Answering 2 Common and Vital Pre-Build Questions
Do you feel like you’re already living in your dream home? But are you facing space-related issues? If you love your current Kingston property and neighbourhood, the ‘improve, don’t move mantra’ will hold much more appeal than packing up and taking on a larger mortgage. However, you will still need to create extra living space to feel less cramped. Whether you’ve got a growing family or you’re working more from home, loft conversions and property extensions are two of the most effective solutions, and as builders in Kingston and across Surrey we can help.
BOC Construction Services Limited are builders in kingston and across Surrey, but we also operate as a landscaping company, and as kitchen and bathroom fitters. For property owners across Kingston and the wider Surrey area, we are the one-stop shop for all home improvement and development work.
Our time-served team has converted lofts and extended homes of every kind. From single- and double-story additions to roof light, dormer, mansard and hip-to-gable conversions, we have an extensive and varied portfolio covering every option.
Projects of this nature are large in scale and sizeable investments. They come with an inevitable amount of disruption and forever change the appearance and functionality of your home. Naturally, if you’re considering either property extensions or loft conversions, you will likely have numerous questions you want to ask our builders.
Like any reputable building and landscaping company covering Kingston, not to mention kitchen and bathroom fitters, we deliver a personal service as second nature. To get your project moving in the right direction, we’ve answered 2 of the most common, yet important, pre-build questions related to extension and conversion work.
Planning Permission and Project Duration
Do I need planning permission for an extension or loft conversion?
Unfortunately, there’s no definitive answer that applies to all property extensions and loft conversions. The short answer is ‘maybe’.
Most single-storey extensions our builders construct meet permitted development criteria. If this is the case with your own extension, you don’t need to apply to the local authority in Kingston for planning permission. Although our team, including kitchen and bathroom fitters, must still comply with the Building Regulations.
Caveats to this include properties that fall within an ‘Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty’ or a conservation area. These both have much stricter permitted development rights. As larger structures, double-storey extensions typically exceed permitted development limitations.
As a result, they almost always require planning permission. Should your project need approval, our building and landscaping company can submit the application on your behalf.
Many loft conversions meet permitted development rights too. As with property extensions, there are exclusions. For example, if you extend or alter your current roof beyond the specified limits, you must seek planning approval first.One of our builders will clarify where your project stands when we visit your Kingston property for an initial consultation.
How long will the building process take?
Again, we cannot give a universal answer here. Whether we operate as extension builders, kitchen and bathroom fitters or a landscaping company, the timescale of a project varies depending on its size. Property extensions and loft conversions are no different.
To offer some general guidance, a simple, small single-storey extension to the rear of a house usually takes around 3 to 4 months. A larger addition with two-storeys takes our builders between 5 to 7 months to complete. These are only guides. They also don’t take the planning and design phase into account.
With a loft conversion, our building and landscaping company transforms an existing structure. This results in a quicker turnaround time, but the duration will vary from case to case. For example, do you need us to build a basic bedroom? Or do you want our bathroom fitters to install en suite too? As a rough guide, however, the average dormer conversion in Kingston and the neighbouring areas takes approximately 6 weeks, but sometimes less, to complete.
Call 01372 626 216 to discuss property extensions, loft conversions or any of our other services. We cover all locations in and around Kingston.