Porch, Conservatory & drive way

[JenCharlton]

Hi, i don't even know where to start so am great full for any advise.

We are thinking about adding a conservatory to the back of the house and at the front a porch and changing the garden into a drive way.

My partner, his brother in law and his father are very handy, would you recommend them doing as much work as possible or getting a professional in?

I'm sure i need playing permission for the porch & conservatory, but i also read somewhere i would need it for the drive? is this correct?

Would there also be building regulations?

Would you recommend getting someone to do all the work or use individual companies?

Has anyone got any idea on cost? We got a quote just for the driveway at that was £1,500.

The porch would make things so much easier, having a home for shoes, coat and pushchair. The conservatory at the moment would be a play round then turned into a dinning area when not needed as a play room any longer.

 

[dishman]

It depends on the size of your planned extention as to whether you need planning permission or not, it may easily come under permitted development. If you look at the planning section of your local council website they will/should have all the details you will need there.

There is always building regs to comply with

Regarding the driveway, as far as I know you need plannning permission if you want to tarmac/pave more than 5m2 of driveway. All tarmac/paved driveways/fronts cause more water to flow into drains causing possible flooding issues.....

However a good option to consider is a semi-permeable driveway. This allows water to be absorbed into the ground as normal rather than running off into drains.

Don't skimp on a cheap driveway as it will come back to haunt you in the future...

This is a good website to read as if will give you all the information so you know what to expect (or know how to recognise a good driveway construction) if you are quoted for a driveway....

http://www.pavingexpert.com/home.htm

Read it....

It tells you what to expect in terms of driveway construction and types of material.