Single-storey rear extension opening onto a London garden, a common Ealing family-home project

Ealing · London

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.

Proposed floor plan

Ealing

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

What the numbers say about Ealing planning decisions

These are London Borough of Ealing’s own reported figures, published by government rather than estimated by us. They are what we design against — a borough that refuses one householder application in five needs a different drawing package from one that refuses one in twenty.

Permitted development in Ealing

Larger householder extensions put to London Borough of Ealing under the prior-approval route, and lawful-development certificates decided, over eight quarters.

Prior approval not requiredWent ahead without a full application	384
Prior approval granted	36
Prior approval refused	153
Granted where a decision was neededFrom 189 determinations	19%
Building upwards, prior approval refused	1
Certificates of lawful development decided	1,383

Source: Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (PS1 district planning application statistics). Open Government Licence v3.0 Extracted 2026-08-16.

What removes permitted development in Ealing

Live entries on the national planning registers for London Borough of Ealing. Article 4 directions withdraw permitted development rights, so a project inside one needs a full application rather than prior approval. Revoked and expired entries are excluded.

Conservation areasPermitted development is already narrower inside one	31

Source: MHCLG Planning Data Platform. Open Government Licence v3.0 Extracted 2026-08-16.

Double Storey Extension Drawings for Ealing 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.

Extending once vs twice: single versus double storey
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

Sheet from a double storey extension drawings package prepared for a Ealing property, drawn to London Borough of Ealing validation standards — A sheet from the double storey extension drawings package we submit to London Borough of Ealing.

Local Proof

A recent Ealing approval

Completed side-return and rear extension opening onto a garden on an Ealing Edwardian terrace

Householder planning application · Ealing

Side-Return Extension in Ealing, Approved First Time

Edwardian mid-terrace · Planning + building regs + structural

Approved first time, no amendments

Local Areas

Double Storey Extension Drawings across Ealing

Also in Ealing

Planning Permission Planning Drawings Architectural Drawings Building Regulations Drawings Loft Conversion Drawings Double Storey Extension Drawings across London

FAQ

Double Storey Extension Drawings in Ealing — FAQs

How much does a double storey extension cost to design in London?+

Double storey extension drawings start from £2,400, covering full planning permission and structural design for the additional floor. A combined planning and building regulations package with full structural calculations runs up to around £3,850, fixed and agreed upfront.

Do I need planning permission to add a second storey?+

In almost all cases, yes. Permitted development rights for two-storey extensions are much tighter than for single-storey work, particularly around boundary distance and roof matching, so we design double storey projects on the assumption a full householder planning application is required.

Will a double storey extension overlook my neighbour's garden?+

That is exactly what planning officers check, using the 45-degree daylight rule alongside boundary set-in and first-floor set-back guidance. Where a new flank window would look directly into a neighbour's garden, we typically specify obscure or high-level glazing to address it before submission rather than after an objection.

Do I need an architect for a double storey extension?+

No. DrawingsDirect is an MCIAT-chartered architectural technologist practice, producing the same council-accepted drawings and in-house structural coordination as an architect, for a fixed fee typically around 30% lower, with structural calculations for the additional floor produced by the same team rather than a separately appointed engineer.

How long does it take to get double storey extension drawings?+

Drawings are typically ready around 7 days from survey. A householder planning application then has a statutory 8-week determination period once submitted.

Do I need planning permission for a rear extension in Ealing?+

Many Ealing semis and terraces keep permitted development rights for a single-storey rear extension, so a full application isn't always needed. But the borough-wide Article 4 direction on HMO conversions, and conservation areas such as Bedford Park and Pitshanger, remove or restrict those rights in places. We check your address against the designations first and, where it qualifies, confirm permitted development with a Lawful Development Certificate.

What extra control applies in Bedford Park?+

Bedford Park is one of West London's most tightly controlled conservation areas, with detailed control over materials, rooflines, windows and front elevations. A standard permitted-development dormer or cladding change usually won't apply; instead we design to the area's Arts-and-Crafts character and prepare a full householder application with the elevations and materials the council expects — the reliable route to approval there.

How long does Ealing Council take to decide a householder application?+

Ealing determines most householder applications within the statutory eight-week period once they are validated. The commonest cause of delay is a validation query over missing or inconsistent drawings, so we prepare Ealing submissions to the council's validation checklist — correctly scaled existing and proposed plans, elevations and a location plan — to avoid that back-and-forth.

Can you help with a loft conversion on a 1930s Ealing semi?+

Yes. Ealing's Metro-land semis in Perivale, Greenford and Northolt suit hip-to-gable and dormer loft conversions, which frequently qualify as permitted development on semi-detached homes within the volume limits. We confirm eligibility against those limits and any Article 4 or conservation constraint, then produce the planning and building-regulations drawings.

How much do planning drawings cost in Ealing?+

We work to a fixed fee agreed before we start, typically around 30% below an architect's charge for the same council-accepted drawings, with free redraws until Ealing grants approval. The exact figure depends on the project — a single-storey rear extension differs from a double-storey or a loft — so we quote once we understand your scheme rather than on an open-ended hourly basis.

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