Homes in Orpington tend to have what inner London homes lack: a garage, a driveway, a long garden and a roof with room to grow. The question is usually how to make the most of that space, whether that means a bigger kitchen, an extra bedroom, a home office or somewhere to park and charge a car. Omni Builders are builders in Orpington who help you work out which project makes sense for your house, then build it.
As building contractors in Orpington, we work across BR5 and BR6 on extensions, loft and garage conversions, driveways and garden buildings, along with the plumbing, heating, electrics and decorating that finish them. As a construction company in Orpington that runs the whole job, we give you one written quote and one project manager, and we check what Bromley Council needs to approve before work begins. If you want local builders in Orpington who start with a proper look at your house, book a free site survey.
Orpington is in the London Borough of Bromley, the largest London borough by area, and Bromley Council handles planning applications and building control here. The BR5 and BR6 postcodes take in the town centre and neighbourhoods such as Petts Wood, St Mary Cray, Chelsfield, Green Street Green, Farnborough and Locksbottom. Much of the borough beyond the built-up area is Green Belt.
The houses
Orpington is mainly suburban: semi-detached and detached houses on wide plots, many with hipped roofs, integral or attached garages, front driveways and gardens deep enough for an extension and a garden building. Street layouts vary from older roads near the town centre to post-war estates where houses were built to a handful of repeated designs.
Planned around the house, not just the job
We plan every project around the age, layout and roof of the house it is in — checked at your free survey before you commit to anything.
What that means for building work
Lofts
A hipped roof slopes on three or four sides, which leaves little standing room inside. Rebuilding the side slope as a vertical gable, often with a rear dormer, is usually what makes a loft room worthwhile.
Extensions
Wider plots leave room at the side as well as the back, so two-storey side extensions and combined side-and-rear designs are possible on many houses, subject to planning.
Garages
An integral garage is often the simplest way to add a ground-floor room without building outwards.
Outside space
Driveways and gardens give room for parking, skips and deliveries on your own land, and for a summer house, garden office or conservatory.
Trees and ground
Large gardens often have mature trees, which can affect foundation depths near an extension. The structural engineer and building control confirm the design, and we check with Bromley Council whether any tree is protected before work near it.
02The Orpington line
Popular Projects in Orpington
Lofts & extensions lineRenovation & outdoor line
These projects suit Orpington's semi-detached and detached houses:
Stop 01
Hip-to-gable loft conversions in Orpington
Squaring off the hipped side of the roof to create full-height space for a bedroom and shower room.
Stop 02
Double-storey extensions in Orpington
Adding a bedroom above a bigger kitchen or living room in one build, to the side or rear.
Stop 03
Garage conversions in Orpington
Turning an integral or attached garage into a study, playroom, utility or ground-floor bedroom.
Stop 04
Kitchen extensions in Orpington
A single-storey rear extension opening the kitchen onto the garden.
Stop 05
Wrap-around extensions in Orpington
Extending along the side and across the back for one large open-plan space.
Stop 06
Resin-bound driveways in Orpington
A permeable surface that suits wide front gardens; block paving is the other common choice.
Stop 07
Summer houses in Orpington
A garden room, office or studio at the end of a long garden.
Stop 08
EV charger installation in Orpington
A home charge point on a new or existing driveway, certified through one of the routes the building regulations allow.
03Planning & permits
Planning Permission in Bromley
Bromley Council decides planning applications for Orpington. The answers below give the national rules for houses in England. Flats and maisonettes have no householder permitted development rights, and the rules are restricted in conservation areas, under Article 4 directions and for listed buildings. Houses in the Green Belt keep their permitted development rights, but anything that needs an application is judged against Green Belt policy, which resists additions out of proportion to the original house. We check your address at the survey.
Permit check01 / 06
Usually not
Do I need planning permission for a loft conversion in Bromley?
Usually not, for a house, if it stays within permitted development: up to 50 cubic metres of extra roof space on a semi-detached or detached house (40 on a terrace), no dormer on the roof slope facing the road, materials similar to the existing roof, and side windows obscure-glazed and non-opening below 1.7 metres. A hip-to-gable conversion with a rear dormer often fits within these limits. Previous roof extensions count towards the volume. See our loft conversion page.
Permit check02 / 06
It depends
Do I need planning permission for a house extension in Bromley?
It depends on the size and position. A single-storey rear extension can go up to 4 metres on a detached house and 3 metres on a semi under permitted development, or up to 8 metres and 6 metres through prior approval. Single-storey side extensions can be permitted development if no more than 4 metres high and no wider than half the original house. Two-storey side extensions, and most wrap-around designs, need planning permission. See our house extensions page.
