South Cornwall · TR10
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 — 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
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.
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.
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.
- 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
Designing a extension in Mabe Burnthouse is as much about reading the parish as reading the brief; we do both, and the planning outcomes follow.