Double Storey Extension Drawings in Harold Wood RM3
Fixed-fee, MCIAT-chartered double storey extension drawings for Harold Wood (RM3) homeowners — London Borough of Havering validation and local constraints handled from the start.
Harold Wood (RM3) grew as a commuter suburb around its station, which opened in 1868, with interwar and postwar estates built for families moving out along the Essex railway and now served by the Elizabeth line. Its stock is predominantly 1930s semi-detached and postwar houses on planned estate roads, so almost every householder project here is an extension or loft on a consistent suburban semi that sits within a settled streetscape.
There is no conservation area covering Harold Wood — that is a genuine, verified fact, not an omission. Its planning character is shaped instead by that interwar and postwar commuter-suburb typology and by Havering's householder design expectations, which favour keeping the semi-detached rhythm, materials and roof forms intact. We treat that streetscape cohesion, rather than a conservation designation, as the reference point when we design an extension.
Most of the work here is rear extensions, side infills and loft conversions on the semis lining roads like Rosslyn Avenue, Squirrels Heath Road and Bryant Avenue, where the regular gardened plots leave room to extend. We check each property's permitted-development position against Havering's borough-wide controls first, then prepare drawings that either stay within permitted development or are ready to validate as a full householder application.
Planning in Harold Wood (RM3): what to know before you apply
Because Harold Wood is a cohesive interwar and postwar semi-detached suburb, Havering assess extensions against the consistent street pattern, so matching brick, render, bay detailing and roof form matters. There is no conservation area and no local Article 4 direction, so many houses retain permitted development rights for rear and loft work — but the shared building lines on the semis and the side gaps between pairs mean depth, spacing and neighbour impact are the points a householder application turns on.
Typical Harold Wood housing stock
Predominantly 1930s semi-detached and postwar houses on planned estate roads, set on regular gardened plots well suited to rear and side extensions. That consistent suburban semi with its bay frontage and generous back garden is the typical canvas for extension and loft-conversion work here.
Streets we regularly draw for in Harold Wood
Oak Road · Athelstan Road · Squirrels Heath Road · Rosslyn Avenue · Archibald Road · Gooshays Drive · Chatteris Avenue · Gubbins Lane · Arundel Road · Station Road · Avenue Road · Bryant Avenue
Double Storey Extension Drawings for Harold Wood (RM3) homes: the package and the process
Every double storey extension drawings we prepare for an Harold Wood property is drawn to London Borough of Havering’s validation standards and tuned to the RM3 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 in Harold Wood RM3 — FAQs
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