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Lewisham, London

Velux loft conversion drawings in Lewisham

Velux loft conversion drawings in Lewisham need to say clearly what the new room is for. The borough has an Article 4 direction for houses in multiple occupation, and a loft bedroom that nudges a family home towards shared use can raise questions. We draw Velux conversions here from £695 including VAT, with 42.2 per cent of households in houses to design for.

From £695 (VAT included)

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  • £2m PI insured
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  • Fixed fees, VAT included

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    Architectural model of a four-storey London stucco townhouse in its terrace, with a portico, area railings, sash windows, a cornice and chimney stacks
    The house as it stands: four storeys over a lower ground floor.Existing Proposed worksAn illustrative model, built for this page.

    How we work on velux loft conversion drawings

    Nine steps from first call to approval.

    The same model cut through the middle: every floor, the stair, the chimney breasts, the new mansard, rear extension and basement in section
    Section through the model: every floor on one datum.

    1. Enquiry and constraints check

      We check the property against conservation areas, listed status, Article 4 directions, tree preservation orders, flood zone and planning history. We choose the right route and send a fixed quote.

    2. Measured survey

      We survey the house on one datum: rooms, levels, boundaries, drains, trees and the neighbours' windows that the 45° and 25° tests depend on.

    3. Design options

      We model the house in Revit and show you options in 3D and plan, with the planning strategy and the precedents in your street.

    4. Design frozen

      You choose an option in writing. Nothing changes after this without your say.

    5. Independent check

      A second chartered technologist checks every sheet against the council's validation checklist and the policy. A senior review signs it off before anything is submitted.

    6. Submission

      We prepare the forms, certificates, fee and documents and submit through the Planning Portal.

    7. Officer liaison

      We answer the planning officer and make any amendments within five working days, at no charge until approval.

    8. Building regulations

      Technical drawings are coordinated with the structural engineer's calculations, the drainage and the planning conditions.

    9. Approval and hand-over

      Building control approval, then a next-steps pack covering the commencement notice, party wall timing and CIL.

    Free redraws until approval. Every drawing set is checked independently, and the checker is never the person who drew it.

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    Converted loft bedroom with roof windows and a Juliet balcony

    A bedroom in the roof and the HMO direction

    Lewisham has an Article 4 direction removing permitted development for changes from a family home to a small house in multiple occupation. Adding a bedroom does not make a house an HMO. The question arises when the extra room is part of a plan to let rooms to unrelated sharers, and in that case the use itself needs permission, whatever the rooflights look like.

    We therefore ask early how the household lives, and label the new room on the plans as a bedroom or study of a single family home. That is a clear, honest description, and it avoids a later enforcement query about use. If the real plan is shared occupation, we say so, and the HMO conversion drawings route is the one to follow instead.

    The same direction is a reason to take a second look at any loft in a house already split into rooms. A conversion that fits the council's idea of a family dwelling is easy to explain; one that looks like a pre-HMO layout is not.

    Brick cottage with a tiled roof, chimneys and a front dormer window

    Local figures for Lewisham

    Figures with their unit, period and source
    MeasureValuePeriodSource
    Households living in a house42.2 % of households living in a house or bungalow (detached, semi-detached or terraced)Census 2021nomisweb.co.uk
    Conservation areas30 named conservation areas published by the council—planning.data.gov.uk
    Article 4 directions57 Article 4 directions published by the council—planning.data.gov.uk
    Article 4 direction areas89 Article 4 direction area polygons published by the council—planning.data.gov.uk
    Listed building entries367 list entries (Historic England, within the LPA boundary)—planning.data.gov.uk
    Householder decisions578 decisions1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Householder applications granted89.4 %1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Householder applications decided in time95.2 % decided within 8 weeks or an agreed extended period1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Average price, terraced602,116 GBP2026-07publicdata.landregistry.gov.uk
    Local plan adopted2,025—lewisham.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 Lewisham
    Loft enlargement in section: the permitted development limitsExtra roof volume allowed: 40 m³ (terrace house) / 50 m³ (any other house) additional roof volume. Set-back from the eaves: 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). Height limit: No part higher than the highest part of the existing roofABC

    Loft enlargement in section: the permitted development limits

    A dormer on the rear slope, with the limits that decide whether it needs planning permission.

    A · Extra roof volume allowed
    40 m³ (terrace house) / 50 m³ (any other house) additional roof volume
    B · Set-back from the eaves
    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)
    C · Height limit
    No part higher than the highest part of the existing roof

    What the borough's alterations guidance covers

    The council's design guidance for householders is the Alterations and Extensions SPD, and its sister document is the Small Sites SPD. We found no rooflight-specific rule with a page reference in the guidance we hold, so we draw to the national limit, Roof alterations (e.g. rooflights) may not protrude more than 0.15 m beyond the roof plane, and to the general principle that new roof openings should look as if they belong with the windows below.

    The current Local Plan was adopted in 2,025, so its design policies are recent, and the officer will measure the application against them. We reference the relevant policy in the covering note and keep the design statement short and specific.

    Protected areas and heritage in the borough

    Lewisham has 30 conservation areas and 57 Article 4 directions covering 89 mapped areas. Historic England records 367 listed building entries within the borough, and the national record shows 1 World Heritage Site intersecting the borough boundary.

    For a Velux scheme that means two checks: whether permitted development rights remain on the street, and whether the house is listed or close to a listed neighbour. If rights are intact, the lawful development certificate route gives the owner a written decision. If not, a householder application through planning drawings is needed.

    How Lewisham decides householder cases

    In the latest twelve months of published figures the council decided 578 householder applications, granted 89.4 per cent and decided 95.2 per cent in time. A grant rate in the high eighties and prompt decisions make Lewisham a borough where a well-prepared rooflight application is a reasonable proposition.

    A terraced house here averages about £602,116 in the latest index. At that level an extra bedroom adds real value, so the section and stair deserve proper design time.

    Getting the loft room to work

    The stair and the escape window decide whether a Velux room is usable. The reduced stair standard is: 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 escape window needs: 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.

    We draw both on a section taken from your own roof. If the ridge is low and the stair is cramped, a dormer loft conversion in Lewisham may give the extra height, while loft conversion drawings in Lewisham compares all the shapes.

    The energy limit follows from the same section: 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. Our building regulations drawings put them into the submission.

    Fee, checking and neighbours

    The fee is £695 including VAT, fixed and published. A second MCIAT chartered technologist checks every sheet, and we redraw for the council's comments at no extra charge.

    For the borough's wider picture see architectural drawings in Lewisham. Neighbouring rules differ in Greenwich, Bromley and Southwark.

    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.
    Rear view of brick terraced houses in London with slate roofs and chimney stacks along the shared roofline
    Storey by storey
    Move up and down — the car travels between floors.

    Other services in Lewisham

    Velux loft conversion drawings nearby

    Questions

    Does a loft bedroom make my Lewisham house an HMO?

    No. An HMO is about how the house is occupied. We describe the new room as part of a single-family home, and tell you if your plans point to shared occupation.

    Do I need planning permission for Velux windows in Lewisham?

    For a house with its rights, often not, within this limit: Roof alterations (e.g. rooflights) may not protrude more than 0.15 m beyond the roof plane. Conservation areas and Article 4 areas can change that.

    How likely is a householder application to be granted?

    The latest published borough figure is 89.4 per cent granted. It is a statistic for all householder work, not a forecast.

    What do the drawings cost?

    £695 including VAT, fixed and published.

    Sources and dates

    City of London skyline glowing at dusk across the Thames under a dramatic orange sky

    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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