Hipped roof to gable roof conversion

Woshy

Hi all,

Just wondering if anybody has had their roof converted from a hipped roof to a gable? and was planning hard to obtain?

We want to get our attic converted and we will need to either convert the hipped roof to a gable roof or put a side dormer window in. Our house (a vert standard 3 bed semi-detached) is in the perfect location for us and we'd really like to stay there but if we can't convert the attic we just won't have enough space upstairs.

We will be applying for planning permission soon and I'm wondering if anybody has had any luck with the planners on this regard or if it's the kind of thing they are getting stricter on? A house on the road behind us has had it done which I'm hoping is a good sign

Gumbo

Yes, i've done it on my own house and have got planning permission for clients on their own properties.
Its all relative to the area you are in.

Is there any precedent?
How will it impact your neighbor etc etc

Woshy

kceire wrote: »

Yes, i've done it on my own house and have got planning permission for clients on their own properties.
Its all relative to the area you are in.

Is there any precedent?
How will it impact your neighbor etc etc

Thank you. It's nice to hear of it being done anyway! I really, really don't want to move house

A house on the street behind us (the houses that back on to ours) has had it done so I'm hoping that's a positive. I don't think it would affect the neighbours on either side, I'm guessing it would be the house behind us that would see the difference - but I'm hoping the roof being a different shape will not be classed as too disruptive.

We are also the only house on the street that has a house built opposite us too (the rest of the houses on our street face onto a green verge) so that might go against us - but they have a gabled roof, not a hipped roof so I'm guessing that that's a good thing?

Fingers crossed anyway!

jmBuildExt

Look up to see if they got planning to do it.

Near me, I've seen 2 separate 3 bed semis get planning, even though their neighbour's house is still hipped on the side and the block is now un-symmetrical (if thats a word) - but both were converted to "dutch roof" (the gable is not built up all the way to the ridge line, so you're left with a smaller sloped part of the roof). One of them even got permission to build a large dormer type window into the back of the roof, they dont overlook anyone - this prob helped their cause.

Woshy

jmBuildExt wrote: »

Look up to see if they got planning to do it.

Near me, I've seen 2 separate 3 bed semis get planning, even though their neighbour's house is still hipped on the side and the block is now un-symmetrical (if thats a word) - but both were converted to "dutch roof" (the gable is not built up all the way to the ridge line, so you're left with a smaller sloped part of the roof). One of them even got permission to build a large dormer type window into the back of the roof, they dont overlook anyone - this prob helped their cause.

Yeah, weirdly the house that has the conversion done by us has a big dormer window on the back too, and they do overlook a house at the back. Our gardens are small and all the houses back directly on to another. I was really surprised to see they'd had it done and presumably got planning for it but maybe it was done some time ago. I will look up if they got planning for it.

Great to hear houses near you got permission, we would be in the same situation. Our neighbours house would still be hipped so it would look asymmetrical.

Our neighbours are fairly decent too and we've a good relationship on all sides (opposite, behind and on either side of us!) so I'm hoping that will help with objections etc but you never know with people, do you?!

Penn

How far away is your back wall from your rear boundary, and likewise for the neighbour behind you? If you're more than 11m from your boundary, and if your rear neighbours are similar (so 22m total), then overlooking won't be deemed to be an issue as there's a reasonable distance between the houses/boundaries.

Regarding converting the hip roof to a gable, are there any gables elsewhere in the estate? Precedent will be a key argument for you to make. Even if your adjoining neighbour's roof will still have a hip roof, if there are already gable roofs in the estate, take photos and use it as part of your argument, that you won't be doing something outside of the norm for the estate.

Woshy

Penn wrote: »

How far away is your back wall from your rear boundary, and likewise for the neighbour behind you? If you're more than 11m from your boundary, and if your rear neighbours are similar (so 22m total), then overlooking won't be deemed to be an issue as there's a reasonable distance between the houses/boundaries.

Regarding converting the hip roof to a gable, are there any gables elsewhere in the estate? Precedent will be a key argument for you to make. Even if your adjoining neighbour's roof will still have a hip roof, if there are already gable roofs in the estate, take photos and use it as part of your argument, that you won't be doing something outside of the norm for the estate.

Our garden is quite small but partly because we have a good sized kitchen extension, as do the neighbours behind us. It could be 22m total if you are going from the where the roof finishes/the upstairs back wall as opposed to the back wall of the downstairs of the house on both houses but only just.

Thanks for the tips on photos. There is a house that is the same design as ours that has had it done so I'll make sure to include that in the application.

Penn

Woshy wrote: »

Our garden is quite small but partly because we have a good sized kitchen extension, as do the neighbours behind us. It could be 22m total if you are going from the where the roof finishes/the upstairs back wall as opposed to the back wall of the downstairs of the house on both houses but only just.

Thanks for the tips on photos. There is a house that is the same design as ours that has had it done so I'll make sure to include that in the application.

22m from first floor window to first floor window. That's the general rule for exempted development and also for housing estates. So if you wanted a dormer window on the rear roof slope, if you have the 22m (or at least 11m from your own first floor window to your rear boundary wall, that's generally what it'll be judged by. That and making sure the size of the dormer doesn't dominate the rear roof (eg. it doesn't take up more than approx 75% of the rear roof, though there's no specific % and will be at the planner's discretion whether it does or not, but <75% and you should be alright).