For an extension or loft that is permitted development, our building regulations drawings and structural calculations start at from £945 drawings + £150 survey (£1,095 total), with one survey serving both. Bought separately the two services cost £1,120, so the bundle is the lower figure, and there is no planning fee at all.
On this page
"No planning" is a conclusion you should earn before you pay for anything. This post explains the three checks that make it safe, and what the building control side still needs.
Does permitted development really remove the paperwork?
It removes the planning application. It does not remove building regulations. Permitted development means the Government has granted planning permission in advance for defined work, within defined limits (MHCLG technical guidance). The structure, insulation, drainage and fire safety of the same work still go to building control.
That is the gap the bundle fills. Our drawings show how the extension is built, and the engineer's calculation sizes the steel over the opening you are forming, both drawn from one measured survey.
What are the three checks before you skip planning?
- Is the right still there? A council can withdraw permitted development by an Article 4 direction for an area, and then the work needs an application (article 4). Planning conditions on your house or estate can do the same. Our borough pages name each council's Article 4 areas.
- Does the work fit the limits? Depth, height, eaves, materials and distance from the boundary all have limits in Class A. Our permitted development checker applies them in three questions and says plainly if you need no application.
- Is it a larger home extension? A rear single-storey extension deeper than the standard limit needs prior approval first, with 6m allowed for most houses and 8m for detached ones (Class A). That is a notification to the council, not a full application. Our prior approval post sets out its cost, and this bundle does not include it.
If you cannot answer all three with confidence, a certificate of lawfulness turns the answer into a document before the builder starts.
What does the bundle cover, line by line?
The survey is £150, the construction drawings £425, the building control submission £120 and the structural calculations £400. The fee starts at that total because loft conversions with several steels and extensions with unusual spans take more calculation, and we confirm the final figure in writing before work begins.
The structural stage covers a beam, lintel and padstone calculation for a standard extension or loft. Our steel beam cost post explains what the pack contains.
What do you pay outside our fee?
Building control's own charge, paid to your council or to the registered approver you choose (GOV.UK). Party wall costs if the beam bears on a shared wall. The builder's price for the work. There is no council planning fee, which is the point of the route.
What if I skip building regulations on permitted development work?
The permission you rely on does not cover it. Building control can require non-compliant work to be removed or altered for ten years after completion (Building Act 1984, section 36), and a buyer's solicitor will ask for the completion certificate. For work already built, see our regularisation cost post.
Before work starts, you must also give a building notice or deposit full plans (regulation 12). We use full plans for most extensions, because the inspector checks the design before the builder opens the wall.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use this if I also need planning permission? No. If the work needs an application, the package shares one survey across planning, building regulations and structure, and starts at £1,395.
Does the bundle include prior approval for a deep extension? No. Prior approval is a separate notification with its own drawings and the council's fee. We price it on our prior approval page.
Is a loft conversion included? Yes, if it is permitted development. Loft conversions also need a fire escape route, which our Part B guide explains.
Why is the bundle lower than the two parts together? The engineer works from our drawings, and one survey serves both, so the repeated work is not charged twice.
