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What is a habitable room?
There is no single legal definition of "habitable room", as its use and meaning are subject to context. Generally, a habitable room is a space in a building that is designed for people to live, sleep, or spend extended periods of time in, but does not include bath or toilet facilities, corridors or utility rooms.
Common Questions
Whether you need planning permission to install an extractor fan depends on the size and placement of the fan.
For domestic installations, such as a bathroom or kitchen in your house, planning permission is not generally required. If the change significantly alters the external appearance of your home then permission may be required.
If you live in a listed building, you will need listed building consent for any significant changes.
Larger extractor fans for businesses are likely to require an application for planning permission to be made to the local planning authority. These extractors can impact the local area due to their noise, visibility and odour, as such the planning authority will need to assess the change.
Building regulations relating to ventilation and electrical works will have to be complied with, these are covered by Approved Document F and P respectively.
Read more about building regulations and the requirement for ventilation on our common projects.
Under the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015 (as amended), you have a general permission to install an antenna up to a specific size on property without the need for planning permission. This general permission depends on your house type and area. Your local planning authority can give you more advice.
The conversion of a garage, or part of a garage, into habitable space, will normally require approval under the building regulations.
As part of the garage conversion, it is likely that the original garage door will be in-filled with a new wall and possibly a window or door, and a new foundation may be needed for the new wall.
As well as the foundation, you also need to consider:
- Floor
- Walls
- Ventilation
Read more about the building regulations for garage conversions
In many cases, you can extend a house without applying for planning permission by using what's known as permitted development rights, provided certain limits and conditions are met. However, if your plans go beyond these restrictions, you will likely need to apply for householder planning permission.
Planning permission is not required to move an internal doorway, provided it does not impact the external appearance of the building. If the building is listed, you will require listed building consent for any changes to the building.
Building regulations may apply if the wall is load bearing or is part of a fire escape route.
Read more about windows and doors from our common projects.
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