Single storey extension

[Deanoid]

Hi All,
Please could somebody help
I built a single storey extension around 5 years ago (4m depth) and it was within the permitted development size.
I had always planned to do a much larger extension in the future so I decided not to go through building control as the plan was to demolish later down the line.
I work for a structural steel company and we have in house structural engineers, the build design was agreed with them prior to construction taking into
consideration the trees in the area to make sure the foundations were to the correct depth (1.8m)
Due to unforeseen circumstances we are now looking to sell the property.
Please could someone advise on the best way forward?
Kind Regards

 

[tony1851]

Legally there's nothing your council can or will do - it's way out of time for them taking any action.

The only snag you might have is with a buyer's solicitor who may ask for the paperwork. Unfortunately, some solicitors don't know the rules, and tend to put nervous buyers off, so you may have to factor this 'worry factor' into your asking price.

Alternatively, you can apply retrospectively for a Lawful Development Certificate from Planning, and also apply for a Certificate of Regularization from Building Control, but it's all time and £££.

 

[Deanoid]

Thank you for you help on this.
We are not putting the property on the market until march, the garden is quite large and a bit boggy due to the time of year. As soon as we can cut the grass (normally mid march) we will have photos done and put the property on the market.
Do you know how long the process is for getting the lawful development certificate and certificate of regularization.
I would rather do this I think than have the stress later with possibly loosing buyers put off by the solicitors.
The only concern I have is, as we did not consult the council at the beginning, they may be routhless and make me destroy parts of it proving it was built to regulations.

 

[tony1851]

An LDC should be no problem, provided you are satisfied it is permitted development. Time? probably 6-8 weeks.

For Building Control, a regularization will involve a certain amount of opening-up because they have to inspect and satisfy themselves that it complied with the regs at the time.

May include things such as digging a trial pit to see the foundations, looking into the roof to see the timbers and insulation, and maybe take a brick out of the wall to see what's in the cavity. You need to be prepared for a bit of re-instatement.

Costs? Not cheap - our council charges 2.5 x the normal building regs fee, so budget for around £800-£1K.

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

An LDC should be no problem, provided you are satisfied it is permitted development. Time? probably 6-8 weeks.

That's 8 weeks from submission though, even if the OP does it himself that's at least a week say, if not it'll be a couple of weeks to find someone to do it, and for them to get the application together so 6 weeks is cloud cukoo land. thinking you can get everything sewed up for the middle of March is destined to fail.

Costs? Not cheap - our council charges 2.5 x the normal building regs fee, so budget for around £800-£1K.

That's assuming its all been done right though and the OP gets approval, if BC turn around say they want this done or that done it could be a helluva lot more than £1K. Then you either face a bigger bill to put it right or it will come up on the search that the works do not comply, which could be even more scary for a dopey buyer than just never having go t approval in the first place.

So I would do some research into what has been done and the likelyhood (or not) of a pain(ish) free Regs application before I involved BC.

 

[tony1851]

87"]Costs? Not cheap - our council charges 2.5 x the normal building regs fee, so budget for around £800-£1K.

That's assuming its all been done right though and the OP gets approval, if BC turn around say they want this done or that done it could be a helluva lot more than £1K.

Agreed - there could well be additional work to do - I was just pointing out the council's potential fee.

 

[cjard]

Ultimately, you're only considering doing all this work to head off any questions from the buyer's solicitor about whether works carried out have been approved etc - they might be equally easily headed off by the purchase of an indemnity insurance, common practice and a few quid. To be valid, the council must not be aware of a potential breach of rules before the purchase of the indemnity.

Ends up, you want to sell and the buyer wants to buy. How far you'll let them beat you down on price over this is up to you.

 

[Deanoid]

Thanks All,
Would it be possible to go through an independant building inspector?
If the council sent out a graduate to inspect the work, they would end up making me strip back most of it!
I have done many extensions in the past and the graduate inspectors seem to be on a mission to try and find something wrong.
I have even had one measure the flange thinkness of a steel beam in the past.

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

Local BC only for Regularisation. Measuring the flange is a simple way to determine the size of a beam.

 

[tony1851]

the graduate inspectors seem to be on a mission to try and find something wrong.
.

They have to do to justify their existence, and also to show their boss how clever they are.

Why not just leave it and factor it into your selling price? You could be opening a big and expensive can of worms.