House extension drawings in Croydon

Gardens, plots and the typical Croydon extension

Domestic gardens covered 32.8 per cent of Croydon's land in the national Generalised Land Use Database, a larger share than in the inner boroughs.

That space also shapes the design. A deep rear extension may fit a longer plot, but it must still clear the neighbour's windows, keep a usable garden and leave the drains reachable. We measure the plot before drawing, because a boundary a few centimetres out can change what the permitted development test allows.

Where the house is detached the national depth limit is longer, so it is worth establishing at the start whether yours counts as detached, semi-detached or end of terrace. Extensions to the original house, not to earlier additions, are what the rule measures.

The design must also meet the energy rules in Approved Document L: 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. Glazing is limited too: Windows, roof windows, rooflights and doors in an extension should not exceed 25% of the extension floor area plus the area of openings removed or covered.

Permitted development, prior approval or planning permission

The national rule allows a single-storey rear extension of 3 m (attached) / 4 m (detached) beyond the original rear wall, single storey, no higher than 4 m, with eaves limited near the boundary. Where a Croydon house qualifies, a Lawful Development Certificate in Croydon records that in writing.

Deeper rear extensions go through prior approval, which allows 6 m (attached) / 8 m (detached), single storey, height max 4 m; not on article 2(3) land or an SSSI. Croydon's own record shows how often this route stalls: in the latest published year it granted 17 larger home extension prior approvals and refused 34.

That is why we look at the neighbours' windows and boundaries before we pick a route. For anything outside the permitted limits, householder planning permission is the dependable path, drawn as in our planning drawings in Croydon.

How Croydon has been deciding householder applications

Croydon decided 786 householder applications in its latest published year. It granted 86.6 per cent, and 94.4 per cent were decided within eight weeks or an agreed extension.

The figures cover householder cases of every size and say nothing about a single address. They help us estimate how long the process will take, and they are not a forecast.

What our Croydon extension drawings include

Each set contains existing and proposed floor plans, elevations and sections, with location and block plans. Extension drawings start at £695 including VAT, with the price fixed before you commit.

If the council raises a query we amend the drawings, and if it asks for changes we redraw them at no charge until approval. Where the extension needs technical detail for building control, our building regulations drawings in Croydon pick up from the planning set.

Council fees are separate. A householder application costs £548, paid to the council, and the extension itself is eligible for exemption from the community infrastructure levy if you claim it before work starts.

Other shapes and nearby boroughs

For one specific form, see rear extension drawings in Croydon, side return extension drawings in Croydon or double-storey extension drawings in Croydon. The wider picture is at architectural drawings in Croydon.

On the borough edge, rules differ. Compare house extension drawings in Sutton or in Bromley, or return to the London overview of house extension drawings.