East Cornwall · PL11 · Cornwall Council East
New Builds that reads Crafthole properly
A bespoke new build is the longest project we do, and the most rewarding. From plot appraisal through planning, building regulations and construction, you work with one team from the first sketch to the handover walk-round. A Crafthole brief starts on the street, not the screen — Crafthole is a commuter village in the PL11 area, with everyday family housing, edge-of-village plots and quick routes to its parent town, with a building stock that leans toward garden infill plots and bungalows.
Crafthole sits in East Cornwall — just off the A38; covering PL11 from Torpoint, Millbrook, Antony outward.
- Rural / open-countryside policy area
- ✓Measured-survey accuracy from day one
- ✓One studio — design, planning and build under one roof
- ✓Local to East Cornwall — not a national franchise
- ✓Same team on paper as on site
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Free Crafthole feasibility call
Tell us about your new build. We reply within 1 working day — no obligation.
Local watch-list
The PL11 constraints that shape a new build brief.
Watch #1
Local Plan tests on isolated dwellings, plus lane access for plant and deliveries around Crafthole
Watch #2
Trussed roofs and shallow foundations in the later PL11 estates, which change the structural strategy
Who this is for
In Crafthole the new build brief is almost always a private homeowner improving a forever home — so we lead with feasibility and long-term value, not show-home rhetoric.
Scope
The parts of the job we can take on in Crafthole
Clients in Crafthole take different slices of this list, and that is deliberate.
Measured survey
An accurate record of what is actually there, which is where most avoidable cost is removed.
Building regulation drawings
Full Plans sets with sections, construction notes and coordinated structural information.
Full design and build
One contract from first sketch to handover, with the same team on paper and on site.
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.
Who this is for
What we can genuinely back up in Crafthole
- Drawings, planning and building regulations are all produced in-house, so a new build enquiry does not get passed between firms.
- Design and build are offered from the same studio, which means the person answering your Crafthole questions has seen the detail built.
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
Other work we do around Crafthole
Crafthole is covered from our Torpoint 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 Crafthole?
Both routes are open on a PL11 project, and the honest answer depends on whether you already have a builder you trust. Plenty of Crafthole 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 PL11 scope, not as one opaque figure
Local context
Why Crafthole is its own job.
Around Crafthole (PL11), applications here usually turn on neighbour amenity, parking, overlooking and whether new work fits the rhythm of existing streets. For new build 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 Crafthole properly up front saves more time than any drawing tool ever will. Most of our new build work in Crafthole lands on garden infill plots, with detailing that has to nod to the wider Millbrook streetscape.
Planning note
Cornwall's planning policy on new dwellings is among the most restrictive in England outside Greater London. The first conversation should be a planning conversation, not a design one.
What we focus on
New Builds considerations specific to Crafthole.
01
Off-grid services — package treatment plants, borehole supply, off-mains gas — are common on rural Cornish plots and need designing, not assuming.
02
Replacement dwellings have specific volumetric tests — getting the ratio between existing footprint and proposed floor area right is the difference between approval and refusal.
03
AONB and Heritage Coast designations apply to large stretches of the county; isolated new builds outside settlement boundaries face a much higher policy bar.
04
Cornwall's housing policy increasingly favours principal residence and replacement dwelling schemes over open-market new builds in some parishes.
Quick check
Want a straight answer on whether your Crafthole 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 Crafthole and the PL11 area.
Our process
How a Crafthole new build project runs.
Step 1
Plot review
Site visit, planning history check, designation review and an honest feasibility verdict.
Step 2
Concept design
Sketches that test the plot in massing, orientation and approach before any drawings are committed.
Step 3
Planning
Pre-app, full planning, consultee management and condition discharge.
Step 4
Technical design and build prep
Building regs, structural design, services strategy and contractor procurement.
Step 5
Construction and handover
Build delivered under contract administration with regular client reviews.
Most bespoke new builds run eighteen to thirty months from instruction to keys, depending on site, planning route and build complexity.
FAQs
Crafthole New Builds — local questions answered.
- How long does the whole project take?
- Allow six to twelve months for design and approvals, then ten to fourteen months on site for a typical four-bedroom new build. Complex sites or long planning routes extend that. In Crafthole specifically, we'd start by checking the latest parish-level planning history before committing to a direction.
- What about utilities, drainage and access?
- All designed and applied for as part of the package — water, electric, off-mains drainage where mains isn't viable, and highways access agreement with Cornwall Council where required.
- What's a replacement dwelling and is mine eligible?
- If a habitable dwelling exists on the plot, you can often replace it — within volumetric and design constraints set by Cornwall's Local Plan. Derelict structures sometimes qualify, sometimes don't, depending on lawful use history.
- Can I build a new house on my plot in Cornwall?
- Sometimes yes, sometimes no — and the honest answer needs a planning policy review of the specific site. Settlement boundary, designations, access and policy on isolated dwellings all weigh in. We give a frank read at first consultation rather than a sales pitch.
- How much does a new build cost?
- Realistic budgets in Cornwall start around £2,800 per square metre for a good-quality build and rise quickly with bespoke joinery, large glazing, complex sites and high-spec finishes. We work to your number, not against it.
- We live in the house. Can a new build in Crafthole 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 Crafthole are often easier if you move out for a few weeks. We set that expectation at feasibility stage rather than halfway through.
Crafthole is part of Torpoint
Crafthole sits inside the Torpoint catchment — we cover both as one new build territory.
See New Builds in Torpoint →Local proof — Most Crafthole homeowners come to us after a new build quote elsewhere felt vague on planning — we lead with feasibility instead.
Get a free feasibility viewOther services in Crafthole
Nearby places we cover
Whichever route suits your PL11 project, the survey and feasibility work is the same, so nothing is wasted. Lane access and rural policy tests shape what is realistic on an isolated plot.
Take an honest look at your Crafthole options Drawings now, build later, is a perfectly normal route.
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