Wrap-Around Extensions

A side return extension fills in only the narrow side passage. It widens the kitchen but does not add depth. A wrap-around adds the side return and a rear extension together, so the new room gets wider and deeper. Choose a side return if you mainly need a wider kitchen. Choose a wrap-around if you want a large open-plan kitchen, dining and living area.

For many families, yes. A wrap-around creates the biggest ground-floor space of any single-storey extension, often turning a series of small rooms into one open-plan room at the heart of the home. It avoids the cost and upheaval of moving, and a well-designed kitchen and living space tends to appeal to buyers.

It is not the right choice for everyone. It costs more than a side return or a simple rear extension, takes more of the garden, and usually needs planning permission. It is worth it if you will use the extra space every day and your garden can spare the room. A local estate agent can advise on how it might affect the value of your home. We give you an honest view of the options at the survey.

• Roof: A flat roof with large rooflights, a glazed section over the old side return, or a pitched roof at the boundary to limit the effect on neighbours.
• Rear glazing: Sliding or bifold doors across the back, and sometimes a corner opening with no post where the structure allows.
• Layout: The kitchen usually runs along the side return, with dining and living space at the rear. An island often marks the line of the old rear wall.
• Light: Rooflights along the old side return bring light into the middle of the house, which would otherwise become dark.
• Heating: underfloor heating installation suits the large, open floor area.

A wrap-around opens up two walls of the original house: the side wall of the rear wing and the rear wall. This needs significant steelwork, designed by a structural engineer. It is usually a combination of beams and a steel frame or column where the two walls meet. New foundations are dug for the new side and rear walls. Where clay soil or nearby trees make deep foundations necessary, our piling contractors can install piled foundations instead. Drains in the side return or garden are surveyed and rerouted where needed.

Usually, yes. A wrap-around combines a side extension and a rear extension, and permitted development assesses the two parts together. The side element on its own is limited to single storey, a maximum of 4 metres high, and no more than half the width of the original house. Combined with the rear element, most wrap-arounds go beyond what permitted development allows.

A planning application looks at the design and the effect on neighbours, especially their light and outlook. Many councils use a 45-degree test from neighbouring windows. A roof that slopes down towards the boundary, and a sensible depth at the rear, both help. Flats, listed buildings, conservation areas and Article 4 areas bring extra controls. We prepare the drawings and planning application for you.

A wrap-around on a terraced house usually borders two neighbours. One is alongside the side return, and the other is on the other side of the rear extension. Building on the boundary, raising garden walls and digging foundations close to neighbouring houses need notices under the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 for each affected neighbour. We tell you which notices are needed and allow time for them in the programme.

A wrap-around needs building regulations approval, covering:

• foundations and steelwork
• insulation and glazing: large glazed areas must be balanced against insulation elsewhere to meet energy standards
• drainage
• ventilation
• fire safety
• new electrical circuits

Building control inspects at key stages and issues a completion certificate.