Suggestions and guidance for extension

projectextension

Hello experts,
I am looking to add a bedroom and shower room on the ground floor (due to health condition and so attic is not an option). Hopefully this is the first and last time I am undertaking such project and so have very limited knowledge.
Please can I get help with:
- Do you think more than 3m extension can be approved for a 1990’s built small terraced home? (Kingston upon Thames council).
- Ideas of the best way to get a bedroom with shower room on ground floor. Options are: convert kitchen into bedroom with shower room and move kitchen/dining to extension. Extend to create new bedroom with shower room. In both cases the downstairs wc is gone. I suspect first option will be a lot costlier than the later but the later will make living room ‘dark’ due to lack of direct light.
- I know that the cost varies but what ballpark are we talking about for both these options.

Here is the floor plan:

Bigphil1474

Have a look at permitted development. Looking at that plan, you could put a single storey extension on up to 3 metres from the house and not require planning permission. A lot less hassle than having to get planning permission.

Your idea of having the kitchen diner in the extension and converting kitchen makes sense. The basic extension build might be in the region of £35 - £45k,  for 15 m2 , but the finish and converting the rest will be a lot more. 

Have you considered stair lift or through floor lift as an alternative? A lot cheaper and you may be eligible for a disabled facilities grant from your local council if you meet their criteria.

lincroft1710

Converting the kitchen will leave you with a rather small bedroom, if you want to install a proper shower room. As you have a GF WC, could you not just add a shower cubicle into the proposed bedroom. You could create a single living/dining/ kitchen space with the kitchen part in the existing building and the living/dining in the new extension with full width/height opening glazed doors into the garden and rooflights.


Putting the bed/shower in the proposed extension would render the property virtually unsaleable if you ended up with the main living space having little or no natural light


Personally I would move to somewhere more suitable but I appreciate this isn't always possible

Herzlos

Are other people still going to be using upstairs regularly?

The reason I ask is that it's potentially going to be cheaper and less hassle to sell the house as-is and buy a suitable ground floor flat instead that's already set up for whoever has the health issues.

I had a neighbour do pretty much what you're doing and she spent a fortune but lives alone so the upstairs is pretty much never used now.


If you want to stay there, can you move the reception room upstairs and split that into a bedroom/wet room?
If not, then you shouldn't have much problem adding a 3m single story extension out the back.

What's the access like for builders?

projectextension

Bigphil1474 said:

Have a look at permitted development. Looking at that plan, you could put a single storey extension on up to 3 metres from the house and not require planning permission. A lot less hassle than having to get planning permission.

Your idea of having the kitchen diner in the extension and converting kitchen makes sense. The basic extension build might be in the region of £35 - £45k,  for 15 m2 , but the finish and converting the rest will be a lot more. 

Have you considered stair lift or through floor lift as an alternative? A lot cheaper and you may be eligible for a disabled facilities grant from your local council if you meet their criteria.

Thank you for your response and the rough cost for extension. The extra space is for guests since we have several ageing folks staying with us every now and then.

projectextension

lincroft1710 said:

Converting the kitchen will leave you with a rather small bedroom, if you want to install a proper shower room. As you have a GF WC, could you not just add a shower cubicle into the proposed bedroom. You could create a single living/dining/ kitchen space with the kitchen part in the existing building and the living/dining in the new extension with full width/height opening glazed doors into the garden and rooflights.


Putting the bed/shower in the proposed extension would render the property virtually unsaleable if you ended up with the main living space having little or no natural light


Personally I would move to somewhere more suitable but I appreciate this isn't always possible

Thank you for the great suggestion. Living room with dimension of 15'x9' (3m extension) will be very small. Do you think there is a potential to get permission for a bigger extension?

We have recently bought the house and very happy with it. The extra space is for guests since we have several ageing folks staying with us every now and then.

projectextension

Herzlos said:

Are other people still going to be using upstairs regularly?

The reason I ask is that it's potentially going to be cheaper and less hassle to sell the house as-is and buy a suitable ground floor flat instead that's already set up for whoever has the health issues.

I had a neighbour do pretty much what you're doing and she spent a fortune but lives alone so the upstairs is pretty much never used now.


If you want to stay there, can you move the reception room upstairs and split that into a bedroom/wet room?
If not, then you shouldn't have much problem adding a 3m single story extension out the back.

What's the access like for builders?

Thank you for your response. Yes, upstairs will be fully used. The extra space is for guests since we have several ageing folks staying with us every now and then.

