADL1)

Paragraph 4.13 (page 26)

Note - The document is guidance only, and uses the word "should", not must - Draw your own conclusions