Mid Cornwall · PL26
Extensions that reads London Apprentice properly
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. A London Apprentice brief starts on the street, not the screen — London Apprentice is a creekside settlement in the PL26 area, with waterside homes, wooded valleys and narrow-lane access shaping the brief, with a building stock that leans toward waterside homes and detached houses.
London Apprentice sits in Mid Cornwall — covering PL26 from St Austell, Bugle, St Dennis outward.
- Rural / open-countryside policy area
- ✓ Fixed-fee planning packages, no surprise invoices
- ✓ Measured-survey accuracy from day one
- ✓ One studio — design, planning and build under one roof
- ✓ Local to Mid Cornwall — not a national franchise
Local watch-list
What usually catches extension projects out in London Apprentice.
Watch #1
Tighter Local Plan tests on isolated rural dwellings
Who this is for
London Apprentice runs the full mix — owner-occupier, holiday-let, commercial and the occasional smallholding — so we scope every extension enquiry from the use-class up.
Local context
Why London Apprentice is its own job.
Around London Apprentice (PL26), creekside ecology, flood risk, trees and views across the water often matter as much as the building form itself. For extension specifically, 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. Reading London Apprentice properly up front saves more time than any drawing tool ever will. Most of our extension work in London Apprentice lands on waterside homes, with detailing that has to nod to the wider Bugle 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 London Apprentice.
01
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.
02
Cornish granite and slate-hung walls react differently to new openings than modern brickwork — lintel choice and structural sequencing matter.
03
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.
04
Drainage on older Cornish properties is rarely on a clean modern map; CCTV survey before design is often money well spent.
Our process
How a London Apprentice 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
London Apprentice Extensions — local questions answered.
- 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. In London Apprentice specifically, we'd start by checking the latest parish-level planning history before committing to a direction.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Will my house be liveable during the build?
- For most rear and side extensions, yes — we sequence the works so the kitchen and one bathroom stay functional until the new build is watertight and connected.
London Apprentice is part of St Austell
London Apprentice sits inside the St Austell catchment — we cover both as one extension territory.
See Extensions in St Austell →Local proof — Our Mid Cornwall workload means a London Apprentice extension project never has to wait for an out-of-county team to drive down.
Get a free feasibility viewOther services in London Apprentice
Nearby places we cover
For London Apprentice homeowners weighing up a extension, the right starting point is honest feasibility — that's what we lead with, before any drawings.