Kitchen Extensions

• Rear kitchen extension (this page): A single-storey extension across the back of the house. It adds depth and usually creates a kitchen diner.
• Side return extension: Fills the narrow side passage on a terrace to widen the kitchen.
• Wrap-around extension: A side return and rear extension together, for the largest open-plan space.
• Kitchen renovation: A new kitchen within the space you already have, with no extension needed.

• Layout: We plan the kitchen, dining and seating areas together, including the position of the sink, hob, island and appliances, before the structure is designed.
• Glazing: Bifold or sliding doors across the back, and rooflights or a roof lantern over the dining area.
• Roof: A flat roof with rooflights for a clean, modern look, or a pitched roof that matches the house.
• Islands: Services for an island sink or hob are laid in the floor before it is finished.
• Extraction: The cooker hood is ducted to the outside, planned into the walls or ceiling.
• Heating: underfloor heating installation keeps the walls free for units and suits large glazed areas.

Often not. A single-storey rear extension on a house in England is usually permitted development if:

• Depth: It extends no more than 3 metres from the original rear wall on terraced and semi-detached houses, or 4 metres on detached houses.
• Height: It is no more than 4 metres high, with eaves no higher than 3 metres within 2 metres of a boundary.
• Coverage: Together with other extensions and outbuildings, it covers no more than half the land around the original house.
• Materials: It looks similar to the existing house.

Deeper extensions, up to 6 metres or 8 metres, may be possible through the prior approval process. Under that process, the council asks your neighbours for their views before deciding. Planning permission is needed for flats and maisonettes, and extra controls apply to listed buildings, conservation areas and Article 4 areas. We check the route for your house and can apply for a Lawful Development Certificate.

Yes. Every kitchen extension needs building regulations approval, whether or not it needs planning permission. The main areas are:

• Foundations and structure: Foundations to suit the ground, and steel beams where the rear wall is opened up.
• Energy efficiency: Insulation and glazing to current standards. Large areas of glass must be balanced against insulation elsewhere.
• Ventilation: Extraction for cooking and background ventilation.
• Drainage: New drains for the sink and appliances, and rainwater from the roof.
• Fire safety: Smoke detection, and a safe escape route from the house.
• Electrics: New circuits certified under the wiring regulations.

If the extension is built over or within 3 metres of a public sewer, you will usually also need a build over agreement from the water company. We check the sewer records and survey the drains with a CCTV drain survey before the design is finished.