A well-planned house extension can give you the extra space you need while improving how your existing home works. Whether you want a larger kitchen and family area, additional living space, a home office or a wider programme of house remodelling, the design needs to work both practically and technically.

Dilworth Design provides professional house extension design and drawing services for homeowners in Solihull, Birmingham and across the wider Midlands. As a CIAT registered architectural technologist practice, we can help you develop your ideas and prepare the architectural drawings needed to take your project through the relevant planning and Building Regulations stages.

Planning Your House Extension

You may already know exactly what you want from your extension, or you may simply know that your existing space no longer works as well as it should. We can discuss your requirements and explore ways of extending and remodelling your home around how you want to use it.

From smaller additions to larger single-storey and two-storey house extensions, we consider the proposed new space alongside the existing property. This can include internal alterations and house remodelling to improve the relationship between old and new rather than treating the extension as an isolated addition.

A visit to your property allows us to understand the scope of the project and consider factors such as sewers, trees, ground levels and other physical constraints. Once instructed, we undertake a dimensional survey to provide an accurate basis for the design and architectural drawings.

Kitchen Extensions and Home Office Conversions

Kitchen extensions are a popular way to create more generous family living space and improve the way different areas of the home connect. Your project might involve extending the kitchen itself, opening up existing rooms or combining an extension with wider house remodelling.

Changing requirements at home can also create a need for a dedicated workspace. Home office conversions and alterations can make better use of existing space, while an extension can provide additional room where the current layout cannot accommodate it.

Whatever your priorities, the aim is to develop a practical design around your requirements while considering planning, construction and Building Regulations from an early stage.

Planning Drawings for House Extensions

Some house extensions require planning permission, while others may be possible under permitted development rights. The rules depend on the property and proposed work, so it is important to establish the correct route before construction begins.

Where planning permission is required, we prepare the appropriate planning drawing and supporting architectural drawings showing the existing property and proposed extension. We can submit the planning application on your behalf and liaise with the Local Authority during the process.

Seeing the proposed scheme properly drawn also gives you an opportunity to consider whether the layout achieves what you expected. A set of changes within the agreed remit is included, so the design can be refined before progressing.

Building Regulations Drawings for House Extensions

Planning permission and Building Regulations approval are separate. A house extension will require Building Regulations approval even when a planning application is not needed.

Building Regulations drawings are far more detailed than standard planning drawings. They specify exactly how the build will be constructed, providing the structural and technical data needed to prove full compliance with Building Regulations.

These detailed building plans also give your builder the information required to price and construct the work. We prepare the Building Regulations drawings and liaise with Building Control to obtain plans approval before construction starts.

If you already have planning permission and are now looking for the detailed technical drawings for the next stage, contact us to discuss what will be required.

Architectural Drawings and Construction Plans

Clear architectural drawings are important throughout an extension project. At the planning stage, they communicate the proposed design. As the project moves towards construction, more detailed construction plans provide the technical information needed to turn that design into a buildable scheme.

Our drawings are produced using AutoCAD software. Depending on the project and stage, these can include floor plans, elevations, cross sections and detailed construction information.

Good building plans also allow important decisions to be made before work starts. Making a change on a drawing is considerably easier than discovering during construction that a wall, doorway or part of the layout does not work as expected.

What Does Our House Extension Service Include?

The service is tailored to your property, proposed extension and the approvals required. We guide you through the relevant stages so that you understand what is needed as the project develops.

Initial discussion: Tell us what you want to achieve from your house extension, and we can discuss the practicalities and explain the process.
Property assessment: A visit allows us to understand the existing home and identify physical factors that may influence the design.
Measured survey: Once instructed, we undertake a dimensional survey to provide the basis for accurate architectural drawings.
Design development: We develop the extension and any associated house remodelling around your requirements, with an agreed opportunity to refine the scheme.
Planning drawings: Where planning permission is required, we prepare the relevant planning drawing and supporting plans for submission.
Building Regulations drawings: We can prepare detailed technical drawings for Building Regulations approval and to give your builder the information needed to quote and construct from.
Application support: Where applicable, we submit the relevant plans and liaise with planning officers and/or Building Control during the process.

House Extension Architecture in Solihull, Birmingham and the Midlands

An extension needs to do more than add square footage. It should address the reasons you need more space and work successfully with the architecture and layout of your existing home.

With decades of experience in architectural design, planning and construction, Dilworth Design brings practical and technical knowledge to extension projects. Our architectural technologist practice is based in Solihull and provides professional house extension services across Birmingham and the wider Midlands.

Where another professional consultant or specialist is needed, such as a structural engineer, we can identify this as the project develops. This allows the appropriate expertise to be brought into the project when required.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I Need Planning Permission for a House Extension?

Not always. Some house extensions can be carried out under permitted development rights, while others require a planning application. This will depend on the property age, location and the size, position and nature of the proposed work.

We can discuss your project, advise on the likely planning requirements and prepare the appropriate planning drawings where an application is needed.

Does an Extension Need Building Regulations Approval if Planning Permission Is Not Required?

Planning and Building Regulations are separate systems. An extension may not require planning permission but will still require Building Regulations approval.

Building Regulations deal with the technical standards of the work. Detailed Building Regulations drawings provide Building Control and your builder with the construction information required for the project.

What Is the Difference Between a Planning Drawing and Building Regulation Drawings?

A planning drawing communicates the proposed design for planning purposes. It allows the Local Authority to consider matters such as the appearance, scale and impact of the extension.

Building Regulations drawings contain much more detailed technical information about how the extension will be constructed. They are used for Building Regulations approval and provide an important basis for your builder to price and carry out the work.

Can an Extension Include Internal Remodelling?

Yes. Extending a home often creates an opportunity to reconsider the existing layout at the same time.

House remodelling might involve opening up or reorganising existing rooms so that they work more effectively with the extension. This is particularly relevant to kitchen extensions, family living areas and projects where the objective is to improve how the whole ground floor works rather than simply add another room.

Can You Prepare Construction Plans if I Already Have Planning Permission?

Yes, but where another consultant or practice prepared the original drawings, we will need to carry out our own survey and redraw the scheme rather than altering or upgrading third-party plans.

Construction plans need to be accurate because your builder will rely on the information they contain. As we take responsibility for the accuracy of our building plans, we work from our own measurements and site survey.

Discuss Your House Extension

If you are considering a loft conversion in Solihull, Birmingham or elsewhere in the Midlands, contact Dilworth Design for an initial discussion.

We can talk through your ideas, assess the practicalities of the project and explain which architectural drawings, planning drawings, Building Regulations drawings or construction plans may be required. You will then have a clearer understanding of the process before deciding how you would like to proceed.

PHONE

0121 733 8509

EMAIL

[email protected]

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House Extension Planning and Architectural Drawings