Build Team Blog

Planning permission and building regulations are two separate approvals. Planning permission controls whether you can build, how it looks, and how it affects your neighbours and the area. Building regulations control how you build it safely, covering structure, fire safety, insulation, drainage and ventilation. Mo...

A party wall agreement is the written consent, or the formal surveyor’s award, that lets you carry out building work affecting a shared wall, boundary or nearby foundations. It is required under the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 for most rear extensions, loft conversions and basement projects in London. You serve a not...

One of the first questions people ask when planning an extension or loft conversion is “do I need planning permission?” The answer is not always straightforward. Many home improvements can be built under permitted development, a national right granted by government rules, but plenty sti...

An L-shaped loft conversion joins two dormers, one over the main roof and one over the rear outrigger, the original back part of the house. Seen from above they form an L, which is where the name comes from. It adds the most space of any dormer conversion, often a main bedroom with an e...

A Velux loft conversion adds skylights to the existing roof without changing its shape, which makes it the cheapest and fastest type of loft conversion. It only works if you already have enough head height, around 2.2 metres at the ridge. It almost always falls under permitted developme...