Double Storey Extension Drawings in Ealing
Fixed-fee, MCIAT-chartered double storey extension drawings for Ealing homeowners — London Borough of Ealing validation and local constraints handled from the start.
Ealing pairs generous Edwardian and Victorian housing stock with some of West London's most protective conservation control, so the right route for an extension or loft depends heavily on where in the borough you are. The stock ranges from Edwardian and Victorian terraces through 1930s Metro-land semi-detached homes in Perivale, Greenford and Northolt to the Arts-and-Crafts houses of Bedford Park. A rear extension in Northolt is a very different application from a roofline change in Bedford Park, and treating them the same is how schemes stall.
The constraints matter early. The London Borough of Ealing operates a borough-wide Article 4 direction removing permitted development rights for HMO conversions, and applies further control to front-garden hardstanding in parts of the borough. Its conservation areas — Bedford Park, Ealing Green, Pitshanger, Hanwell Village Green and St Stephen's — apply strict control over dormers, materials and front elevations, Bedford Park most tightly of all. Mature street trees carry Tree Preservation Orders, and aircraft-noise considerations apply toward the west of the borough, so the address determines the approach.
We prepare Ealing planning drawings to the council's validation standards, checking permitted development eligibility first and designing to Ealing's residential extension guidance so applications are validated without a query. On the Metro-land semis of Perivale and Greenford that usually means confirming a hip-to-gable or dormer loft as permitted development with a Lawful Development Certificate; in Bedford Park and the other conservation areas it means a full householder application designed to the area's character. The fee is fixed and agreed up front, typically around 30% below an architect's charge for the same council-accepted drawings, with free redraws until Ealing approves. Our validation-first approach and roughly seven-day drawing turnaround keep most applications inside the statutory eight-week determination.
Planning in Ealing: what to know before you apply
Ealing operates a borough-wide Article 4 direction removing permitted development rights for HMO conversions, and its conservation areas — Bedford Park especially — apply strict control over dormers, materials and front elevations. We flag these before drawing.
Typical Ealing housing stock
Edwardian and Victorian terraces, 1930s Metro-land semi-detached homes, and the Arts-and-Crafts houses of Bedford Park.
Areas we regularly draw for in Ealing
Ealing Broadway · Acton · Hanwell · Greenford · Northolt · Perivale · Southall
Double Storey Extension Drawings for Ealing homes: the package and the process
Every double storey extension drawings we prepare for a Ealing property is drawn to London Borough of Ealing’s validation standards and tuned to the local constraints above. Here is what the drawing package covers and how the process runs from first survey to approval.
A double storey extension builds a second floor above a single-storey side or rear addition, typically adding a bedroom and bathroom upstairs over a widened kitchen or reception room below. Because the foundations and roof of a single-storey extension already carry most of the fixed cost of building, adding a floor on top is often the most cost-effective way to gain two rooms rather than two separate projects. The trade-off is scrutiny: a two-storey addition sits closer to eye level with neighbouring windows and gardens, so councils examine massing, roofline and boundary distance more closely than they would a single-storey extension.
DrawingsDirect draws double storey side and rear extensions for full planning and building regulations, with structural calculations for the additional floor load and foundations produced in-house by our MCIAT-chartered team, on a fixed fee. If a single storey is enough, see our Rear Extension and Side Return Extension pages, or combine both with a Wraparound if you are extending sideways as well as up.
Do I need planning permission for a double storey extension in London?
Almost always. Permitted development rights for two-storey extensions are far more restrictive than for single-storey work, particularly on how close the new structure can come to a boundary and how closely its roof pitch and eaves height must match the existing house, so most double storey projects are drawn and submitted as full householder planning applications rather than relying on permitted development.
Where the property sits in a conservation area or is subject to an Article 4 direction, any remaining permitted development allowance for a second storey is typically removed entirely, reinforcing the need for a full application. We check your property's status and your borough's design guidance before drawing.
How do councils control the impact of a double storey extension on neighbours?
Because a second storey introduces new windows and massing at first-floor level, London boroughs apply design guidance aimed specifically at protecting neighbouring light, privacy and outlook.
- The 45-degree rule, tested at neighbouring windows, to check the extension does not block an unreasonable amount of daylight
- A common design expectation that a two-storey side extension is set in roughly 1 metre from the shared boundary, rather than built hard against it
- A first floor commonly set back from the ground floor front elevation, so the upper storey reads as subordinate to the main house from the street
- Obscure or high-level glazing on flank walls facing directly into a neighbour's garden or windows, to limit overlooking
| Option | What it adds | Typical fee |
|---|---|---|
| Single-storey rear extension | A ground-floor kitchen-diner only, may qualify for permitted development | see Rear Extension Drawings, from £1,100 |
| Double storey side or rear extension | Two rooms across two floors, usually needs full planning | Full Planning pack ~£1,600–£2,400 |
| Double storey + Building Regulations (structural) | Combined pack including structural calculations for two-floor loads and foundations | Planning + Building Regs pack ~£2,200–£3,850 |
| Wraparound (rear + side return) | Combines two single-storey extensions into one L-shaped ground floor | see Wraparound Extension Drawings, from £2,200 |
Double Storey Extension Drawings across Ealing
Double Storey Extension Drawings in Ealing — FAQs
How much does a double storey extension cost to design in London?+
Do I need planning permission to add a second storey?+
Will a double storey extension overlook my neighbour's garden?+
Do I need an architect for a double storey extension?+
How long does it take to get double storey extension drawings?+
Do I need planning permission for a rear extension in Ealing?+
What extra control applies in Bedford Park?+
How long does Ealing Council take to decide a householder application?+
Can you help with a loft conversion on a 1930s Ealing semi?+
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