DIY Architecture for planning permission

Eclectic Dan

I'm considering applying for planning permission for a house on a site close to home in rural Wexford in the next 6 months. Local needs, sightlines and percolation should be fine; however, I'm hoping to position the house well away from the road to make the most of the views. It's possible also that there will be objections.

Given that it's probably a shot to nothing (I'd say about 25% chance of being granted), I'm considering saving myself €5-6k and going DIY on the application giving myself about 6 months to complete the site survey, planning drawings, house design, site suitability myself. I've an engineering background, so can cobble together pretty basic drawings.

A wishful hope is that if I get planning, I could have the house re-designed, and planning amendment submitted if necessary.

It's probably a ridiculous idea, but wondering whether anyone has done something similar?

rayjdav

Absolutely nothing to stop you trying but you will deffo need someone for the site suitability test. Usually from an approved list and insurance cover required.
If you can draw and print to scale and not worried about technical aspects of an RFI, motor on. Once you get it validated sure you are nearly half way there:D

JimmyMW

Eclectic Dan wrote: »

I'm considering applying for planning permission for a house on a site close to home in rural Wexford in the next 6 months. Local needs, sightlines and percolation should be fine; however, I'm hoping to position the house well away from the road to make the most of the views. It's possible also that there will be objections.

Given that it's probably a shot to nothing (I'd say about 25% chance of being granted), I'm considering saving myself €5-6k and going DIY on the application giving myself about 6 months to complete the site survey, planning drawings, house design, site suitability myself. I've an engineering background, so can cobble together pretty basic drawings.

A wishful hope is that if I get planning, I could have the house re-designed, and planning amendment submitted if necessary.

It's probably a ridiculous idea, but wondering whether anyone has done something similar?

Best to submit an outline planning here first, if granted then you can go for the house design stage and get a professional involved

beggars_bush

Plenty of lads will do a good site survey for €200.
Once you've that done then you can work away at it.

I'd prefer to get someone to do a good end drawing.

Eclectic Dan

JimmyMW wrote: »

Best to submit an outline planning here first, if granted then you can go for the house design stage and get a professional involved

Are there any pitfalls with outline planning? It seems like the obvious route, but may end up overly restrictive?

Eclectic Dan

beggars_bush wrote: »

Plenty of lads will do a good site survey for €200.
Once you've that done then you can work away at it.

I'd prefer to get someone to do a good end drawing.

Much like the drawing, I was going to 'cobble together' a site survey myself - but if one is possible for €200-300, then there's little savings from me hiring a GPS rover.

seamus

Eclectic Dan wrote: »

Are there any pitfalls with outline planning? It seems like the obvious route, but may end up overly restrictive?

Outline really only needs the bare bones - where you're going to build, what you're going to build, how big you expect it will be, where the entrance to the public road will be, etc.
These are things you already have in your head. Unless you later change from from a dormer bungalow to a four-storey hotel and add a swimming pool, there's no issue.

Outline PP isn't planning permission anyway. One way or another you will have to apply for Full PP. So long as the detailed plans are broadly in line with what was approved in the outline, you'd be laughing. You won't be rigidly held to the outline, so if the house has to be moved a few metres in any direction or has an extra 30 sq.m. floor space, will make no real difference.

TheBoyConor

Nothing stopping you doing that but you don't have the experience as to what does work and doesn't work well design wise for a house to live in. My brother did similar and he has the live with unideal internal layout, a house with a disproportionally large and prominent roof, poorly positioned and undersized windows, and floor joists of too long a span, too much load that have sagged. His specification was also weak and fully of ambiguities and gaps, so the contractor ran rampant with extra costs.

The reason? He had studied engineering and fancied himself as an Engineer. Wrong. Having studied engineering and being and Engineer, are most definitely not equivalent. No more than doing a first aid course makes you a doctor.

You could do the external preliminary design as the Planners aren't interested in the internal layouts or construction details. really should get an architect and/or engineer to detail out the internal layouts and the detailed design and specification and construction details.
To skimp off on having the proper expertise is a false economy. It is a small enough cost in the bigger picture of building a house. You'd be saving say 5k but running of the risk of having a poorly specified house with wonky or unideal layouts.

On the outline you would be OK. It is just approval in principle that "a house" can be built on the proposed site. The specific proposal is only looked at for full PP. But even then, they are mostly looking at overall form, orientation, appearance, access safety, wastewater etc. They are not going to highlight a design flaw, something not compliant with the Building Regs or have any real interest in the design details.

Beware - don't go building off of the planning drawing, these don't have enough detail to allow a contractor to price and built it to the correct specification. Building off the planning drawings has been the undoing of many a self build house, which ends up riddled with dodgy details, and substandard or unexpected equipment.

I'd recommend you not skimp on professional input. It is money well spent.

Eclectic Dan

seamus wrote: »

Outline really only needs the bare bones - where you're going to build, what you're going to build, how big you expect it will be, where the entrance to the public road will be, etc.
These are things you already have in your head. Unless you later change from from a dormer bungalow to a four-storey hotel and add a swimming pool, there's no issue.

Outline PP isn't planning permission anyway. One way or another you will have to apply for Full PP. So long as the detailed plans are broadly in line with what was approved in the outline, you'd be laughing. You won't be rigidly held to the outline, so if the house has to be moved a few metres in any direction or has an extra 30 sq.m. floor space, will make no real difference.

Ok excellent - seems like outline PP is the way to go. Would the following seem reasonable?

• Have a site survey carried out, probably by others;
• Site suitability test myself (I have the quals and probably the insurances to do this)
• Put together a site plan myself with entrance, sight-lines, layout indicative floor levels, roof heights.
• Submit application for outline pp
• If granted, happy days. Engage an architect and have a house well designed
• Apply for full PP. Very likely(?) to be granted unless I take the piss with house size/height etc.
• If outline PP is refused, then I've saved a few bob.

I suppose the question is whether outline PP or full PP with a sensitively designed house be equally likely to be granted?

TheBoyConor

It'll be easier to get outline planning as it is just permission in principle for "a house" of some sort.

Full PP will be a bit more tricky to get right, as there is more to it. The exact location, form, orientation, appearance of the house will have to tick all the boxes. You will get it, but you just have to satisfy the criteria that the council require
for the specifics.

Full PP after outline is the same.

You just split the process in 2. It isn't any more onerous to do it one way or the other. At least it shouldn't be.

iColdFusion

Eclectic Dan wrote: »

Ok excellent - seems like outline PP is the way to go. Would the following seem reasonable?

• Have a site survey carried out, probably by others;
• Site suitability test myself (I have the quals and probably the insurances to do this)
• Put together a site plan myself with entrance, sight-lines, layout indicative floor levels, roof heights.
• Submit application for outline pp
• If granted, happy days. Engage an architect and have a house well designed
• Apply for full PP. Very likely(?) to be granted unless I take the piss with house size/height etc.
• If outline PP is refused, then I've saved a few bob.

I suppose the question is whether outline PP or full PP with a sensitively designed house be equally likely to be granted?

I would say going for outline permission first would also get any objections to come forward if you think that will happen but easier to fight as you are just looking for general permission and they would be less likely to object a second time when you go for full PP.
If for instance you had the outline notice up on the boundary for everyone to see they might not even notice that it had been changed one night to a notice for full PP