I would prefer to keep the reception, kitchen/dining on the ground floor.

The house is terraced and the only way for builders to access the backyard is through the house.

Section62

Bigphil1474 said:

Have a look at permitted development. Looking at that plan, you could put a single storey extension on up to 3 metres from the house and not require planning permission. A lot less hassle than having to get planning permission.

That does assume the property has the relevant permitted development rights.  Also depending on the accuracy of the plan, 3m from the rear wall would be rather close to the shed.  What the shed is built of, as well as whether it is still needed, will have an impact on costs.

Making an application for householder (planning) consent isn't that much 'hassle' over and above what is required to get building regulations approval, and having plans forming part of the contract with the builder so they might build something close to what the client wants.  It adds a little to the total cost, but trivial compared to the typical build, and needs some time to complete, but as a general rule if a project is being done in such a rush that there isn't time to get planning consent (where needed) then there's a good possibility it will all end in some degree of disappointment anyway.  Shortcutting to avoid making a planning application often results in a suboptimal result.

OP, what type of property is it?  E.g. the plan suggests it might be a terrace.  This (particularly the impact on the builder's access to the rear of the property) will impact on options and costs.  If the drainage is at the front of the property then adding something which needs drainage (e.g. kitchen or bathroom) at the back of the property may be difficult and/or expensive.

(Edit: answered while I was writing)

lincroft1710

If you have a 4 metre depth extension, that will reduce your garden depth to 6 metres, which planners may or may not approve (depends on what is at rear of garden and how much light it blocks out either side). Obviously an extra metre will increase costs, but you need to have sufficient living space especially with frequent guests

projectextension

Section62 said:

Bigphil1474 said:

Have a look at permitted development. Looking at that plan, you could put a single storey extension on up to 3 metres from the house and not require planning permission. A lot less hassle than having to get planning permission.

That does assume the property has the relevant permitted development rights.  Also depending on the accuracy of the plan, 3m from the rear wall would be rather close to the shed.  What the shed is built of, as well as whether it is still needed, will have an impact on costs.

Making an application for householder (planning) consent isn't that much 'hassle' over and above what is required to get building regulations approval, and having plans forming part of the contract with the builder so they might build something close to what the client wants.  It adds a little to the total cost, but trivial compared to the typical build, and needs some time to complete, but as a general rule if a project is being done in such a rush that there isn't time to get planning consent (where needed) then there's a good possibility it will all end in some degree of disappointment anyway.  Shortcutting to avoid making a planning application often results in a suboptimal result.

OP, what type of property is it?  E.g. the plan suggests it might be a terrace.  This (particularly the impact on the builder's access to the rear of the property) will impact on options and costs.  If the drainage is at the front of the property then adding something which needs drainage (e.g. kitchen or bathroom) at the back of the property may be difficult and/or expensive.

(Edit: answered while I was writing)

Thanks again. The shed shown on the plan is not very accurate and looks like this:
It sounds like better to do things slowly but properly after getting all necessary permissions.

I was hoping to get some rough estimates before I jump into this big project. What is the best way to get that?



I can see a drainage at the back, but not sure what it is.

Section62

projectextension said:

Thanks again. The shed shown on the plan is not very accurate and looks like this:
It sounds like better to do things slowly but properly after getting all necessary permissions.

I was hoping to get some rough estimates before I jump into this big project. What is the best way to get that?


I can see a drainage at the back, but not sure what it is.

As there is no bathroom or kitchen at the back of the property the cover is probably on a surface (rain) water drain.  You'll need to find out if that has been adopted as a public sewer as you may then need a buildover agreement.  If it is just your own surface water going to a soakaway then you wouldn't.

The building looks relatively modern, in which case it is definitely worth checking whether permitted development rights exist, and whether there are covenants regarding extensions and modifications.

The style of brickwork means you'll need to make decisions about how best to match the new work to the old (this may be a condition imposed in the planning consent) and to get a good end result you'll need a skilled bricklayer.  Both of these would again involve some increase in costs, along with the difficulty (and disruption to you) of getting access to the site.

Ideally you need to start by setting a maximum budget on what you are willing to spend on the project - both in terms of affordability and whether it makes economic sense.  Then ask an architect (or two) to give you some initial advice on what you can achieve with that budget.  Look at the project as a whole - i.e. including all the existing spaces - rather than just as an extension.  Then make sure whatever budget and price you come up with allows you a good %age to cover the inevitable cost increases.