FED up of working from a tiny desk in a dark bedroom at home, Louise and Ewan Peer decided enough was enough – they desperately needed more space.
“I was going stir crazy cooped up in the house all the time,” Louise said. But there was no need to move house or start knocking through walls – a simple home renovation gave them a new office, space to host drinks for pals on Friday nights, and added £36k to their property’s value… all without lengthy planning permission waits AND in under three weeks.
Louise, 47, and Ewan, 42, who work in marketing and sales, were able to use little-known Permitted Development (PD) Rights to build an office in their garden – cutting down on all the admin, and a lot of the cost, which puts most people off.
The couple share the tips and tricks they used and reveal how YOU can do it too.
‘Our legal loophole saved us THOUSANDS’
PD Rights is a legal loophole that allow homeowners to make certain improvements to their house without having to apply for planning permission, saving them thousands in fees.
Getting clued up on PD Rights is an easy way to save money – most people have never even heard of it.
Planning permission for large alterations like a loft conversion costs £528 to apply for, plus between £2,000 and £3,000 for architect’s drawings for a single or double extension, according to Checkatrade.
You may also need to stump up around £2,200 for a structural engineer’s report if you’re knocking down walls or raising the roof.
It means, in total, you could be facing a bill of up to £5,728 just to get your planning application rubber-stamped – which can take at least eight weeks or longer if anyone objects. And that’s before you’ve even shelled out for the work.
But Ewan discovered a planning loophole for their garden office.
As long as their office covered no more than half of their garden, was only one storey and, if positioned within two metres of their fence, no taller than 2.5 metres so it doesn’t overlook the neighbours, they didn’t need planning permission.
So that’s exactly what they did.
The couple spent £18,000 of their savings on the home office and saved £17,000 in labour costs by picking up tools themselves.
Louise says: “The biggest benefit to us was the speed. You’re not delayed by having to wait for the council to decide which can take months. And then you can potentially get objections.”
Ewan had the whole office built in just two-and-a-half weeks – and it boosted their home’s value by £36,000 to £775,000.
“I call it my happy place,” says Louise. “It’s improved my quality of life at home.
“And I can entertain my friends, we can sing and dance, all without disrupting Ethan.”
But before you get started it’s important to make sure your building is the right size.
If it’s too big then your council might force you to tear it down.
Other quick DIY tricks that can boost your property value by nearly £30k
HAVEN’T got a lot of cash to spare to transform your home? Don’t worry – a few DIY tricks won’t cost the earth, but could boost your property’s value.
Replacing tired kitchen surfaces with clean, modern laminate gives the illusion of a premium finish.
It can potentially add between £3,000 to £7,000 to your home’s value, according to Jamie Williams, property expert at Pure Property Finance.
That sounds like an expensive job, but Ikea is selling new worktops for £20 per 1.23m – cheap as chips.
There are other DIY tricks you can do as well to boost your property’s value.
A new front door costs £1,100 to £1,400 according to Checkatrade, but could increase your property’s value by up to 10%.
Instead of replacing it entirely, the same effect can be created with a pot of paint. We’ve spotted pots going for £16.99 from Screwfix.
A new bathroom can add up to 5% to the value of your home, according to Checkatrade.
But there’s no need to splash out on a new one. Why not re-tile yours on a shoestring budget?
Amazon is selling some flashy dark green self-adhesive wall tiles for £22.99. You get 10 sheets (28x22cm) in a pack.
The “Box on the Roof” trick – adds £55k
There are other sneaky planning loopholes you can follow too.
Want to convert a dusty loft into a master bedroom with an ensuite? You can install something called a rear dormer.
This is essentially a large extension on the back of a roof – often dubbed as a “box on the roof”.
It’s perfect for creating space for a shower or toilet – or a walk-in wardrobe if you fancy.
The box has to be a certain size – measured in cubic measurements.
Provided you stay within volume limits of 40 cubic metres for terraced houses, and 50 for detached and semis for your roof box – roughly half the size of small garden shed – and you’re not raising the roof, there’s no need for planning.
To comply with building regulations, once your dormer is finished your loft must have a minimum of two metres clear headroom above the staircase for you to be able to walk around in.
Don’t be caught out by the balcony rule. You can’t build one – which can cost as much as £3,000 – because that would trigger the need for planning permission, but there’s a nifty workaround.
You CAN install a Juliet balcony – which doesn’t have a platform you can stand on. Even better, it’s cheaper – typically costing £550.
Value Add: Adding a master bedroom and en-suite can add 20% onto the value of your property. Based on the average house price of £273,000, according to the Nationwide House Index, that’s a £54,600 boost.
The “Double-Decker” extension – adds £55k
This is the ultimate space gainer – there’s a little-known trick where you can build a two-storey rear extension using the PD loophole.
Usually, you’d have to go through planning for this.
To avoid having to submit a planning application, make sure the extension doesn’t go out from the rear wall of your house by more than three metres.
Also, it must be at least seven metres from the rear boundary of the back of your property.
Value Add: This can add up to 20% of your property’s value onto the price tag – or £54,600 based on average house prices.
Make mates with your neighbours and get a bigger kitchen – adds £22k
Under standard PD rules, you can extend the back of your house, on the ground floor, by three metres if you’re attached to another house or four metres if you’re detached.
However, under the Neighbour Consultation Scheme you can double this to six metres for terraced and semis and eight metres for detached houses.
All your local council will do is check if your neighbours are OK with the works – so make sure you’re matey with them and chat through your plans before you go to your council.
Simon Rix, planning expert for The Homebuilding & Renovating Show, said: “If all things go to plan, you can build a massive open-plan kitchen/diner very easily.”
Value Add: This creates the extra lifestyle space that buyers pay a premium for – you could add up to 8% to your property’s value, worth £21,840 based on average house prices.
Space raid your garage – adds £55k
Convert your unused garage into a fun space such as a den, games room, or stylish pantry with no need for planning permission.
You don’t need planning if the garage is part of the main house structure – either attached to the side or part of it.
You can’t increase the size of the garage, upwards or outwards, or add a new roof.
Or, you can build an entire garage from scratch using a ready-made or kit-built structure, says Alex Peters from Checkatrade.
“These are often made of wood or other lightweight materials, as opposed to traditional brick garages, so can be seen as temporary structures – that normally means they won’t require planning permission,” he said.
Value Add: This trick could add up to 20% to the value of your home – that’s £54,600 for an average priced home.
