Dormer loft conversion drawings in Upminster, RM14
A dormer loft conversion in Upminster can go ahead without a full planning application if the added roof space stays within 40 cubic metres for a terrace or 50 cubic metres for any other house, and the rest of Class B is met. Our fixed fee for the drawings starts at £695.
Fixed fee from £495 drawings + £200 survey (£695 total) · all prices
Prefer to talk it through?
How big can an Upminster dormer be before it needs permission?
The General Permitted Development Order sets the roof space volume limit at 40 cubic metres for a terrace house and 50 cubic metres for any other house (GPDO 2015, Schedule 2, Part 1, Class B). A semi-detached or detached home in RM14 gets the larger figure, a terrace gets the smaller one.
Measure the volume of the new dormer, plus any earlier roof additions, before you fix the design. Past additions by a previous owner count towards the same total.
The certificate route is busy in Havering
Our analysis of MHCLG planning application statistics, table PS1 (released 24 Sep 2026), shows Havering decided 1,102 certificates of lawful development across the eight quarters from 2024 Q3 to 2026 Q2. That count covers all certificate types, not only lofts, but it shows the council handles a steady flow of them.
A certificate of lawful development gives written proof that your dormer is lawful. A buyer's solicitor may ask for it later, so it can be worth having even when permission is not required. Our lawful development certificate drawings service prepares the plans the application needs.
Our analysis of the MHCLG Planning Data Platform (bulk snapshot of 14 Aug 2026) counts 11 conservation-area entries on the national register for Havering.
When a householder application is the better route
Some Upminster roofs need a full application. A dormer on the front roof slope facing the road, a flat with no permitted development rights, or a house in a conservation area all fall here. Our analysis of MHCLG planning application statistics, table PS2, shows Havering granted 86% of its householder decisions across the four quarters from 2025 Q3 to 2026 Q2.
That is a borough-wide figure for every kind of householder work. It describes the council's record, and it does not forecast how any one loft will be decided.
Check the conservation areas before you design
Our analysis of the MHCLG Planning Data Platform (bulk snapshot of 14 Aug 2026) counts 11 conservation-area entries on the national register for Havering. A house inside one has no Class B rights, so a dormer there needs a householder application.
Look up your address on Havering's conservation area map, or read our conservation area glossary entry, then tell us before drawings begin.
Drawings for an RM14 dormer, and the fee
We survey the loft, then draw the existing and proposed plans, elevations and a section through the new dormer. The fixed fee for dormer loft conversion drawings starts at £695.
Once the design is settled we can carry it into Building Regulations drawings. Our guide to planning permission for a loft conversion covers the wider rules.
Sources
Every figure on this page, where it comes from and a link to the original.
| Figure | Source | Link |
|---|---|---|
| 1,102 | Our analysis of MHCLG planning application statistics, table PS1 (district open data table) (released 24 Sep 2026, quarters to 2026 Q2) | www.gov.uk |
| 86% | Our analysis of MHCLG planning application statistics, table PS2 (district open data table) (released 24 Sep 2026, quarters to 2026 Q2) | www.gov.uk |
| 11 | Our analysis of MHCLG Planning Data Platform conservation-area and article-4-direction datasets (bulk snapshot retrieved 14 Aug 2026) | www.planning.data.gov.uk |
| 40 cubic metres | GPDO 2015 Sch 2 Pt 1 Class B.1(d): roof space volume addition limit, terrace house (source wording: 40 cubic metres) | www.legislation.gov.uk |
| 50 cubic metres | GPDO 2015 Sch 2 Pt 1 Class B.1(d): roof space volume addition limit, any other house (source wording: 50 cubic metres) | www.legislation.gov.uk |
| £695 | DrawingsDirect starting fixed fee for dormer loft conversion drawings, from the published price list | drawingsdirect.co.uk |
Questions people ask
Do I need planning permission for a loft conversion in Upminster?
Does a terraced house in RM14 have a lower limit?
Should I apply for a certificate of lawful development?
Photographs: GRALISTAIR (CC BY-SA 4.0); David Hawgood (CC BY-SA 2.0).