Permit check03 / 06
Usually not
Do I need planning permission for a basement conversion in Bromley?
Usually not, if you are converting an existing cellar with no change to the outside of the house. Basements are less common in Orpington's suburban houses, and digging a new one, or adding lightwells or external steps, usually needs planning permission as well as building regulations approval. See our basement conversions page.
Permit check04 / 06
Usually not
Do I need planning permission for a garage conversion in Bromley?
Usually not, if the garage is integral or attached and the work is mainly internal. The exception is common on post-war and newer estates: a planning condition attached to the original permission may have removed permitted development rights or required the garage to be kept for parking. We check the planning history at the survey. Building regulations approval is always needed. See our garage conversion page.
Permit check05 / 06
Check at survey
Do I need planning permission for a driveway in Bromley?
Not if the new or replacement surface is permeable, or drains onto a lawn or border within your property. More than 5 square metres of hard surface draining onto the road needs planning permission. A new or widened dropped kerb needs Bromley Council's consent, and a new access onto a classified road needs planning permission. See our driveways page.
Permit check06 / 06
Usually not
Do I need planning permission for an outbuilding in Bromley?
Usually not, for a house, if the building is single storey, stays behind the front of the house, is no more than 2.5 metres high within 2 metres of a boundary, and together with other buildings covers no more than half the garden. A summer house or garden office used alongside the house is normally fine; living accommodation such as an annexe usually needs permission. See our conservatories and outbuildings page.
04On-site practicalities
Building Control, Party Walls and Practicalities
Building regulations
Extensions, loft and garage conversions, structural changes and new drainage need building regulations approval, from Bromley Council's building control service or a registered building control approver (previously called an approved inspector). Electrical work is certified through one of the routes the building regulations allow, and any gas work is carried out by Gas Safe registered engineers, as the law requires.
Party walls
On a semi-detached house, a hip-to-gable loft or a beam into the shared wall needs a party wall notice at least 2 months before that work begins. Detached houses are not exempt: digging foundations within 3 metres of a neighbour's building (or 6 metres in some cases, depending on depth) needs at least 1 month's notice. We identify the notices at the survey and plan them into the programme.
Skips, scaffolding and parking
Where a skip or materials can sit on your own driveway, no council licence is needed. A skip or scaffolding on the road or pavement needs a licence from Bromley Council, which we arrange. Where a road has parking restrictions, we plan trade parking and deliveries before the start date.
Five stops from your first message to the certificates in your hand — with one project manager the whole way.
01Step
Enquiry
Call, WhatsApp or send the form with your postcode and an outline of the project.
02Step
Free site survey
We look at the house, roof, garage, garden and access, and discuss the options.
03Step
Written, itemised quote
A clear breakdown of what is included, what is not and the payment stages.
04Step
Approvals
Planning permission, prior approval or a Lawful Development Certificate where needed, plus building regulations approval and party wall notices, all arranged before work starts.
05Step
Build and handover
One project manager runs the build, and you receive the completion certificate and the certificates for the work at the end.
08Ask the local team
Frequently Asked Questions
Real questions from homeowners in Orpington, answered the way we would answer them on the phone.
Yes. We work across BR5 and BR6, including Petts Wood, St Mary Cray, Chelsfield, Green Street Green, Farnborough and Locksbottom. Send us your postcode if you want us to confirm.
Do you work for landlords and letting agents in Orpington?
Yes. We carry out repairs, refurbishments, landlord gas safety certificates and electrical work for rented homes. Tenants need the landlord's agreement before any building work.
Can you prepare the drawings and handle the planning application?
Yes. We work with architects and designers to prepare the drawings and structural calculations, and we can apply for planning permission, prior approval or a Lawful Development Certificate where needed. If you already have approved drawings, we can price and build from them.
Do I need a party wall agreement for a semi-detached house?
You need to serve a party wall notice if the work affects the shared wall or involves digging near a neighbour's foundations. If the neighbour agrees in writing, no surveyor is needed; if not, surveyors agree a party wall award before that work starts.
Is the site survey free?
Yes. The survey is free and there is no obligation. You receive a written, itemised quote afterwards.
Can you combine an extension with a new driveway or garden building?
Yes. Many projects combine an extension or loft with a driveway, an EV charger or a summer house. One team plans the order of the work, so access for the main build is kept clear and the driveway is laid last.
BR5–6
Start in Orpington
Plan Your Orpington Project With Us
Tell us about your house and what you want from it, and we will arrange a free site survey and a written quote.
