Drawings and planning
Changes inside
A layout that works: opening up the kitchen, moving a wall, a new bathroom or a better way through the house. Sometimes the right project is simply moving a wall.
Which route it needs
Changes inside a house don’t usually need planning permission.
If the building is listed, internal changes need listed building consent.
In a flat, check the lease: alterations often need the freeholder’s consent.
An informed view of what’s likely, not a promise. The decision always rests with the council.
Other things to plan for
- 01
Load-bearing walls. Taking out or changing a load-bearing wall needs Building Regulations approval, with a structural engineer’s calculations. I bring the engineer in and manage their work for you.
- 02
Fire safety. Opening up rooms can change your escape route in a fire, especially in a house with a loft conversion.
- 03
Party walls. On a terrace or semi, the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 may apply if work is on or near a shared wall or boundary, or digs close to a neighbour’s foundations. Notices must go to the neighbours in good time before work starts.
- 04
Building Regulations. A separate approval from planning. It covers structure, fire safety, insulation, drainage and ventilation, and most extensions and structural alterations need it. I prepare the technical drawings.
How I work
Measured survey, design options, then planning drawings. I prepare and submit the application, and deal with the council. Then the technical drawings for Building Regulations, with the structural engineer and building control coordinated for you.
More about drawings and planning