Loft conversion drawings in Lewisham

Article 4 directions and conservation areas

Lewisham has 57 Article 4 directions covering 89 mapped areas, so a direction on your road is a real possibility. We read the direction for your address.

There are also 30 conservation areas. Inside one, a roof enlargement is not permitted development, and the width rule above applies. Historic England lists 367 entries in the borough, and a listed house needs listed building consent for roof alterations.

Measuring a Lewisham roof against the rule

The council's margins can only be met if the roof is measured accurately. Our survey records the ridge, hips, eaves, party walls and chimney on one datum with the floors below, so we can place a dormer to the margin, not near it.

Hip-roofed houses need special care, because the rule also keeps the dormer away from any hip. Where the margins leave too little width, we show the alternatives, such as a smaller dormer, a hip-to-gable change or rooflights.

A dormer drawn to the margin also helps the neighbours' view of the scheme. Because the setbacks are shown as dimensions, a case officer can check them in seconds instead of scaling them off the sheet, and a neighbour can see that the dormer keeps clear of the shared wall.

Stairs, fire safety and insulation

A dormer is only useful if the stair reaches it. Building regulations allow lofts a concession: Loft conversions where 2.0 m cannot be achieved: 1.9 m at the centre of the stair, 1.8 m at the side (half width). The new storey also needs a protected escape route, and the roof must meet the insulation standard for new elements.

We carry those requirements into our building regulations drawings in Lewisham, so the planning set and the technical set agree on stair position, fire doors and build-up.

Permitted development or planning permission for a Lewisham loft

A rear dormer within the volume limit may be permitted development on a house that is not listed, is outside a conservation area and is not under a direction that removes roof rights. The volume rule reads: 40 m³ (terrace house) / 50 m³ (any other house) additional roof volume. A Lawful Development Certificate in Lewisham records the position in writing.

Otherwise you need a householder application. The council's margins are the test it applies, and our planning drawings in Lewisham are drawn to show them.

The permitted route has an eaves rule of its own, which we apply as well: Original eaves maintained; enlargement set at least 0.2 m from the eaves measured up the roof slope, so far as practicable (not required for hip-to-gable or roofs joining a rear/side extension). We mark each permitted development limit on the drawings, so the lawful route is visible on the sheet.

How Lewisham decides householder applications

Lewisham decided 578 householder applications in its latest published year and granted 89.4 per cent. 95.2 per cent were decided within eight weeks or an agreed extension.

Those figures cover all householder work in the borough. They indicate pace and say nothing about a specific roof.

What you receive and what it costs in Lewisham

The set shows existing and proposed floor plans, the roof plan with its margins, the section and all elevations, plus the location and block plans. Loft conversion drawings start at £695, VAT included, fixed before you commit.

Another chartered technologist checks each sheet. If the council asks for changes, we redraw free until approval.

Neighbouring boroughs and related roof forms

Looking at another roof form? See dormer loft conversion drawings in Lewisham. The borough overview is at architectural drawings in Lewisham. On either side, compare loft conversion drawings in Southwark or Greenwich.