Spent £20,000 on a 1930s home renovation without builders starting the project yet!
Rewritten Article:
Grabbing headlines as some sort of mega building bonanza, the Government claims it's slashing red tape. But I find myself shelling out a whopping £20,000 on fees — before a single hammer strikes — just for a regular-joe home renovation!
Plagued by mountainous expenses, I've tossed cash at specialist advice, planning approvals, a website processing fee, blueprints, noise analysis... it never stops.
The worst part? Many of these fees jumped drastically on April Fool's Day — and by over 100% for a few!
My family moved into what we call our forever home last year. It's a charming 1930s four-bedroom detached house on a quiet, non-through road just outside London.
But it's far from perfect. The rooms are coated in black mould, and the fixtures are either old, broken, or just plain bizarre.
The dream? A kitchen extension, garage transformation, and a new ensuite bedroom. It's not a Grand Design makeover — we're not even planning a loft extension. Which is why I've been taken aback by the sheer expense of planning permission.
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You won't believe it, but I live here in London, but these costs are mostly fixed nationwide or set similarly across the country.
As advised by Victoria Killick, who heads up FarleyWood estate agents in Surrey, many homeowners and buyers aren't aware of how pricey planning permission and its related requirements can be.
"Be conscious of these costs to prevent overspending on a project, ensuring its total cost doesn't outweigh the added property value," she warns.
My case illustrates this principle, as the improvements' value more than offsets the painful permit-related expenses and crippling bills.
Here's the lowdown on what I've coughed up already — and the hidden expenses you should watch out for even before starting a building project:
Design Fees
Firstly, I had to commission a property survey and design for the extension and remodel. This included consulting experts on the local authorities' preferences.
Costs for these services vary significantly. One architect demanded they handle both design and project management, taking an enormous percentage of the total construction costs.
I, however, went with a firm that charged £3,468 (including tax).
Application Charges
My architect had to submit my plan — known as the householder application — to the local council via an online portal.
A £258 fee (no tax, but it's now £528 as of April 1) accompanied this submission, along with a processing fee of £70 (up to £85 after April 1).
Initially operated by TerraQuest Solutions and the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (MHCLG), this portal is now run by a private firm. Its profits soared 20% to £1.2 million in 2023.
These fees appear to be increasing annually by 10%, but what's the extra money being spent on?
Ellen Cullen, a planning consultant at Fluent Architectural Design Services in Surrey, points out that homeowners haven't seen any improvement in the quality or speed of the process.
Structural Report
It's wise to hold off on commissioning these calculations until you receive planning approval to prevent paying to modify the plans. On average, they take five weeks to prepare.
Luckily, we were granted approval without amendments, saving me a potential rework cost.
Engineers charged £3,600 for these structural calculations (including tax) and set forth designs to ensure my project complies with building regulations at a cost of £3,096.
Building Control
Safety and energy standards call for approval of these plans by a building control body. Certificates are mandatory when selling properties.
Local governments or private firms can act as building control bodies. I've heard estimates between £1,500 to £2,000 (including tax) if opting for the former, with approval expected within 8 weeks.
Choosing the private route can secure approval in 5 working days, with fees ranging between £1,800 to £2,000 with tax.
Elizabeth Windsor of Create Spaces, a West Sussex design and build company, shares that 70% of their clients select the private route.
Party Wall Plan
The highest expense I've encountered thus far. My project involves constructing walls within three meters of my neighbors' foundations.
The surveyors' fees totaled almost £6,000 (including tax), with individual costs for the adjoining owners included.
The neighbours' surveyors billed me £2,900 for their efforts — tallying expenses over £5,600 with tax.
Fortunately, homeowners can avoid these costs by directly negotiating with neighbors without using surveyors for smaller projects.
Noise Assessment
To cover the purchase of air-source heat pumps supplying internal air-conditioners, my plan needed a noise-impact analysis.
A 24-hour sound recording and a report resulted in a £1,704 bill (including tax).
Planning consultants say this requirement is part of a growing trend, claiming some local authorities request additional reports that can be expensive.
"External flood risk assessments — typically under £1,500 with tax — are another example," adds Cullen.
With planning expenses approximating £18,000 and building control fees yet to come, I can't fathom where the support for property improvement projects lies.
"Rising numbers of required reports — that could deter homeowners from extending properties — underscore the need for a reevaluation of the planning system," says Cullen.
A MHCLG spokesperson states, "We inherited a broken planning system riddled with obstacles. Our Government is working to fix this, along with making the system more adaptable and easing extensions rules."
- My plan for a kitchen extension, garage transformation, and a new ensuite bedroom requires a property survey and design, which included consulting experts on local authorities' preferences, resulting in a cost of £3,468.
- A householder application, submitted by my architect to the local council via an online portal, incurred a fee of £258 (now £528 as of April 1) and a processing fee of £70 (up to £85 after April 1).
- Engineers charged £3,600 for structural calculations and set forth designs to ensure my project complies with building regulations, which cost an additional £3,096.
- Safety and energy standards require approval of these plans by a building control body, with fees ranging between £1,500 to £2,000 if opting for a local government, or £1,800 to £2,000 with tax if choosing a private firm.
- My project also requires a party wall plan, with surveyors' fees totaling almost £6,000, including costs for adjoining owners. For smaller projects, homeowners can avoid these costs by directly negotiating with neighbors without using surveyors.
