North Cornwall · PL35 · Cornwall Council North
One studio for extension in Boscastle
Extensions are the bread and butter of Cornish homes — adding the kitchen-diner the original layout never had, the bedroom for a growing family, or the light and views the back of the house should always have had. Boscastle sits in North Cornwall, and that geography ends up in the drawings — Boscastle is a National Trust harbour village on the north coast — famously rebuilt after the 2004 flood — with a tightly controlled Conservation Area and AONB across its dramatic valley setting, with a building stock that leans toward modern carefully detailed coastal homes and Victorian terraces above the valley.
Boscastle sits in North Cornwall — just off the A39; covering PL35 from Tintagel outward.
- Conservation Area
- Cornwall AONB
- Coastal exposure zone
- Rural / open-countryside policy area
- ✓Measured-survey accuracy from day one
- ✓One studio — design, planning and build under one roof
- ✓Same team on paper as on site
- ✓Fixed-fee planning packages, no surprise invoices
Free · No obligation
Free Boscastle feasibility call
Tell us about your extension. We reply within 1 working day — no obligation.
Page purpose
Drawings only, or drawings through to handover in Boscastle?
Both routes are open on a PL35 project, and the honest answer depends on whether you already have a builder you trust. Plenty of Boscastle clients take the drawings, tender them locally, then come back to us for the build if the numbers do not stack up.
- Route one: feasibility, planning and a tender-ready technical pack
- Route two: the same pack, then the build under one contract
- Either way the survey and feasibility work is identical, so the decision can wait
- Fees quoted per stage against the PL35 scope, not as one opaque figure
Scope
Scope options for Boscastle clients
Not every project needs every stage. On a Boscastle job we scope to what the site and the consent route actually require.
Full design and build
One contract from first sketch to handover, with the same team on paper and on site.
Construction and technical drawings
1:10 and 1:20 details for the parts of the job builders normally have to guess at.
Building regulation drawings
Full Plans sets with sections, construction notes and coordinated structural information.
Measured survey
An accurate record of what is actually there, which is where most avoidable cost is removed.
Heritage and design statements
Written justification where designation makes the design case as important as the drawing.
Local watch-list
What usually catches extension projects out in Boscastle.
Watch #1
Conservation Area controls on materials, window proportions and roof form through central Boscastle
Watch #2
AONB landscape-impact testing on anything read in long views across North Cornwall
Watch #3
Exposure detailing on slate harbourside cottages — fixings, render systems and joinery specified for salt-laden air
Watch #4
Local Plan tests on isolated dwellings, plus lane access for plant and deliveries around Boscastle
Who this is for
Straight facts about working with us here
- Applications for Boscastle are handled through Cornwall Council, with Bodmin the nearest planning office we deal with regularly.
- Designated-area work is routine here, so heritage and landscape statements are produced alongside the drawings rather than outsourced.
- Drawings, planning and building regulations are all produced in-house, so a extension enquiry does not get passed between firms.
Planning rules change and every site is different. For the final position on your address, check with Cornwall Council as the local planning authority or the Planning Portal.
What we focus on
Extensions considerations specific to Boscastle.
01
Permitted development for rear extensions runs to four metres on a detached house, three on a semi or terrace — but Article 4 areas remove this in some parishes.
02
Extensions over a certain proportion of the original house trigger full Part L upgrade obligations to the existing building — worth knowing before brief is set.
03
Cornish granite and slate-hung walls react differently to new openings than modern brickwork — lintel choice and structural sequencing matter.
04
Wind and sea-spray exposure can drive material choices on west-facing extensions; we detail accordingly.
Quick check
Want a straight answer on whether your Boscastle project is worth pursuing?
Send a few details — we'll come back within 1 working day with a plain-English view on planning risk, likely cost band and whether it's a project we'd take on.
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Get a free feasibility view
For projects in Boscastle and the PL35 area.
