North Cornwall · EX23 · Cornwall Council North
Crackington Haven extension — feasibility first, drawings second
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. Anchor any Crackington Haven extension in the local fabric and the rest follows — Crackington Haven is an AONB north coast cove village under the dramatic 700-foot cliffs of Cambeak, with a tight Conservation Area at the cove and a high-end coastal property market, with a building stock that leans toward Victorian villas and modern AONB-sensitive replacement dwellings.
Crackington Haven sits in North Cornwall — just off the A39; covering EX23 from Boscastle, Widemouth Bay, Bude outward.
- Conservation Area
- Cornwall AONB
- Coastal exposure zone
- Rural / open-countryside policy area
- ✓Free first site visit, no obligation
- ✓Plain-English feasibility before any drawings
- ✓30+ years of Cornwall Council approvals
- ✓Conservation Area experience built into the fee
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Free Crackington Haven feasibility call
Tell us about your extension. We reply within 1 working day — no obligation.
Who this is for
In Crackington Haven 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.
Local watch-list
What usually catches extension projects out in Crackington Haven.
Watch #1
Conservation Area controls on materials, window proportions and roof form through central Crackington Haven
Watch #2
AONB landscape-impact testing on anything read in long views across North Cornwall
Watch #3
Exposure detailing on traditional cliff-cove 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 Crackington Haven
Local proof — We typically have one or two extension jobs live in the EX23 area at any time, so the local planning officers know our drawings on sight.
Get a free feasibility viewFAQs
Crackington Haven Extensions — local questions answered.
- 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. In Crackington Haven specifically, we'd start by checking the Conservation Area boundary before committing to a direction.
- 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.
- We live in the house. Can a extension in Crackington Haven 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 Crackington Haven are often easier if you move out for a few weeks. We set that expectation at feasibility stage rather than halfway through.
- 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.
- 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.
Quick check
Want a straight answer on whether your Crackington Haven 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 Crackington Haven and the EX23 area.
Who this is for
Why this page exists, and who it is for
- 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.
- Applications for Crackington Haven are handled through Cornwall Council, with Bodmin 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
Follow the chain: survey, drawings, build
Crackington Haven is covered from our Boscastle 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 Crackington Haven?
Both routes are open on a EX23 project, and the honest answer depends on whether you already have a builder you trust. Plenty of Crackington Haven 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 EX23 scope, not as one opaque figure
Scope
What we can draw, survey and build around Crackington Haven
These stages can be bought separately. Most EX23 projects use three of them.
Full design and build
One contract from first sketch to handover, with the same team on paper and on site.
Measured survey
An accurate record of what is actually there, which is where most avoidable cost is removed.
Construction and technical drawings
1:10 and 1:20 details for the parts of the job builders normally have to guess at.
Heritage and design statements
Written justification where designation makes the design case as important as the drawing.
Building regulation drawings
Full Plans sets with sections, construction notes and coordinated structural information.
Local context
Why Crackington Haven is its own job.
Locally, conservation Area covers the cove village; AONB and Heritage Coast across the parish. Cliff-edge sites and the Heritage Coast designation set the strictest controls in north Cornwall. For extension specifically, parts of Crackington Haven 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 Crackington Haven 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. Which is why we scope Crackington Haven projects parish-up, not template-down — the EX23 context shapes the design from day one. Whether the project is on Victorian villas in the centre or further out toward Boscastle, the extension response is locally tuned.
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 Crackington Haven.
01
Cornish granite and slate-hung walls react differently to new openings than modern brickwork — lintel choice and structural sequencing matter.
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
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
Wind and sea-spray exposure can drive material choices on west-facing extensions; we detail accordingly.
Our process
How a Crackington Haven 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 Crackington Haven homeowners pick a local studio for extension.
Building stock
Across Crackington Haven (EX23) we work on traditional cliff-cove cottages, Victorian villas, Edwardian houses, 1960s coastal bungalows, modern AONB-sensitive replacement dwellings. Each stock type drives a different extension response — Victorian villas in particular needs careful detailing here.
Parish & policy
Crackington Haven sits in the parish of St Gennys, which matters for how parish-level consultation lands on a extension application.
Coverage
We cover EX23 from our studio, with regular extension jobs also running in Boscastle, Widemouth Bay, Bude. Most Crackington Haven site visits get booked within the same week.
What does a first Crackington Haven consultation cost?
Nothing. We come to the property, walk the site, talk through what works on a EX23 plot and follow up with a written feasibility note inside a week — no obligation either way.
Request a free visitCrackington Haven is part of Boscastle
Crackington Haven sits inside the Boscastle catchment — we cover both as one extension territory.
See Extensions in Boscastle →Other services in Crackington Haven
Nearby places we cover
In short: take the drawings and run your own build in Crackington Haven, or keep it under one contract. Both routes start the same way. Lane access and rural policy tests shape what is realistic on an isolated plot.
One conversation — and a clearer Crackington Haven brief We know how traditional cliff-cove cottages behave here.
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