Planning for house_can I reduce it

mmc2010

Hi guys, I'm a long term observer, new to posting. Myself and my husband are hoping to start our self build soon on a house approx 2600 sqft. We have our full planning and am now thinking of reducing the size of the house. Mainly due to cost reasons, we are trying to be sensible. What course of action must we go through? must we resubmit for new planning or do we have a certain amount if leniency on our existing planning? By that I mean that to the best of my knowledge we can increase the house size by 400sqft and not apply for planning, does the same apply when reducing and just reduce the room sizes or what's the best way around it? Thanks very much in advance.

DOCARCH

The first condition of your planning permission probably states something like the house 'must be built in accordance with the plans and particulars submitted'.

Therefore if you build a house of reduced size (like if you built a house bigger), the finished house would not be in complaince with the planning permission granted.

Local authority planners have a lot more time on their hands these days so I would suggest you have a chat with them as to your options. You may end up having to submit a new planning application for ammendments to the existing plan granted. If you are making the house smaller, the application should not be contentious.

Before you go down this route, it may be worth talking to a quantity surveyor or good builder. Depending on how much you are thinking of reducung the house size, you may not actually save as much as you might think, i.e., if you reduce the house size by 25%, it does not necessarily mean the house will be 25% cheaper.

You could also alternativley consider building the house as granted and saving on not finishing specific/selected rooms, or put in very cheap finishes with the view to changing them as and when you have money?

muffler

mmc2010 wrote: »

must we resubmit for new planning or do we have a certain amount if leniency on our existing planning?

Most likely you will have to submit a new application for a reduction in the size of the proposed house. As stated above you should talk to the local planner about this but I cant really see any other outcome.

mmc2010 wrote: »

By that I mean that to the best of my knowledge we can increase the house size by 400sqft and not apply for planning, does the same apply when reducing and just reduce the room sizes

Sorry, but this is incorrect. You may extend an existing house by up to 40 sq. metres subject to certain conditions and be exempt from planning. This does not apply to houses that exist on paper only.

mmc2010 wrote: »

or what's the best way around it?

I take it you meant to ask "whats the best way to address the issue?" as we neither condone or allow any discussions on "ways" to circumvent the planning process.

Poor Uncle Tom

mmc2010 wrote: »

Hi guys, I'm a long term observer, new to posting.

Welcome along.

mmc2010 wrote: »

Myself and my husband are hoping to start our self build soon on a house approx 2600 sqft. We have our full planning and am now thinking of reducing the size of the house. Mainly due to cost reasons, we are trying to be sensible. What course of action must we go through? must we resubmit for new planning or do we have a certain amount if leniency on our existing planning?

You would be best to apply for a change of house plans as this will allow you to redesign to a new footprint for the overall area instead of just reducing all rooms by a percentage. A new application for a smaller footprint will also have smaller contributions.

mmc2010 wrote: »

By that I mean that to the best of my knowledge we can increase the house size by 400sqft and not apply for planning,

You can only do this when your house is built (as muffler has said above) because the exemptions only apply to a dwelling house, not a dwelling under construction.

mmc2010 wrote: »

does the same apply when reducing and just reduce the room sizes or what's the best way around it? Thanks very much in advance.

Fraid not, but all LA's differ here some will accept a reduced foorprint under the same planning, some won't.

mmc2010

Thanks very much guys. Of course I wasn't looking for ideas as to how to circumvent the planning process! I'm just looking for ideas on how to build a less expensive house! I will discuss with my engineer again and see what he thinks. It may well be nearly as expensive to build a 2500sqft house as a 2000 sq ft, when I take into account the cost of resubmitting new plans for planning.... Must way up the options. thanks again for your advice.

DOCARCH

mmc2010 wrote: »

It may well be nearly as expensive to build a 2500sqft house as a 2000 sq ft, when I take into account the cost of resubmitting new plans for planning

As I suggested above, I'd agree, by making your house 20% smaller it does not necessarily mean it will be 20% cheaper.

mmc2010

thanks very much

imitation

mmc2010 wrote: »

Thanks very much guys. Of course I wasn't looking for ideas as to how to circumvent the planning process! I'm just looking for ideas on how to build a less expensive house! I will discuss with my engineer again and see what he thinks. It may well be nearly as expensive to build a 2500sqft house as a 2000 sq ft, when I take into account the cost of resubmitting new plans for planning.... Must way up the options. thanks again for your advice.

Well if you assume a very rough 90 euro a foot, your still talking about €45k, thats a pretty expensive planning application !

mmc2010

Hi Imitiation, thanks for your comments but I don't think you can use the same 'per foot' average cost for the entire house. I would imagine the first 1000 sq ft would be a lot more expensive than the rest. I am going to have certain fixed costs regardless of whether I build 2500 sq ft or 2000 sq ft ie plumbing, electrics, kitchen, windows etc. Its trying to calculate the variable cost of building each additional sq ft is more difficult.

RKQ

mmc2010 wrote: »

Hi Imitiation, thanks for your comments but I don't think you can use the same 'per foot' average cost for the entire house. I would imagine the first 1000 sq ft would be a lot more expensive than the rest.

I do understand your logic Imitiation, but I'm afraid you must use the same 'per foot' average cost for the entire house. Per sqft costs are really estimates and are for guidelines only.

Maybe you should retain a QS for an accurate price on 2,500 sqft and then compare this with a similiar 2000 sqft house.

I tend to agree with DOCARCH above.

Mellor

imitation wrote: »

Well if you assume a very rough 90 euro a foot, your still talking about €45k, thats a pretty expensive planning application !

that's a really silly attitude.
THe cost per sq.ft decreases as the house increases, this should of been quite obvious.