Local context
Why Boscastle is its own job.
Two things shape a Boscastle application: parish character and policy. On policy — conservation Area, AONB and a Flood Zone 3 designation across much of the harbour valley. Post-flood reconstruction set high design and material standards that continue to apply. For extension specifically, parts of Boscastle sit within a designated Conservation Area, which means materials, fenestration and roof pitches all need to read sympathetically with the existing streetscape; the surrounding landscape falls inside the Cornwall Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, so massing, height and landscape impact carry extra weight in any planning decision; coastal salt-laden air around Boscastle drives detailing choices — fixings, render systems and timber treatments all need to be specified for exposure; Cornwall Council's Local Plan applies tighter tests to isolated rural dwellings here, so design rationale and policy fit need to be set out clearly from the outset. Get that local reading right and the rest of the Boscastle programme tends to run on time. On modern carefully detailed coastal homes in particular — the kind you'll also find toward Mawgan Porth — the extension brief always has to read the existing fabric first.
Planning note
Most extensions in Cornwall are either permitted development or a straightforward householder application — but Conservation Area and AONB sites need a more careful design conversation upfront.
Our process
How a Boscastle extension project runs.
Step 1
Brief
We meet on site, talk through how you live now and what's missing from the current layout.
Step 2
Design
Two or three sketch directions with rough budgets, then refinement of the chosen route.
Step 3
Approvals
Planning or Cert of Lawfulness, then a full building regs package.
Step 4
Build
Either through your own builder with our drawings, or as a full build by our team.
Step 5
Handover
Snag, certify, hand over the keys to your new space.
Typical single-storey rear extensions run twelve to twenty weeks on site; two-storey and wraparound projects sixteen to thirty weeks.
FAQs
Boscastle Extensions — local questions answered.
- How much does an extension cost in Boscastle?
- Build costs in Cornwall typically run from around £2,200 to £3,200 per square metre for a good-quality single-storey extension, more for kitchen-grade fit-out or complex glazing. We give a realistic budget before drawings start, not after. In Boscastle specifically, we'd start by checking the Conservation Area boundary before committing to a direction.
- Can you handle the build as well as the design?
- Yes — that's the whole point of the studio. One contract, one point of contact, no finger-pointing between architect and builder when something needs a decision on site.
- What about the Party Wall Act?
- If you share a wall with a neighbour or build close to a boundary, the Act applies. We flag it early, recommend a surveyor and keep the programme aligned with the notice period.
- We live in the house. Can a extension in Boscastle be done while we stay put?
- Usually yes for single-storey and rear work, with a temporary kitchen or bathroom arrangement agreed before the start. Whole-house remodels and roof work in Boscastle are often easier if you move out for a few weeks. We set that expectation at feasibility stage rather than halfway through.
- How long does the whole process take?
- Allow roughly three months for design and approvals, then twelve to twenty weeks on site for a typical single-storey extension. Wraparounds and two-storey add-ons take longer, mostly through approval and groundworks.
- Do I need planning permission for an extension?
- Often no — single-storey rear extensions, side extensions and modest two-storey additions can sit inside permitted development on a typical detached house. Conservation Areas, AONB and Article 4 zones remove some of those rights, so we always check the address first.
Boscastle is the hub for these neighbourhoods
We run extensions across Boscastle and the surrounding PL35 neighbourhoods — same studio, same site team.
Keep reading
Where to go next from Boscastle
Boscastle works as a hub for us: the same extension team covers Crackington Haven and the surrounding PL35 villages, so a site visit here often takes in more than one address.
Other services in Boscastle
Nearby places we cover
Local neighbourhoods in Boscastle
The PL35 stretch of North Cornwall has its own rhythm; our extension work respects it, and Cornwall Council usually responds in kind. Victorian terraces above the valley in particular need a tailored structural answer.
Drawings only, or the full Boscastle build? Bring the deeds, we will bring the survey kit for the extension.
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