North Cornwall · EX23 · Cornwall Council North
Design, planning and build for Coombe Valley renovation
Cornish housing stock is brilliant and infuriating in equal measure. We renovate cottages, farmhouses, mid-century homes and post-war estates — opening up layouts, fixing damp, adding light and bringing the property up to a standard worth living in. A EX23 site visit comes before a Coombe Valley sketch, every time — Coombe Valley is a small rural hamlet in the EX23 area, with scattered homes, lanes and a deliberately quiet settlement pattern, with a building stock that leans toward cottages and small infill homes.
Coombe Valley sits in North Cornwall — just off the A39; covering EX23 from Bude, Stratton, Poughill outward.
- Rural / open-countryside policy area
- ✓30+ years of Cornwall Council approvals
- ✓Plain-English feasibility before any drawings
- ✓One studio — design, planning and build under one roof
- ✓Local to North Cornwall — not a national franchise
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Free Coombe Valley feasibility call
Tell us about your renovation. We reply within 1 working day — no obligation.
Local proof — Our North Cornwall workload means a Coombe Valley renovation project never has to wait for an out-of-county team to drive down.
Get a free feasibility viewLocal context
Why Coombe Valley is its own job.
Cornwall Council's lens on Coombe Valley is consistent: the main planning test is usually whether the proposal remains subordinate, locally detailed and acceptable on access, drainage and neighbour amenity. For renovation 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. That's why we treat every Coombe Valley project as a EX23-area job first — not a generic Cornwall job with a postcode bolted on. The cottages that dominate Coombe Valley (and continue out toward Poughill) set the tone for any renovation scheme here.
Planning note
Most Cornish renovations don't need planning — but listed status, curtilage listing, Conservation Area designation and material changes can all change that picture.
What we focus on
Renovations considerations specific to Coombe Valley.
01
Asbestos surveys are standard for anything pre-2000 — we factor a survey into the programme before stripping out begins.
02
Listed and curtilage-listed properties need Listed Building Consent for many internal alterations that wouldn't normally need approval.
03
Original fireplaces, slate floors, beams and joinery are often worth rescuing; the design conversation should start with what stays, not what goes.
04
Damp in Cornish cottages is usually a moisture management problem, not a chemical injection problem — fixing the cause is cheaper long term than treating the symptom.
Page purpose
Drawings only, or drawings through to handover in Coombe Valley?
Both routes are open on a EX23 project, and the honest answer depends on whether you already have a builder you trust. Plenty of Coombe Valley 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
Where our work starts and stops on a EX23 project
Clients in Coombe Valley take different slices of this list, and that is deliberate.
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.
Structural coordination
Calculations coordinated with the drawings so building control sees one consistent story.
Full design and build
One contract from first sketch to handover, with the same team on paper and on site.
Building regulation drawings
Full Plans sets with sections, construction notes and coordinated structural information.
Who this is for
Our footing in North Cornwall
- Drawings, planning and building regulations are all produced in-house, so a renovation enquiry does not get passed between firms.
- Applications for Coombe Valley are handled through Cornwall Council, with Bodmin the nearest planning office we deal with regularly.
- Design and build are offered from the same studio, which means the person answering your Coombe Valley 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
Related EX23 pages
Coombe Valley is covered from our Bude 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 Coombe Valley renovation project runs.
Step 1
Survey
Measured survey, condition assessment, services check and listed status review.
Step 2
Design
Layout options, material strategy and a clear list of what stays and what changes.
Step 3
Approvals
Listed Building Consent and building regulations as needed.
Step 4
Strip-out and works
Carefully sequenced demolition, structural works and rebuild.
Step 5
Finish and handover
Joinery, decoration, snagging and documentation pack.
Whole-house renovations typically run six to fourteen months on site; partial remodels two to four months.
Quick check
Want a straight answer on whether your Coombe Valley 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 Coombe Valley and the EX23 area.
Local fabric
Choosing a renovation team that actually knows EX23.
Building stock
Across Coombe Valley (EX23) we work on cottages, farmhouses, converted barns, bungalows, small infill homes. Each stock type drives a different renovation response — cottages in particular needs careful detailing here.
Parish & policy
Coombe Valley sits in the parish of Coombe Valley, which matters for how parish-level consultation lands on a renovation application.
Coverage
We cover EX23 from our studio, with regular renovation jobs also running in Bude, Stratton, Poughill. Most Coombe Valley site visits get booked within the same week.
How quickly can you visit a Coombe Valley site?
Usually within the same week. Coombe Valley (EX23) is on our regular North Cornwall run, alongside Bude, Stratton, Poughill. First visits are free and you'll get an honest feasibility view inside seven days.
Request a free visitFAQs
Coombe Valley Renovations — local questions answered.
- We live in the house. Can a renovation in Coombe Valley 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 Coombe Valley are often easier if you move out for a few weeks. We set that expectation at feasibility stage rather than halfway through.
- How much does a full renovation cost in Coombe Valley?
- A whole-house renovation typically lands between £1,800 and £3,000 per square metre depending on condition, listed status and finish level. We survey before quoting and don't price by guesswork. In Coombe Valley specifically, we'd start by checking the latest parish-level planning history before committing to a direction.
- Can you renovate and extend at the same time?
- Yes, and often it's the right call — the planning, regs and disruption all happen once instead of twice. We design and price it as a single project.
- Do I need planning permission to renovate internally?
- Usually no — except on listed buildings, where Listed Building Consent is needed for many internal alterations. We confirm the position before any wall comes down.
- What about damp and old walls?
- We assess the cause first — usually rising damp myths, blocked vents, hard cement renders trapping moisture, or roofs needing attention. A breathable repair strategy fixes most of it without chemical intervention.
- How long does a renovation take?
- Single rooms in weeks, kitchens in two to three months, whole-house renovations in six to fourteen months depending on size and listed status.
Coombe Valley is part of Bude
Coombe Valley sits inside the Bude catchment — we cover both as one renovation territory.
See Renovations in Bude →Other services in Coombe Valley
Nearby places we cover
Designing a renovation in Coombe Valley is as much about reading the parish as reading the brief; we do both, and the planning outcomes follow. Lane access and rural policy tests shape what is realistic on an isolated plot.
Get the EX23 planning view before you draw Bodmin handles the planning end for EX23.
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