Double Storey Extension Drawings in Custom House E16
Fixed-fee, MCIAT-chartered double storey extension drawings for Custom House (E16) homeowners — London Borough of Newham validation and local constraints handled from the start.
Custom House (E16) grew as Victorian dock-worker housing around the Royal Victoria Dock, which opened in 1855, and now sits inside the Royal Docks regeneration and Enterprise Zone. Surviving and postwar-rebuilt terraces sit alongside major new-build development around the ExCeL and the Elizabeth line, so householder work here is largely extensions and lofts on the terraced houses that line the residential streets.
There is no conservation area covering the Custom House part of E16 — that is a genuine, verified fact, not an omission. Its planning character is instead shaped by the working dockside terraced grain and the surrounding regeneration, and by the London Borough of Newham's householder design expectations, which lean on keeping original building lines, materials and roof continuity intact. We treat that terraced character, rather than a conservation designation, as the reference point when we design an extension.
Demand for rear extensions and loft conversions runs steadily across residential streets like Tollgate Road, Rogers Road and Chadwin Road, where compact terraced houses sit on modest plots. We check each property's permitted-development position against Newham's borough-wide controls first — and any surface-water drainage points given the low-lying dockside land — then prepare drawings that either stay within permitted development or are ready to validate as a full householder application.
Planning in Custom House (E16): what to know before you apply
Because Custom House is a dockside mix of surviving and rebuilt terraces set within the Royal Docks regeneration area, Newham assess extensions against the prevailing rhythm and building line of the individual residential street, so matching original brick, roof continuity and neighbour relationships matters alongside the numbers. There is no conservation area and no local Article 4 direction in the Custom House part of E16, so many terraced houses retain permitted development rights for rear and loft work — but compact plots, shared party walls and low-lying land mean depth, height, neighbour impact and drainage are the points a householder application is judged on.
Typical Custom House housing stock
A mix of surviving and postwar-rebuilt terraced housing with substantial new-build apartments across the Royal Docks regeneration area. It is the terraced houses on the residential streets, rather than the apartment blocks, that generate most of the rear-extension and loft-conversion work here.
Streets we regularly draw for in Custom House
Barrier Point Road · Tollgate Road · Rayleigh Road · Wesley Avenue · Rogers Road · Ruscoe Road · Egham Road · Chadwin Road · Cranley Road · Selby Road · Caraway Close · Eclipse Road
What E16 is actually built of
Measured from 274 classified residential buildings in E16, not from a description of the area.
Custom House E16 housing mix
Residential building form across the E16 postcode district, from 274 classified buildings.
| Attached on more than one side | 68% |
|---|---|
| Attached on one side | 27% |
| Detached | 4% |
| Median building footprint | 50 m² |
| Addresses per buildingAbove about 2 means flats and maisonettes dominate | 2.42 |
| Buildings classified | 274 |
Source: Ordnance Survey National Geographic Database (derived statistics). Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains Royal Mail data © Royal Mail copyright and database right 2026. Extracted 2026-08-17.
Double Storey Extension Drawings for Custom House (E16) homes: the package and the process
At first-floor level the drawings have to answer for daylight, privacy and massing. That means proposed elevations showing every new window with its position relative to the boundary, a section taken through the extension and the neighbouring building, and a roof form drawn to sit below the existing ridge rather than compete with it.
We draw the neighbouring property alongside your own, because the officer's assessment is comparative — the effect on their windows and outlook is the test. Setting the first floor in from the boundary, and showing that set-back as a dimension, resolves most objections before consultation begins.
At first floor the boundary relationship decides everything. A detached house has room to set the addition in on both sides; a semi has one shared wall and one clear flank; a mid-terrace can usually only go to the rear, where the effect on both neighbours has to be drawn.
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
Matching the roofline and materials
Planning officers assess a double storey extension heavily on how convincingly it reads as part of the original house rather than an addition bolted onto the side. Our drawings match ridge height, roof pitch, eaves detail and brick or render finish to the existing building wherever the design brief allows, which is consistently one of the strongest factors in securing approval without delay or redesign. Where a subtly contrasting material is proposed instead — a different brick tone, or a zinc or slate roof against a tiled original — we set it out clearly on the elevations so the design intent reads as deliberate rather than a mismatch, which is how most London boroughs prefer a genuine design statement to be presented.
| 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 in Custom House E16 — 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 to extend a house in Custom House?+
Is Custom House in a conservation area?+
How much do planning and building-regulation drawings cost for a Custom House extension?+
How long does Newham Council take to decide?+
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