Lizard Peninsula · TR12 · Cornwall Council West
House Extensions in Gunwalloe
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. Reading Gunwalloe on the ground is half of the extension job — Gunwalloe is a coastal village in the TR12 area, where sea exposure, views and seasonal pressure shape most building decisions, with a building stock that leans toward holiday homes and replacement dwellings.
Gunwalloe sits in Lizard Peninsula — just off the A394; covering TR12 from Mullion, Cury, Predannack outward.
- Conservation Area
- Cornwall AONB
- Coastal exposure zone
- ✓One studio — design, planning and build under one roof
- ✓Local to Lizard Peninsula — not a national franchise
- ✓Same team on paper as on site
- ✓Fixed-fee planning packages, no surprise invoices
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Free Gunwalloe feasibility call
Tell us about your extension. We reply within 1 working day — no obligation.
Local watch-list
Local snags worth knowing before drawing a Gunwalloe extension.
Watch #1
Conservation Area controls on materials, window proportions and roof form through central Gunwalloe
Watch #2
AONB landscape-impact testing on anything read in long views across Lizard Peninsula
Watch #3
Exposure detailing on granite cottages — fixings, render systems and joinery specified for salt-laden air
Watch #4
Party Wall notices and shallow roof voids typical of granite cottages in the TR12 district
Who this is for
In Gunwalloe the extension brief is almost always a private homeowner improving a forever home — so we lead with feasibility and long-term value, not show-home rhetoric.
Scope
The parts of the job we can take on in Gunwalloe
These stages can be bought separately. Most TR12 projects use three of them.
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.
Planning application drawings
Existing and proposed plans, elevations, site and block plans drawn to validation standard.
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.
Who this is for
What we can genuinely back up in Gunwalloe
- Design and build are offered from the same studio, which means the person answering your Gunwalloe questions has seen the detail built.
- Drawings, planning and building regulations are all produced in-house, so a extension enquiry does not get passed between firms.
- Designated-area work is routine here, so heritage and landscape statements are produced alongside the drawings rather than outsourced.
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.
Keep reading
Other work we do around Gunwalloe
Gunwalloe is covered from our Mullion run. Being a smaller place, the local detail matters more than the headline policy: lane access, neighbour proximity and what the immediate street already looks like.
Page purpose
Drawings only, or drawings through to handover in Gunwalloe?
Both routes are open on a TR12 project, and the honest answer depends on whether you already have a builder you trust. Plenty of Gunwalloe 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 TR12 scope, not as one opaque figure
Local context
Why Gunwalloe is its own job.
Coastal setting and landscape sensitivity mean rooflines, glazing, drainage and external materials need careful handling from the first sketch. For extension specifically, parts of Gunwalloe 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 Gunwalloe drives detailing choices — fixings, render systems and timber treatments all need to be specified for exposure. So every Gunwalloe job runs as a TR12-specific piece of work — local policy, local fabric, local builders. Most of our extension work in Gunwalloe lands on holiday homes, with detailing that has to nod to the wider Cury streetscape.
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.
What we focus on
Extensions considerations specific to Gunwalloe.
01
Drainage on older Cornish properties is rarely on a clean modern map; CCTV survey before design is often money well spent.
02
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.
03
Cornish granite and slate-hung walls react differently to new openings than modern brickwork — lintel choice and structural sequencing matter.
04
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.
Quick check
Want a straight answer on whether your Gunwalloe 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 Gunwalloe and the TR12 area.
Our process
How a Gunwalloe 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
Gunwalloe Extensions — local questions answered.
- 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. In Gunwalloe specifically, we'd start by checking the Conservation Area boundary before committing to a direction.
- How much does an extension cost in Cornwall?
- 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.
- We live in the house. Can a extension in Gunwalloe 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 Gunwalloe 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.
- 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.
Gunwalloe is part of Mullion
Gunwalloe sits inside the Mullion catchment — we cover both as one extension territory.
See Extensions in Mullion →Local proof — Recent extension enquiries from Gunwalloe have clustered around holiday homes — we know the route through Cornwall Council on these.
Get a free feasibility viewOther services in Gunwalloe
Nearby places we cover
If you're considering a extension project in the TR12 area, our deep understanding of Gunwalloe's architectural character can help navigate the process smoothly. Landscape impact is the deciding test on most visible plots around here.
Walk us round your Gunwalloe site — free first visit Most Gunwalloe visits happen within the week.
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