When it comes to home extensions, they’re our speciality. Over the past twenty years, we have mostly created stunning buildings and extensions and have established our name and reputation as one of the area’s leading construction companies.
If you’re thinking about extending your new home this year, you may be wondering if it’s even possible. One common mystery about new builds is if you can extend them or not.
In short, with the right planning permission and developers’ permission, if required, you can extend a new build. However, it’s more complicated than just that. Usually, new builds need the permission of the developer/builder before they can be extended until the house is either 5, 10 or 20 years of age. It all depends on the documentation and individual build.
Let us explain what you need to extend.
Builders’ /Developers’ Consent
On the topic of extending a new build, the place to start is by looking into the builder’s or developer’s role in the process. Requiring the developer’s permission is very common with any kind of major renovation. You’ll need written permission to do the work which is in the contract or covenants that you agreed to when you signed for the deed for the property. This should have been covered by your solicitor in-depth before buying.
Unfortunately, sometimes the developer will charge for this permission to be granted. It can be anything from hundreds to thousands of pounds, and there’s nothing you can do about it either. Not all do charge, but it’s something that you should keep in mind.
Planning Permission
Whether you need developer permission or not to have your new build extended, you’ll need planning permission.
Planning permission is dependent on what you want, where you want it, and the permissions the developer was given when they build it originally.
You’ll need a full householder planning application and the work that goes along with it. This includes getting planning drawings done by an architect and then have this submitted to the local planning authority. They will either approve or reject them, or they can put in clauses that must be amended in your drawings before they can be approved. Once they are approved, you can move on to the next step of the process.
Permitted Development
Many people ask if they can use their permitted development rights. These rights allow you to extend your home without the need to apply for planning permission. These rights allow work within several parameters.
However, these rights are usually stripped away most of the time, with new builds. This could be for several reasons including, conservation status, the area’s greenery, the planning permission the developer was given.
Most of the time you won’t be able to use them, but it’s worth checking before going any further.
Time Limit
There is some good news, as mentioned above, there can be a time limit on how long the developer permission is required before you can go straight to general planning permission.
This is often 5-10 years but can sometimes be more than ten depending on what covenant you agreed to. It’s essential that you check this.
Extending Pre-Purchase
There is still hope for many, despite all the challenges and restrictions in place. It’s possible in many cases to get your new build property extended before it’s even built.
If possible, you can often pay extra and have the developer extend the property for you. This completely changes the entire situation as the extension becomes part of the original property. Any further extension would be classed the same as any other.
To summarise, you can extend a new build, but you must have the right permissions. Whether that is getting permission from the developer, which you may be charged for, checking your deeds to find out if you can use permitted developments right or needing planning permission.
If you’re ready to get your extension project started or have any questions, get in touch with Cobbydale Construction today. We’re more than happy to help however we can.