South Cornwall · TR10
Rame 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 Rame extension in the local fabric and the rest follows — Rame is a small rural hamlet in the TR10 area, with scattered homes, lanes and a deliberately quiet settlement pattern, with a building stock that leans toward cottages and bungalows.
Rame sits in South Cornwall — covering TR10 from Penryn, Mabe, Halvasso outward.
- Rural / open-countryside policy area
- ✓ 30+ years of Cornwall Council approvals
- ✓ rural policy area experience built into the fee
- ✓ Cornwall Council regulars across every sub-area
- ✓ Free first site visit, no obligation
Who this is for
Rame 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 watch-list
Rame-specific issues we screen on the first visit.
Watch #1
Tighter Local Plan tests on isolated rural dwellings
Local proof — Recent extension enquiries from Rame have clustered around cottages — we know the route through Cornwall Council on these.
Get a free feasibility viewFAQs
Rame 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 Rame specifically, we'd start by checking the latest parish-level planning history 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.
- 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.
Local context
Why Rame is its own job.
Locally, the main planning test is usually whether the proposal remains subordinate, locally detailed and acceptable on access, drainage and neighbour amenity. 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. Which is why we scope Rame projects parish-up, not template-down — the TR10 context shapes the design from day one. Whether the project is on cottages in the centre or further out toward Penryn, 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 Rame.
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
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
Drainage on older Cornish properties is rarely on a clean modern map; CCTV survey before design is often money well spent.
04
Cornish granite and slate-hung walls react differently to new openings than modern brickwork — lintel choice and structural sequencing matter.
Our process
How a Rame 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 Rame homeowners pick a local studio for extension.
Building stock
Across Rame (TR10) we work on cottages, farmhouses, converted barns, bungalows, small infill homes. Each stock type drives a different extension response — cottages in particular needs careful detailing here.
Parish & policy
Rame sits in the parish of Rame, 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, Mabe, Halvasso. Most Rame site visits get booked within the same week.
What does a first Rame consultation cost?
Nothing. We come to the property, walk the site, talk through what works on a TR10 plot and follow up with a written feasibility note inside a week — no obligation either way.
Request a free visitRame is part of Penryn
Rame sits inside the Penryn catchment — we cover both as one extension territory.
See Extensions in Penryn →Other services in Rame
Nearby places we cover
A extension in Rame stands or falls on how well it reads the street — we treat that as the design brief, not an afterthought.