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Sutton, London

Double-storey extension drawings in Sutton

We draw double-storey extensions for Sutton houses from £1,295 including VAT. Sutton's extensions guidance gives measurable tests for the upper floor, from a gap beside the house to a limit on how far a first-floor rear room can project, and the design is built around them from the first sketch.

From £1,295 (VAT included)

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    Brick house being extended, with a wide new opening supported over the ground floor

    Sutton's tests for a double-storey extension

    The council's Design of Residential Extensions SPD sets out three groups of numbers. For a side extension, a gap of at least 1 m should stay between the flank wall and the boundary wall, wider where the street is more spacious, and visual terracing is not supported. For the upper floor of a side extension the guidance asks for a setback, with these distances: 500 mm / 1.5 m, the larger figure applying above an existing ground-floor extension or garage.

    For the rear, the guidance is firmer about depth. Its rear rule gives two figures: 2.5 m; 14 m. The first is the depth beyond which a two-storey rear extension will normally not be permitted where separation distances are minimal; the second is the separation the council expects between side and rear elevations. A semi-detached house due south of its neighbour is singled out as the hardest case.

    We check those separations against your plot early, since they decide whether the upper floor goes to the back, the side or neither.

    Finished white-rendered rear house extension with large glazed doors

    Local figures for Sutton

    Figures with their unit, period and source
    MeasureValuePeriodSource
    A gap of at least 1 m should be kept between the flank wall of an extension and the boundary wall (greater if the street is more spacious); visual terracing is not supported.1 m—sutton.gov.uk, Design of Residential Extensions SPD 2006, p.17, para A.1.2 (applies to side extensions)
    Two-storey side extensions need a clear setback of at least 500 mm; above an existing ground-floor extension or garage, a 1.5 m setback at first floor.500 mm / 1.5 m—sutton.gov.uk, Design of Residential Extensions SPD 2006, p.19, paras A.2.1-A.2.2
    Where separation distances are minimal, two-storey rear extensions deeper than 2.5 m will normally not be permitted, especially on a semi-detached house due south of its neighbour; a 14 m separation between side and rear elevations is expected.2.5 m; 14 m—sutton.gov.uk, Design of Residential Extensions SPD 2006, p.20, para A.2.4; para 3.4.3
    Conservation areas8 named conservation areas published by the council—planning.data.gov.uk
    Listed building entries209 list entries (Historic England, within the LPA boundary)—planning.data.gov.uk
    Domestic gardens share of land (GLUD 2005)34.5 % of land that is domestic garden (GLUD 2005)2005data.london.gov.uk
    Green Belt share of the council area14 % of council area covered by green-belt polygons—planning.data.gov.uk
    Householder decisions601 decisions1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Householder applications granted91.8 %1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Householder applications decided in time94.8 % decided within 8 weeks or an agreed extended period1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Class A, para A.1(h)Over one storey: max 3 m beyond the original rear wall and not within 7 m of the rear boundary—legislation.gov.uk
    Approved Document B Vol 1, 2019 ed. incl. 2026 amendments, para 2.10Escape 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—gov.uk

    A blank value means the figure has not been published, not that there are none. Check your own address with the council.

    Councils bordering Sutton

    Householder applications by street in Sutton

    Streets in Sutton with the most householder applications, and the share approved
    StreetApplicationsApproved
    Higher Drive3570%
    Oaks Avenue3179%
    Banstead Road South3090%
    The Gallop2893%
    Ridge Road2680%
    Foresters Drive2391%
    Pine Ridge2385%
    Pine Walk2383%
    Boundary Road2276%
    Caldbeck Avenue2273%
    Cornwall Road2282%
    Carshalton Park Road2171%
    Kingsmead Avenue2190%
    Alington Grove2095%
    Chiltern Road2090%
    Counts of householder applications by street; no individual applications are shown. Streets with fewer than five applications are left out.Source: GLA Planning London Datahub, householder applications, all years held. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026.
    The 45-degree test in planTest used in daylight assessments: 45 degrees (plan and elevation)A

    The 45-degree test in plan

    A line from the middle of the neighbour's nearest window: the extension should stay behind it.

    A · Test used in daylight assessments
    45 degrees (plan and elevation)

    Why the guidance matters more than the permitted development rules

    Under permitted development, the limit above one storey is: Over one storey: max 3 m beyond the original rear wall and not within 7 m of the rear boundary. Anything beyond that needs a planning application, and the council judges it against its own guidance.

    Sutton has 8 conservation areas and 209 listed building entries. Where neither applies, the route is a householder application drawn against the SPD above. Where one does, the national rule is: No rear extension of more than one storey under PD on article 2(3) land.

    Sutton's suburban plots

    Domestic gardens make up about 34.5 per cent of Sutton's land and 62.9 per cent of households live in a house. A garden is what makes a first-floor rear room possible, and the neighbours' gardens are what the separation distances protect.

    Green Belt covers 14 per cent of the borough. A house backing on to it is read against open land as well as the street, so we check the boundary before choosing the roof form.

    How Sutton has decided householder applications

    Sutton decided 601 householder applications in its latest published year and granted 91.8 per cent. Of those, 94.8 per cent were decided within eight weeks or an agreed extension.

    The numbers include simple single-storey work and say little about any one scheme. They do show a council that decides quickly, so a drawing set that already answers the SPD's tests avoids losing that speed to a request for changes.

    Fire, windows and structure on the first floor

    A new bedroom needs an escape window to the standard in Approved Document B: 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. Upper side windows are controlled by this condition: Upper-floor side windows obscure-glazed and non-opening below 1.7 m above floor.

    The new floor loads the existing walls, so a structural check runs alongside the design. Our structural calculations in Sutton page explains the stage, and building regulations drawings carry the details through to submission.

    Cost and nearby boroughs

    The fee is £1,295 including VAT, fixed before you commit. A householder application costs £548 at the council. You receive both floors, elevations, sections and location plans checked by a second chartered technologist, and we redraw at no charge if the council asks for changes.

    If a ground-floor scheme might be enough, see rear extension drawings in Sutton. The same job is covered in neighbouring Croydon and Merton. The borough overview is at architectural drawings in Sutton, and the national rules are in our double-storey extension drawings guide.

    What you receive

    Planning drawing sheet for a rear extension with plans, elevations and sections
    Sample drawing. Planning drawings for a rear extension: plans, elevations and sections on one sheet set.
    Two-storey rear extension under construction on a semi-detached house
    Every side considered
    Flick across the turntable to spin it.

    Other services in Sutton

    Double-storey extension drawings nearby

    Questions

    How deep can a two-storey rear extension be in Sutton?

    Sutton's rear rule gives two figures: 2.5 m; 14 m. The first is the depth beyond which a two-storey rear extension will normally not be permitted where separation distances are minimal; the second is the separation the council expects between side and rear elevations.

    How far must a two-storey side extension sit from the boundary in Sutton?

    The guidance asks for a gap of at least 1 m between the flank wall and the boundary wall, and more where the street is spacious.

    Does a first-floor side extension need a setback in Sutton?

    Yes. The SPD asks for a clear setback at first floor, with these distances: 500 mm / 1.5 m.

    How much do double-storey extension drawings cost in Sutton?

    From £1,295 including VAT, fixed up front.

    Sources and dates

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    Tell us about your property.

    We check the constraints, then send a fixed fee. Messages before 3pm get a reply the same working day.

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