I will arrange a visit at your property where we can discuss your project and design ideas, and evaluate the feasibility from a planning and construction point of view. I will go over all the stages that your project will follow and will then send you a detailed quote, showing all the costs including any local authority charges.

Some smaller ‘domestic extensions’ may not require a planning permission application and can be carried out under ‘permitted development’. This will be assessed during our first initial consultation and when the brief is decided. Please follow this link to the government planning portal website for house extensions Bristol.

If you are planning a house extension in a Conservation Area in Bristol you will probably need planning permission. Each local authority has its own policy so it is best to contact your local conservation officer first. Also, any alterations to a listed building, including internal ones, need approval. To prevent the loss of character of the listed building, any new house extensions Bristol need to respect the appearance, materials etc. of the original house.

Often sewers run within private land and they can usually be found at the front, rear or side of the property. If you are planning a house extension in Bristol it is important to assess the drainage situation in your property and if you find a public sewer in your garden you will need to ask permission before starting the building work. For more information please follow this link.

Whether or not you will need a structural engineer depends on the nature of the project. If you are planning a house extension, loft conversion, removing a chimney breast, removing internal walls and many other cases you will definitely need a structural engineer to do all the structural calculations.

If you are planning to build a house extension or carry out any building work near or on your shared property boundary you will need to notify your neighbours of your intentions by serving a notice under the Party Wall Act. If you can’t come to an agreement with your neighbours you need to appoint a party wall surveyor that will prepare all the legal documents for you. For more information please follow this link.

Once you have received the planning permission approval for your house extension, the next step is making sure you comply with Building Regulations. Your architect will provide you with a set of construction drawings that will be used to gain Building Regulations approval. These drawings are considerably more detailed than the design drawings and will contain detailed section drawings, construction materials, electrical and drainage layouts, etc. The drawing package will allow contractors to provide accurate tenders to complete the project and be used on site when building work begins.

You can start the building process once you have got all your permissions in place (Planning permission or similar and Building regulations applications approved).

Homeowners are now responsible for the safety on their building projects. Complying with CDM 2015 will help ensure that no-one is harmed during the work, and that your building is safe to use and maintain while giving you good value. Effective planning will also help ensure that your work is well managed with fewer unexpected costs and problems. For more information please follow this link.