Double-storey extension drawings in Newham

Conservation areas, listed buildings and garden space

Newham has 9 conservation areas and 125 listed building entries. Domestic gardens covered 16.9 per cent of the land in the government's land-use survey, so garden space is limited and every metre of an extension counts.

Inside a conservation area: No rear extension of more than one storey under PD on article 2(3) land. For the borough overview, see architectural drawings in Newham.

Upper-floor conditions under permitted development

Where permitted development applies, two conditions shape the design. Upper side windows: Upper-floor side windows obscure-glazed and non-opening below 1.7 m above floor. Roof: Roof pitch of a 2+ storey enlargement to match the original house so far as practicable.

A lawful development certificate in Newham records in writing that a design meets them, and it is worth having on a plot that qualifies.

Fire escape, energy and party structure

A first-floor bedroom needs an escape window: Escape window: unobstructed openable area at least 0.33 m², at least 450 mm high and 450 mm wide, bottom of opening no more than 1100 mm above floor. New walls and roofs 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. For shared walls: Party structure notice at least 2 months before work.

Newham's householder decision record

Newham decided 388 householder applications in its latest published year and granted 86.9 per cent, deciding 97.2 per cent on time. The figures cover every householder scheme and set a timing expectation only.

Showing the line of sight on a tight plot

On a tight Newham plot, a first-floor window can sits close to the next house. We draw a plan with the neighbours' rear windows marked, a section through the extension and the boundary, and a view along the garden that shows what each new window sees. The officer can then judge privacy and outlook from the drawing without visiting the site.

Where a window would look into a neighbour's room, we offer alternatives: a high-level window, an obscured pane or a different position on the elevation. Each has a cost in light for the new room, and we show that trade-off so you can choose.

The same care applies to the roof. A first-floor addition on a narrow terrace changes the roofline that both neighbours see, so we draw the roof against the original and show the ridge, eaves and any party-wall upstand. Roof pitch is one of the two upper-floor conditions in the national rules, and matching it closely also makes the application easier to read.

Finally, we note where the building regulations will bite. A new bedroom above a kitchen needs a safe escape route, an escape window or a protected stair, and on a narrow house the stair may have to move. We settle that now, because it changes the plan and the planning drawings should show the same layout that building control will later see.

What you receive and the price

A Newham set shows both floors, the roof in section, the elevations and plot plans. It starts at £1,295 with VAT included, fixed before you commit. A second chartered technologist checks each sheet, and we redraw free until approval if the council asks for changes.

If your plot is too tight for two storeys, rear extension drawings in Newham cover the single-storey option. The same service is available in Tower Hamlets and Redbridge.