Spent £20,000 on refurbishing a 1930s home, yet the construction team hasn't even broken ground!

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Let me tell ya, folks, the Government's proudin' itself on lettin' loose the 'biggest building boom' ever seen in a generation. But it's pourin' out more'n £20,000 in fees for a standard home renovation - and that's before the work's even begun!

I've coughed up thousands for expert advice to secure planning permission, submitted a householder application, paid a planning portal processing fee, building regulation plans, noise-impact assessments, and the list goes on. And guess what? Many of these fees jumped up by more than 100% on April 1!

It all kicked off last spring when my family moved into what we hoped would be our forever home - a quaint 1930s four-bed detached house tucked away on a non-through road on the outskirts of London. But the place is riddled with black mold, broken fixtures, and plenty of oddities.

We've got big plans: a kitchen extension, garage conversion, and a new ensuite bedroom. But we ain't aimin' to recreate Grand Designs - just some basic improvements. So you can imagine how much the cost of securing planning permission took me aback.

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Victoria Killick, who runs the Surrey estate agent FarleyWood, warns, "It's crucial to be aware of these costs to avoid spending more on a project than the value the improvement work would add to the property."

Read on to find out the eye-watering costs I've dished out - and the hidden fees you should be aware of before starting a building project.

Design Services

First off, I needed a measurement survey of the house and plot, along with a design for the extension and remodel. This included getting input from a planning consultant to ensure the design was in line with the local authority's preferences.

Prices vary greatly. One architect insisted on taking me on only if they managed the build and charged a percentage of the total construction cost - thousands upon thousands! Instead, I went with a company charging £3,468, including VAT.

Application Fees

My architect submitted the plan - the 'householder application' - to the local authority via an online planning portal. This fee set me back £528 (no VAT) and included a £85 processing fee (which rose from £70), but lookin' forward to April 1, these'll jump by 10%.

The portal used to be run by TerraQuest Solutions and the Ministry of Housing, Communities, and Local Government (MHCLG). Now a private company, it raked in a tidy £1.2 million in profits in 2023, and the fees are expected to rise by 10% annually. Some folks question, "Where's all this extra money goin'?"

Planning experts, like Ellen Cullen from Fluent Architectural Design Services in Surrey, comment, "There's certainly been no improvement in quality or speed for homeowners." Indeed, there are rumors of staff shortages across councils, and my application took 11 weeks - three weeks longer than the council said it would.

Structural Report

It's wise to wait until planning permission is granted before commissioning the calculations to avoid having to pay for any amendments. However, with a typical lead time of five weeks for the calculations to be drawn up, and an estimated eight-week wait for my planning decision, I chose to have them done as soon as I submitted my plans.

This set me back a cool £3,600, including VAT, and also included plans to ensure the project passed building regulations at a cost of £3,096.

Building Control

These plans need approval by a building control body to ensure the build meets safety and energy standards. You can either work with local authorities, or private firms who promise a five-day approval process. I've been quoted between £1,800 and £2,000, including VAT, for private approval.

Party Wall Plan

The most expensive cost I've encountered so far - more than £6,000, including VAT, in total. Since I will be building walls and foundations within three meters of my neighbors' foundations, I needed a party wall agreement. This involved notifications, schedules of conditions, and agreements with each neighbor costing their surveyors up to £2,900.

Noise Assessment

My local authority required a noise-impact assessment for installing an air-source heat pump powering three internal air-conditioning units, as separate rules apply if heat pumps are used solely for heating purposes. The 24-hour recording and report? That'll cost ya £1,704, including VAT.

This is only the tip of the iceberg - unexpected expenses and hidden fees lurk around every corner. Local authorities are reviewing and adjusting fees, and homeowners like me are left footin' the bill. Experts say these costs could discourage homeowners from undertaking renovations, potentially slowing down economic growth.

But the government is actin' to fix the situation, claimin' it'll make the system more flexible, ease rules on upward extensions, and ensure local planning authorities can cover their costs effectively. Only time will tell, but until then, be prepared to dig deep for those renovation dreams!

In the midst of the Government's ambitious 'building boom', homeowners could face unexpected expenses, with the fees for a standard home renovation amounting to more than £20,000 before any work begins.
Victoria Killick, an estate agent, advises homeowners to be aware of these costs to avoid overspending on a project, as the improvement work may not increase the property's value by the same amount.
Whitcombe and their family, who moved into a 1930s house to make it their forever home, encountered substantial extra costs while planning renovations such as a kitchen extension, garage conversion, and a new ensuite bedroom.
Design services, including a measurement survey, design input from a planning consultant, and structural calculations, can add thousands to the cost of the project, with some architects charging a percentage of the total construction cost.
In addition to design fees, application fees, structural reports, building control costs, party wall plans, and noise assessments, homeowners should also prepare for annual increases in fees, which could discourage them from undertaking renovations.
To address these concerns, the government plans to make the system more flexible, simplify rules on upward extensions, and ensure local planning authorities can cover their costs effectively, which may alleviate the burden on homeowners in the future.