front dormer/complete re-model

[djdna2000]

Hi all, a question about front alterations/extension of our house, anyone knows whether this scheme will fly with the planners?

We live in an unremarkable late Victorian terraced street in south London, but our house (as well as one next door) is 50s infill from bomb damage. No redeeming features architecturally. It was a 3 bed, and is now a 4 since we did a full rear dormer loft conversion 3 years ago (full building regs obv). We now have 2 kids and work a lot from home and could really do with an office space, but rather than spend money on stamp duty I was thinking about somehow doing the front dormer in the loft, which would give us plenty enough space. This won't be some patched up job though, I really want to re-do the whole front of the house in a cool modern design, perhaps incorporating solar panels as it is directly south facing (like this http://www.willmottdixon.co.uk/projects/king).

Does anyone know whether, in general, planners would accept this sort of thing? It would be a flat-fronted 3 storey building, but still smaller (at least 50cm lower ridge height for example) than the Victorian place next door. I think it would create a fantastic looking building, whereas now it's pretty nondescript. And it's not 'period', which planners round here are obsessed with protecting.

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

Front dormers are generally frowned upon as they look horrible. So unless every single other house in the road has one you stand very little chance.

 

[djdna2000]

Agreed I don't like the look of them myself, they always look like an afterthought. Which is why I am thinking of what effectively would look like a new, different house at the front, as if someone had knocked down my not-very-nice-looking 50s house and replaced it with something ultra-modern and cool.

If I asked whether I was allowed to knock the place down and start again, what are the rules for that? (not that I'm going to do that, but the same end result as far as the front elevation goes.)

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

If you wanted to rebuild the house it would be considered on its own merit. Impossible to answer. But in a terraced street where the roofline is consistent it would stick out like a saw thumb so I suspect would be heavily resisted. A bit like a front dormer. But you knew I'd say that.

 

[djdna2000]

Yes I realise that would definitely be the case if my house was the same as the others in the street, I wouldn't waste your time asking in that case. What I would be hoping for is that, based on the fact that it is nothing like the rest of the houses on the street to start with (apart from its 50s twin immediately next door) then once complete it would just be a different sort of different, if you know what I mean.

The silly thing is they'd probably let me do it in some horrible pastiche of victorian, judging by the various bits of infill round here that have got the nod in the last few years.

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

If you wanted to rebuild the house it would be considered on its own merit. Impossible to answer.