Construction drawings in Croydon

Houses, gardens and affordable plots

60.2 per cent of Croydon households live in a house, and 54.7 per cent own their home. The average price is £390,041, so cost discipline matters: a set that prevents site variations pays for itself.

Gardens are a feature. Domestic gardens take up 32.8 per cent of the land area. That makes rear extensions and garden buildings common, and it is why drainage layouts and tree roots appear so often on our Croydon drawings.

The designations are modest: 19 conservation areas, 180 listed entries and 8 scheduled monuments. Green Belt covers 25 per cent of the borough.

Getting the build-up right

On a cost-sensitive project, the specification does the work. New elements must meet these limiting values: New elements in existing dwellings, limiting U-values W/(m²·K): roof 0.15, wall 0.18, floor 0.18, windows 1.4 (or WER Band B), doors 1.4. We name the product, the thickness and the junction detail, so the builder prices a known system and does not allow for an unknown one.

Ventilation is next: Intermittent extract: kitchen 30 l/s with cooker hood (60 l/s otherwise), utility 30 l/s, bathroom 15 l/s, WC 6 l/s. And workmanship: Approved Document 7: Materials and workmanship, 2013 edition incorporating 2018 amendments.

What Croydon's figures say

The council decided 786 householder applications in its latest year, granting 86.6 per cent, with 94.4 per cent decided in time. Larger home extension prior approvals ran at 17 granted and 34 refused, and the council handled 494 lawful development certificate applications.

The ratio on prior approvals suggests that larger extensions need care in how they are presented. Past figures never settle your case, but they set the tone for how we advise on route and timing.

Gardens, drains and trees

With domestic gardens covering 32.8 per cent of the land, a Croydon rear extension usually has a drain, a tree or a boundary wall to deal with. The first thing we ask for is a drain survey and a note of any tree within reach of the footprint, protected or not.

Tree roots decide foundation depth, and foundation depth decides cost. The drawings show the engineer's chosen depth and the reason for it, so the builder prices the right foundation first time.

Drainage is the next line item. A new bathroom or kitchen adds a connection, and a connection can mean building over an existing sewer, which needs the water company's agreement. We flag that on the drainage layout and tell you who has to be asked.

Fee, structure and nearby boroughs

The fee is fixed after the free check. Mayoral CIL sits in band 3, and the borough levy is set by the London Borough of Croydon Community Infrastructure Levy Charging Schedule April 2013; we confirm the current rate when we quote.

Add structural calculations in Croydon when beams or foundations are changing, and building regulations drawings in Croydon for the submission. The borough summary is architectural drawings in Croydon. Next door: Bromley and Bexley.