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Porch house extensions

Building a porch is not as complicated as lot of individuals might believe. It's relatively simple type of house extension.

A porch is a structure attached to a building, forming a covered entrance to a vestibule or doorway. It is external to the walls of the main building proper, but may be enclosed by screen, latticework, broad windows, or other light frame walls extending from the main structure of the building.

There are various styles of porches, all of which depend on the architectural tradition of its location. All porches will allow for sufficient space for a person to comfortably pause before entering or after exiting the building. However, they may be larger. Verandahs, for example, are usually quite large and may encompass the entire facade as well as the sides of a structure.

For free porch building quotes from local builders, please complete the free quotation form located on the left of this page.

Planning permission

When building a porch, you will need to apply for planning permission if:

• The ground floor area (when measured externally) would exceed 3 square metres.
• Any part of the porch would be more than 3 metres above ground level.
• If any part of the porch were within 2 metres of any boundary and the highway.

When planning a porch, there a 3 factors to consider:

• The ground floor area of the proposed porch
• The height of the porch
• Distance from and boundary and highway

Provided the structure would not exceed 3 square metres (when measured externally), would be no higher than 3 metres and would be located no closer than 2 metres from any boundary and highway, then planning permission would not be required. If you live in a Listed Building, you will require to apply for Listed Building Consent.

In certain circumstances however, your "porch" may be of a size where it is not considered a "porch" structure anymore (within the meaning of the amended General Permitted Development Order 2008) but an extension in its own right by virtue of its size for example. Normally, if you do not meet the criteria set out within the Order, you would require planning permission. However, if you chose to add a porch to the side of your property for example, provided you met the relevant criteria, your proposal may well be considered as permitted development which means you would not require planning permission.

House / kitchen extension in Salisbury Avenue, London