Paper work and permission seeking can be time consuming, but are a vital part of the process of improving property. Factor in some extra time and extra cost whenever permission seeking is required.
Remember if you home is listed or set within a conservation area then there are special considerations that you must understand before starting work. Your home may be considered of great architectural merit or as contributing of the aesthetic wealth of an area. In this case, dramatic changes to the exterior of your home will probably not be tolerated, unless they are considered to be of great merit in themselves.
Before you even buy the home you should know whether you are in a conservation area or if your property is listed. If it is, then planning consent will have to be applied for for any external changes you want to make. If the house is Grade I listed then the same will apply for any prospective internal changes.
It is a common misconception that conservation officers (who are based in the local planning departments) will automatically greenstamp any application, which seeks to restore period features in a home. Often the property will have evolved considerably from its original design and a recreation of past glories will no longer be appropriate to the building or the area.
If your home is not listed or within a conservation area, and if the allocation has not been used by previous owners, then you should be allowed to extend your home by 50-70 cubic metres.
Failure to abide by the procedures for acquiring permission will only land you in trouble. When it comes time to sell your buyer's solicitors will demand to see evidence of granted approval for any changes. You could even end up in court, and in worse case scenarios see everything that you have added to the property demolished at your expense.
