House extension advice

[Psychosaffa]

Our house is of non standard construction. It's a steel frame prefab. If I build an extension that had a larger floor area than the original house, and move the kitchen into the extension, will the house then be a standard construction house with a non standard extension?

 

[Kent]

confused tell us more about this questions relivance

 

[Dee J]

I guess the only people who care about the build method are mortgage companies... But getting a build that much bigger than the original house would be tricky to get past planning. If it matters that much then maybe it's time to demolish and rebuild. But otherwise there's nothing wrong with a prefab. I know several 1940s ones that are still perfectly sound.

 

[Psychosaffa]

confused tell us more about this questions relivance

Relevance to what?

I guess the only people who care about the build method are mortgage companies... But getting a build that much bigger than the original house would be tricky to get past planning. If it matters that much then maybe it's time to demolish and rebuild. But otherwise there's nothing wrong with a prefab. I know several 1940s ones that are still perfectly sound.

Yeah, this prefab is from the 1940s and is still sound as it's been clad in brick and a new roof fitted. In the grand scheme of things the original house will get demolished and rebuilt. Being of non standard construction means that we are limited to mortgage suppliers and insurers.

 

[Rocketman]

To answer the question it will be still the original house with a large extension. The word extension tells you the meaning that you have extended the original house.

What this means as far as mortgage goes is that getting a mortgage for the extension 'should' be possible.

 

[marlinspike]

I lived in a similar type council house as a child. Steel framed with concrete slabs round it, they were known as 'Cornish houses' for some reason.

I would think it would still be an 'extension', regardless of whether the kitchen is in it or not. I would be amazed if you got planning permission to extend and effectively double the footprint, unless your house is detached and in a huge plot.

It's a good plan though. The houses opposite ours were traditional brick construction and are now worth double the price, due to the mortgage issues.

 

[Psychosaffa]

It is a free standing 2 bed bungalow at the end of a row. I can put 3 houses the size of the current one in the land that we have.
Ideally we would build the extension at 1 1/2 storeys, move into the extension, flatten the original house and rebuild it to 1 1/2 storeys. I'm going to try and make an appointment with a planning officer to see what they suggest.

 

[daleyd]

I wouldn't have thought that would be permitted, everything is based on the "original" building if doing an extension.

I reckon it would be easier to get permission to flatten the whole lot and start from scratch, but I would have thought the way you suggest is unlikely to get through.

 

[Dee J]

This prefab doesn't happen to have an NR postcode does it? Can't be many left now. I may know of it...

 

[Psychosaffa]

doesn't happen to have an NR postcode does it?

just around the corner actually Paisley, Scotland.

 

[Dee J]

That'll be a no then. Back in the 50s some of my uncles bought a bunch of ex London prefabs and rebuilt then in Norfolk. Brick clad and with a tile roof over the corrugated one they made nice houses. One aunt still lives in one of them.

 

[Psychosaffa]

Thanks for that Mrfuzzy! That's exactly the type of think I was thinking!

 

[Kent]

If you can get three homes on the plot its frankly a no brainer if its for profit. You will be into structural engineers fees to extend such a thing and also VAT that you cannot claim back as you can with new build. Forgetting the compromise that an extension always is.
I should never again do a big re-build myself unless the existing history and style of the house itself was really adding value to the build. For one thing with a new build you can put a proper price and completion schedule on everything once your out of the ground. Then you can tick any of the boxes that planning are targeted on like sustainability, eco cred, housing stock targets etc
The above is why I asked relevance and its still the case "why build three smaller if its a home for just your family?" etc.