Double Storey Extension Drawings in Bexley
Fixed-fee, MCIAT-chartered double storey extension drawings for Bexley homeowners — London Borough of Bexley validation and local constraints handled from the start.
Bexley is predominantly interwar suburban London: semi-detached houses dominant across Bexleyheath, Sidcup and Welling, the historic core of Old Bexley Village with its Victorian and older housing, and riverside and post-war housing running toward Erith, Belvedere and the Thames. The generous suburban plots make rear and double-storey extensions and loft conversions the borough's most requested projects, and they frequently allow larger schemes than the tight terraces of inner London could ever accommodate.
Bexley has no borough-wide Article 4 direction affecting typical householder permitted development, so its semi-detached and detached homes often keep fuller rights than inner-London terraces — larger rear and single-storey extensions can qualify without a full application. The binding constraints instead are conservation-area control in Old Bexley Village, Danson Park and the Upton area of Bexleyheath — home to William Morris's Red House — as well as Blendon, Lamorbey and Crayford Town, and the council's expectation that extensions respect the consistent interwar building line. Thames-side and flood-zone considerations apply toward Erith and the riverside. The practical limit on a Bexleyheath or Sidcup plot is usually design and amenity policy rather than available space.
We prepare Bexley planning drawings that use the available plot fully while respecting conservation and the established suburban building line, checking permitted development limits for semi-detached and detached homes first and confirming eligibility with a Lawful Development Certificate where a project qualifies. Because the borough determines most householder applications within the statutory eight-week period once validated, we prepare submissions validation-first to keep them moving. The fee is fixed and agreed up front, drawings typically follow within about seven days, and we offer free redraws until Bexley approves — the same council-accepted drawings an architect would produce, usually at around 30% less.
Planning in Bexley: what to know before you apply
Bexley has no borough-wide Article 4 direction affecting typical householder permitted development; the binding constraints are conservation-area control in Old Bexley Village, Danson Park and the Upton area of Bexleyheath, and the council's expectation that extensions respect the suburban building line. Thames flood-zone considerations apply toward Erith. The borough's semis often retain fuller permitted development rights than inner-London terraces.
Typical Bexley housing stock
Interwar semi-detached suburbia dominant across Bexleyheath, Sidcup and Welling, Victorian and older housing around the historic Old Bexley Village, and riverside and post-war housing toward Erith and Thamesmead.
Areas we regularly draw for in Bexley
Bexleyheath · Sidcup · Welling · Erith · Crayford · Old Bexley · Belvedere · Blackfen
Double Storey Extension Drawings for Bexley homes: the package and the process
Every double storey extension drawings we prepare for a Bexley property is drawn to London Borough of Bexley’s validation standards and tuned to the local constraints above. Here is what the drawing package covers and how the process runs from first survey to approval.
A double storey extension builds a second floor above a single-storey side or rear addition, typically adding a bedroom and bathroom upstairs over a widened kitchen or reception room below. Because the foundations and roof of a single-storey extension already carry most of the fixed cost of building, adding a floor on top is often the most cost-effective way to gain two rooms rather than two separate projects. The trade-off is scrutiny: a two-storey addition sits closer to eye level with neighbouring windows and gardens, so councils examine massing, roofline and boundary distance more closely than they would a single-storey extension.
DrawingsDirect draws double storey side and rear extensions for full planning and building regulations, with structural calculations for the additional floor load and foundations produced in-house by our MCIAT-chartered team, on a fixed fee. If a single storey is enough, see our Rear Extension and Side Return Extension pages, or combine both with a Wraparound if you are extending sideways as well as up.
Do I need planning permission for a double storey extension in London?
Almost always. Permitted development rights for two-storey extensions are far more restrictive than for single-storey work, particularly on how close the new structure can come to a boundary and how closely its roof pitch and eaves height must match the existing house, so most double storey projects are drawn and submitted as full householder planning applications rather than relying on permitted development.
Where the property sits in a conservation area or is subject to an Article 4 direction, any remaining permitted development allowance for a second storey is typically removed entirely, reinforcing the need for a full application. We check your property's status and your borough's design guidance before drawing.
How do councils control the impact of a double storey extension on neighbours?
Because a second storey introduces new windows and massing at first-floor level, London boroughs apply design guidance aimed specifically at protecting neighbouring light, privacy and outlook.
- The 45-degree rule, tested at neighbouring windows, to check the extension does not block an unreasonable amount of daylight
- A common design expectation that a two-storey side extension is set in roughly 1 metre from the shared boundary, rather than built hard against it
- A first floor commonly set back from the ground floor front elevation, so the upper storey reads as subordinate to the main house from the street
- Obscure or high-level glazing on flank walls facing directly into a neighbour's garden or windows, to limit overlooking
| Option | What it adds | Typical fee |
|---|---|---|
| Single-storey rear extension | A ground-floor kitchen-diner only, may qualify for permitted development | see Rear Extension Drawings, from £1,100 |
| Double storey side or rear extension | Two rooms across two floors, usually needs full planning | Full Planning pack ~£1,600–£2,400 |
| Double storey + Building Regulations (structural) | Combined pack including structural calculations for two-floor loads and foundations | Planning + Building Regs pack ~£2,200–£3,850 |
| Wraparound (rear + side return) | Combines two single-storey extensions into one L-shaped ground floor | see Wraparound Extension Drawings, from £2,200 |
Double Storey Extension Drawings across Bexley
Double Storey Extension Drawings in Bexley — FAQs
How much does a double storey extension cost to design in London?+
Do I need planning permission to add a second storey?+
Will a double storey extension overlook my neighbour's garden?+
Do I need an architect for a double storey extension?+
How long does it take to get double storey extension drawings?+
Do I need planning permission for an extension in Bexley?+
Can I build a bigger extension because Bexley plots are larger?+
What extra control applies in Old Bexley Village or around Danson Park?+
How long does Bexley Council take to decide?+
How much do planning drawings cost in Bexley?+
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