Rear extension drawings in Kingston upon Thames

Garden space, roof type and the neighbour's window

On any Kingston plot we calculate three things before sketching: how deep the guide allows, how much garden must stay and where the neighbour's nearest window sits. Whichever gives the smallest answer sets the design.

The roof is the next choice. A pitched roof allows the greatest height but pushes mass towards the boundary, a flat roof is lower and simpler, and a parapet roof sits between the two. We draw the options in section against the boundary so you can compare them as the neighbour will.

Gardens matter here. They cover 30.9 per cent of the borough's land in the Greater London Authority's land-use data, and the borough has 7,145 tree preservation zones, so we plot protected trees on the survey and check them before fixing a foundation.

We also look at the shape of the plot. A wide, shallow plot may find that the half-garden rule allows more depth than the guide, and a narrow, deep one the reverse, so the first sketch is an area calculation, not a floor layout. Knowing which rule is closest saves a design round.

Green Belt, conservation areas and the route to permission

About 17 per cent of the borough is covered by Green Belt polygons, and Kingston has 28 conservation areas, so the address decides the route. It also has 3 Article 4 directions covering 114 mapped areas, which is why we check the exact property.

Where permitted development applies, a deeper single-storey extension can use prior approval, though the track record is thin: Kingston granted 3 larger home extension prior approvals and refused 35 in the latest return. For extra depth we therefore often advise householder permission.

The council fee is £548, paid to the council. Historic England lists 163 entries in the borough, and a listed house needs its own consent.

Because the borough has a large number of tree preservation zones, we check this before the design is fixed. A tree in a neighbour's garden can still affect your foundation, and an arboricultural report may be needed with the application. Knowing that early avoids a late change.

How Kingston decides householder applications

Kingston decided 742 householder applications in its latest published year and granted 83 per cent, deciding 92.5 per cent in time.

Those figures cover all householder projects and give only a rough guide to timing. They do not say what will happen to a particular house.

We usually run the building regulations drawings alongside the application, so that the structure, insulation and drainage are ready for the builder when permission arrives.

What the drawings include and what they cost

A Kingston set shows existing and proposed floor plans, elevations and sections, plus a location plan and block plan, with the garden area calculated and marked. Our fee is £695 including VAT, fixed before you commit. A second chartered technologist checks every sheet, and we redraw at no charge if the council asks for changes.

The first step is a site visit, where we measure the house and the garden, record levels and note trees and the neighbours' windows. Drawings are normally ready about a week later, and you see them before anything is submitted, so you can adjust the layout first.

For the wider view, see architectural drawings in Kingston upon Thames, or the London guide to rear extension drawings.

Related projects and nearby councils

If the side passage could be used too, see side return extension drawings in Kingston upon Thames. For a larger plan, look at house extension drawings in Kingston upon Thames.

Over the border, compare Richmond upon Thames, Elmbridge and Merton.