Guides
What extensions really cost, when you need planning permission, and how to budget for a project properly — written by the team behind 2,000+ planning applications.
Typical costs of £1,800–£3,000+ per square metre, worked examples at 30m² and 50m², how two-storey compares with single-storey, and the other fees to budget for.
Read the guide →A free example party wall pack (PDF) in plain English, plus when an extension or loft conversion triggers the Party Wall Act, the notice periods, and how it fits with your drawings.
Read the guide →When an extension is permitted development and when it isn't — the size, height and position limits, the Larger Home Extension route, loft conversions, and the drawings you'll need. For houses in England, with Wales flagged.
Read the guide →Dormers rarely fail on looks. The measurable reasons they fail — volume, the principal elevation, height, the 20cm eaves set back and side windows — plus the Welsh differences, designated land, and the fire rules that stall a dormer at building control.
Read the guide →What a dormer is and the four shapes it comes in, when it is permitted development under Class B in England, the stair headroom rules that decide your loft layout, and why you still want a lawful development certificate.
Read the guide →Why 2.2 metres is a rule of thumb rather than a building regulation, what Approved Document K really asks for over the stairs, how to measure your own loft properly, and the four ways to claw back height if you come up short.
Read the guide →When a garden room is permitted development and when it isn't — the height, boundary and 50% limits, the habitable-use trap that has nothing to do with size, how Wales differs, building regulations, and the lawful development certificate.
Read the guide →What an online architect actually does, what stays identical whichever route you pick, how England and Wales differ on permitted development, how to compare fees properly — and the projects where a local practice is genuinely the better call.
Read the guide →Fixed price, tailored to your project and confirmed in writing after your Deep Dive.
All free, all online, all in about a minute — no obligation and no card needed.
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