Extending your home as opposed to moving to a new house can prove to be a more economic and satisfactory solution that suits your family’s present and future needs.

A new extension is a sensible investment that can add to the value of your home and provide the additional internal space required enabling you to make the most effective use of your accommodation.

Many more people are now considering extending their properties as an alternative to moving home, as the costs of buying and selling property are so prohibitive. However, this significant investment can prove to be very daunting without the professional advice to help you make the right choices.

IPB Associates can take the initiative and help you to make an informed decision on the most suitable extension that will provide you with space and flexibility within your home.

Mainly due to planning constraints, consideration should be given to ensure that extensions and alterations to residential dwellings are constructed to a high standard. They can be visually intrusive, restrict daylight, privacy and outlook to neighbouring properties; and unacceptably reduce the available garden area.

For all these reasons the Local Authorities adopt standards to control design, form and size of proposed extensions and alterations to ensure that they are sympathetic in nature with the original building and surrounding area. IPB Assiciates can provide general guidance on good design and works closely with the Local Authorities helping you to achieve the most satisfactory solution from a practical point of view which complements your existing property.
Planning regulations have to cover many different situations and even the provisions which affect the average householder are quite detailed. In general terms, most properties have what is called “permitted development rights”. These rights are contained in the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order, 1995 and are referred to as Permitted Development.

As long as these rights have not been removed from your property, you will not usually require planning permission for small extensions. The cubic capacity of your permitted development rights is dependant upon the size and type of your property and where you live.

If your property has been extended in the past, you will have used up some (or all) of your permitted development rights and therefore planning permission may be required to carry out an extension regardless of its size. Notable exceptions to this are listed buildings and conservation areas. The listed booklet gives a simplified guide to those aspects of the planning system which you are most likely to encounter.

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