Extension on a Georgian flat in Islington - opinions/advice needed

5 years ago

Hello,
I need some advice on rebuilding an existing extension and wondered what people thought of a) the liklihood of getting planning permission and b) the general idea? The flat is around 570 square feet at the moment. The existing extension covers a lot of the outside space, leaving a long thin strip which doesn't get a lot of use. It houses the bedroom, which works for me as it is very quiet, there is nothing above it. In fact I use the roof as an unofficial roof terrace - it gets the sun until about 4pm. I am hoping to get planning permission to make it official - the council think I have a 60% chance of getting it. I know that turning it into a two bedroom flat with the bedrooms at the front would increase its value more, but I like the quiet at the back. The courtyard would let light in - it gets sun in the morning - although I'm concerned it would be a bit dank. Is the angled glass a good idea? Or would prospective buyers be put off? Also, any thoughts on basic costs - including architect but minus fittings etc would be good.

Pic 1 shows it as it is.

Pic 2 shows the basic idea with a floor to ceiling frosted window in the bathroom. The current bath is a 1500mm one and I would like a slightly bigger one, and possibly even a separate shower. This gives a large bedroom which could possibly have a dressing room attached but it would also have to house the stairs up on to the roof. The door would open out onto the patio and the bedroom roof would have glass panels.

Pic 3 shows the way plan 2 would work with the roof. Green would be roof terrace, glass balustrade lined up with upstairs neighbours wall. Pink area is new flat roof, purple is sloped roof down to the adjoining wall.

Pic 4 would extend to the back making the bedroom very large, the biggest in the whole flat. Would this provide enough space for a second room/study?

Any thoughts much appreciated, thanks.

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Comments (3)

Jonathan
5 years ago
In any other area I wouldn’t bother doing this extension but you will likely find it will add more to the resale value than you spend.
I think the extra square footage on the bedroom will be £20k by the time you have added in fees and internal decoration .
Personally I wouldn’t bother with the sloped wall. You don’t gain enough room in the bathroom to add a separate shower so why change the bathroom? I would only extend the bedroom and keep it square
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Original Author
5 years ago
Thanks, that is helpful. My thinking is that the bathroom needs renovating anyway, and this might make it a more interesting space. Or perhaps I could push the wall adjoining the bedroom back a bit? I think you're right about the shower though. Maybe I could fit a freestanding bath in?

You're right in that it's a lot of upheaval for a small amount of extra space, but the main reason for doing the work is to have a proper roof terrace, with internal stairs leading up to it - at the moment I have a glorified ladder. I plan to stay in the flat, so it's not about maximising resale value, otherwise I'd turn it into a two bedroom flat. That said, if there was a way of doing that while keeping the bedroom at the back, and away from the street, that would be ideal, but I can't think of one...
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PRO
Dickson Architects Limited
5 years ago
Hi

On first glance of your sketch plans, I would suggest squaring off the angle to form a simple rectangular internal light well. The angle can be a bit dated design style wise and leaves internal spaces a bit more awkward to finish. There are no angles in the existing flat so adding one in doesn't seem necessary. In terms of planning, I live in Islington myself and they are quite tight on issues such as building up to the boundary - like you have shown to the rear. You need to check if you are in a conservation area first off to assess if permitted development rights apply etc. We have recently obtained planing on our own house which was extremely contentious but on the upside, has meant we have got to know several of the planners very well!

I could not comment on cost but know the resell value in N1 is circa 1100/sqft.

We would be happy to assist on this in terms of making a pre-app or full planning application. If you are interested in obtaining a fee, please let me know by email.

Thanks and I look forward to hearing from you

Emma
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Extension on a Georgian flat in Islington - opinions/advice needed

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Jonathan

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Extension on a Georgian flat in Islington - opinions/advice needed

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Jonathan

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