sm_jamieson wrote:

Interesting again, since it patently does change the roof line !

Well yes it does. I think the change they were concerned about was one
that would change the height of the ridge, or introduce anything the
protruded above it.

The other thing I previously noticed from your excellent loft website,
is you built the dormer right up to the back wall of the house,
leaving no roof showing below the dormer.

Well sort of - it was in line with the back wall, but we included a few
rows of tiles below it so that the overhang at the eves continued along.
But maximising space was the main consideration with mine:

http://www.internode.co.uk/loft/images/paintback.jpg

This is another no-no in my area. 1m roof slope is required to prevent
overlooking of neighbours.

Having a dormer to the rear wall does not really afford any more view of
the neighbours than is available from the existing rear windows. You can
see much further across the gardens etc, but that is really just a
factor of the extra height.

I think the aforementioned simplification introduced the 1m boundary bit
- it also introduced this as 1m from the ridge (which when you think
about it would preclude most lofts without PP). However I have a vague
feeling that last bit might have been relaxed.

I've seen such "complete" dormers where the houses were smaller and
otherwise if would not be feasible, but this was a few years ago, and
no idea if they got or needed planning permission.
Your house looks about the same size as mine, i.e. a "complete" dormer
just gives you more space, and in your case made 2 rooms feasible. But
no loft conversions near me are like this, so I doubt I would get
permission.

Well, you may find that its simply a case of most people go with what is
permitted without PP and hence they end up with much the same as each
other. Its possible that they would not object if asked for something a
bit different.

This means I'm much more likely to need a steel to support the dormer
wall (unless I can support the wall on bulked-up "floor" joists). Also

Depends on the spans... I have also seen it done use a flitch beam for
the rafters to the side of the dormer - transferring the dormer load to
the roof rather than the floor directly.

BCOs apparently now frown on floor joists being cut at an angle at the
ends to fit under the eaves.

I wonder why?

The other thing the permitted development rules say is 1m roof above
the dormer required, and 0.7m from the property side walls. 1m above
would make for a rather low ceiling, but the dormers near me all go up
higher than this, and I hope to get permission for this.

Yup - this was the new "easier" permitted development bit. Kind of
pointless in most lofts.

But I get the feeling that the planners have to feel they have "won",
so I'll probably have to let them have something. Maybe tactics are
required here, i.e. first apply for something meeting the guidelines
(which will pass), then alter it to something beyond what I required
(which will fail), then "agree" to let something go.

Alternatively - apply for more than you want so that you can then trim
it back to what you actually want. That way you can compromise to keep
them happy ;-)

Another thing, I always thought is was a strange idea that people find
they don't need planning permission (according to volume rules) and
then build almost anything, ignoring the other permitted development
rules. These rules were intended to allow you to build things that
would have got planning permission anyway. I think people often get
away with things, but I don't think I would take the risk on my own
project.

I suppose most people are only really aware of the volume and size specs
(after all that is all that gets discussed in many places you find
advice), and after that will be guided by the building regs.

--
Cheers,

John.

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