South Cornwall · TR10 · Cornwall Council Central
Design, planning and build for Mabe Burnthouse extension
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. What works on a TR10 plot rarely works elsewhere — Mabe Burnthouse is a residential village west of Penryn with strong commuter demand from the Falmouth and Truro areas and significant late-twentieth-century estate expansion, with a building stock that leans toward individual self-build plots and modern Persimmon and Bovis estates.
Mabe Burnthouse sits in South Cornwall — just off the A39; covering TR10 from Penryn, Constantine, Ponsanooth outward.
- ✓30+ years of Cornwall Council approvals
- ✓Plain-English feasibility before any drawings
- ✓Measured-survey accuracy from day one
- ✓One studio — design, planning and build under one roof
Free · No obligation
Free Mabe Burnthouse feasibility call
Tell us about your extension. We reply within 1 working day — no obligation.
Local proof — Most Mabe Burnthouse extension clients we work with are second-time builders — they've seen the templated approach fail once already.
Get a free feasibility viewLocal context
Why Mabe Burnthouse is its own job.
Cornwall Council's lens on Mabe Burnthouse is consistent: outside Conservation Area and AONB but the wider parish includes designated areas. Mabe parish operates active input on edge-of-village schemes; granite quarrying heritage shapes some site planning. For extension specifically, Mabe Burnthouse sits outside the headline designations, which usually gives a slightly more flexible starting point — but parish-level character still matters. That's why we treat every Mabe Burnthouse project as a TR10-area job first — not a generic Cornwall job with a postcode bolted on. The individual self-build plots that dominate Mabe Burnthouse (and continue out toward Perranwell Station) set the tone for any extension scheme here.
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 Mabe Burnthouse.
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
Wind and sea-spray exposure can drive material choices on west-facing extensions; we detail accordingly.
03
Cornish granite and slate-hung walls react differently to new openings than modern brickwork — lintel choice and structural sequencing matter.
04
Drainage on older Cornish properties is rarely on a clean modern map; CCTV survey before design is often money well spent.
Page purpose
Drawings only, or drawings through to handover in Mabe Burnthouse?
Both routes are open on a TR10 project, and the honest answer depends on whether you already have a builder you trust. Plenty of Mabe Burnthouse 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 TR10 scope, not as one opaque figure
Scope
Where our work starts and stops on a TR10 project
These stages can be bought separately. Most TR10 projects use three of them.
Structural coordination
Calculations coordinated with the drawings so building control sees one consistent story.
Planning application drawings
Existing and proposed plans, elevations, site and block plans drawn to validation standard.
Construction and technical drawings
1:10 and 1:20 details for the parts of the job builders normally have to guess at.
Measured survey
An accurate record of what is actually there, which is where most avoidable cost is removed.
Full design and build
One contract from first sketch to handover, with the same team on paper and on site.
Who this is for
Our footing in South Cornwall
- Design and build are offered from the same studio, which means the person answering your Mabe Burnthouse 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.
- Applications for Mabe Burnthouse are handled through Cornwall Council, with Truro the nearest planning office we deal with regularly.
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
Related TR10 pages
Mabe Burnthouse is covered from our Penryn 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.
Our process
How a Mabe Burnthouse 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.
Quick check
Want a straight answer on whether your Mabe Burnthouse 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.
Free · No obligation
Get a free feasibility view
For projects in Mabe Burnthouse and the TR10 area.
Local fabric
Why a South Cornwall studio is the right fit for Mabe Burnthouse extension.
Building stock
Across Mabe Burnthouse (TR10) we work on 1960s and 1970s estates, modern Persimmon and Bovis estates, individual self-build plots, older granite cottages on the village fringes. Each stock type drives a different extension response — individual self-build plots in particular needs careful detailing here.
Parish & policy
Mabe Burnthouse sits in the parish of Mabe, which matters for how parish-level consultation lands on a extension application.
Coverage
We cover TR10 from our studio, with regular extension jobs also running in Penryn, Constantine, Ponsanooth. Most Mabe Burnthouse site visits get booked within the same week.
How quickly can you visit a Mabe Burnthouse site?
Usually within the same week. Mabe Burnthouse (TR10) is on our regular South Cornwall run, alongside Penryn, Constantine, Ponsanooth. First visits are free and you'll get an honest feasibility view inside seven days.
Request a free visitFAQs
Mabe Burnthouse Extensions — local questions answered.
- We live in the house. Can a extension in Mabe Burnthouse 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 Mabe Burnthouse are often easier if you move out for a few weeks. We set that expectation at feasibility stage rather than halfway through.
- 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. In Mabe Burnthouse specifically, we'd start by checking the latest parish-level planning history before committing to a direction.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Mabe Burnthouse is part of Penryn
Mabe Burnthouse sits inside the Penryn catchment — we cover both as one extension territory.
See Extensions in Penryn →Other services in Mabe Burnthouse
Nearby places we cover
Every Mabe Burnthouse extension we work on is treated as a TR10 job in its own right — local fabric, local policy, local builders. Parish-level consultation in Mabe is worth planning for, not reacting to.
Get the TR10 planning view before you draw Truro handles the planning end for TR10.
Free · No obligation
Book a free visit in Mabe Burnthouse
No obligation. Reply usually same working day.