Plans for extensions and alterations

Plans for your Hertfordshire extension, loft or garage conversion

Tell us what you want to build and where. With your consent, we pass your enquiry to a local architectural designer, if one covers your postcode, to talk through drawings and approvals.

  1. One form, one local designer, never a list
  2. Planning, Building Regulations and party walls explained
  3. Free to ask, and you decide whether to go ahead
Step 1 of 2: What do you need help with?

Free to enquire · No obligation

This is an enquiry service. The designer quotes and agrees the work with you directly.

How we handle your details

Drawing register

What drawings do you need?

  1. Drawing HEP-01

    Extension plans

    Drawings for a rear, side or double-storey extension to your house, and what to check on planning, Building Regulations and neighbours before you build. Covers what the drawings include and when permitted development applies.

    About extension plans
  2. Drawing HEP-02

    Loft conversion plans

    Drawings for turning roof space into a bedroom or study, and the planning, Building Regulations and party wall points that come with it. Covers dormers, hip-to-gable and rooflight conversions and the volume limits.

    About loft conversion plans
  3. Drawing HEP-03

    Building regulations drawings

    The technical drawings and details building control needs for an extension, loft, garage conversion or internal alteration, and how full plans and building notice differ. Covers what building control checks and what to do if work has already started.

    About building regulations drawings
  4. Drawing HEP-04

    Garage conversion plans

    Drawings for turning a garage into a bedroom, office or living space, and what to check on planning, Building Regulations and parking first. Covers parking conditions, floor levels and the front of the house.

    About garage conversion plans

Three overlays

How it works

  1. Overlay 1 of 3

    Describe the project

    Choose extension, loft, garage or building regulations drawings, add your postcode and say what you have in mind.

  2. Overlay 2 of 3

    We pass it on

    With your consent, your enquiry goes to one architectural designer, if one covers your postcode, and to nobody else.

  3. Overlay 3 of 3

    Talk it through

    The designer contacts you to discuss the project and agree terms directly with you. Going ahead is your decision.

A roll of yellow tracing paper over a pencil floor plan on a wooden drafting desk by a sash window, with a scale rule, masking tape, a tape measure and a mechanical pencil.
Plans usually start from the house as it stands. The existing layout is drawn first, then the proposed changes are drawn over it.

General notes

Useful to have to hand

None of this is needed to send an enquiry, but it helps the designer understand the project sooner.

  1. Rough sizes or a sketch

    Approximate room sizes, or a photo of a sketch on paper, are enough to start. The house can be measured properly later.

  2. Photos of the house

    The walls where the work would go, and the loft space or garage if the project involves them.

  3. What you know about planning

    Earlier extensions, whether the house is listed or in a conservation area, and any letters from the council. These can affect what needs planning permission.

  4. Shared walls and boundaries

    Work on or near a shared wall or boundary may need a party wall notice to your neighbours under the Party Wall etc. Act 1996.

Location key · Hertfordshire

Areas covered

Not listed? Send your enquiry anyway. We only pass it to an architectural designer who covers your postcode, if there is one. More about the areas we cover.

Queries

Questions

Who will I be dealing with?

You will deal with a local architectural designer, if one covers your postcode. This website is an independent enquiry service and does not draw plans itself. The designer, not this site, agrees the scope and fee with you.

What if nobody covers my postcode?

We tell you, and we do not pass your details on. Your enquiry is only shared when a local designer covers your postcode, and only with your consent.

Do I need planning permission for an extension?

Sometimes, and sometimes not. Many house extensions can be built under permitted development, but flats, conservation areas, listed buildings and homes with removed rights are treated differently. Your local council's planning department decides, so ask it or apply for a lawful development certificate if you want certainty.

Is it free to ask?

Yes, sending an enquiry costs you nothing and does not commit you to anything. Any fee for drawings is agreed between you and the designer.

Who sees my details?

Only the one designer your enquiry is passed to, and only if you agree to that when you send the form. We do not sell your details to a list of firms.

Can I ask about work that is already under way?

Yes. Say so in your message. Drawings for Building Regulations can sometimes be needed after work has started, and the designer can tell you what applies.

Is Herts Extension Plans a design practice?

No. It is an independent enquiry service and does not draw plans. With your consent, it passes your enquiry to one local architectural designer, if one covers your postcode.

Tell us what you would like to build.

Ask about your plans
Ask about your plans