Mid Cornwall · PL26
Roche renovation — feasibility first, drawings second
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. On a Roche site, the brief always meets the place — Roche is a village in the heart of china clay country with the dramatic Roche Rock and St Michael's Chapel on its outskirts, a fifteenth-century parish church and a tight Conservation Area, with a building stock that leans toward modern small estate development and Edwardian houses.
Roche sits in Mid Cornwall — covering PL26 from St Austell outward.
- Conservation Area
- Rural / open-countryside policy area
- ✓ Plain-English feasibility before any drawings
- ✓ 30+ years of Cornwall Council approvals
- ✓ Conservation Area experience built into the fee
- ✓ Cornwall Council regulars across every sub-area
Who this is for
Roche runs the full mix — owner-occupier, holiday-let, commercial and the occasional smallholding — so we scope every renovation enquiry from the use-class up.
Local watch-list
What usually catches renovation projects out in Roche.
Watch #1
Conservation Area material and fenestration controls in central Roche
Watch #2
Tighter Local Plan tests on isolated rural dwellings
Local proof — Most Roche homeowners come to us after a renovation quote elsewhere felt vague on planning — we lead with feasibility instead.
Get a free feasibility viewFAQs
Roche Renovations — local questions answered.
- 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. In Roche specifically, we'd start by checking the Conservation Area boundary before committing to a direction.
- 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.
- Can I live in the house during the work?
- Sometimes yes, often no. Single-room remodels and phased work can be liveable; whole-house renovations involving rewires, replumbing or floor lifting almost never are. We're honest about this at the brief.
- How much does a full renovation cost in Cornwall?
- 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.
Local context
Why Roche is its own job.
Locally, conservation Area covers the village core. Roche Rock SSSI and listed chapel, plus surrounding clay pits, shape most planning conversations. For renovation specifically, parts of Roche sit within a designated Conservation Area, which means materials, fenestration and roof pitches all need to read sympathetically with the existing streetscape; 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 Roche projects parish-up, not template-down — the PL26 context shapes the design from day one. Whether the project is on modern small estate development in the centre or further out toward St Austell, the renovation response is locally tuned.
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 Roche.
01
Original fireplaces, slate floors, beams and joinery are often worth rescuing; the design conversation should start with what stays, not what goes.
02
Listed and curtilage-listed properties need Listed Building Consent for many internal alterations that wouldn't normally need approval.
03
Older Cornish properties are often built with cob, rubble or solid granite — modern insulation strategies that work in cavity walls cause damp problems in solid construction. Breathable build-ups matter.
04
Asbestos surveys are standard for anything pre-2000 — we factor a survey into the programme before stripping out begins.
Our process
How a Roche 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.
Local fabric
Why a Mid Cornwall studio is the right fit for Roche renovation.
Building stock
Across Roche (PL26) we work on traditional cob and granite cottages, Victorian terraces, Edwardian houses, post-war estates, modern small estate development. Each stock type drives a different renovation response — modern small estate development in particular needs careful detailing here.
Parish & policy
Roche is its own town in Mid Cornwall, with planning history that's specific to the PL26 catchment.
Coverage
We cover PL26 from our studio, with regular renovation jobs also running in St Austell, Lanivet, Luxulyan. Most Roche site visits get booked within the same week.
What does a first Roche consultation cost?
Nothing. We come to the property, walk the site, talk through what works on a PL26 plot and follow up with a written feasibility note inside a week — no obligation either way.
Request a free visitOther services in Roche
Nearby places we cover
From initial feasibility to final handover, we manage renovation projects across Roche with careful attention to what makes Mid Cornwall unique.