The J.Berry blog

Straight answers, from the scaffold

Planning, costs and honest advice on extensions and loft conversions, written by the person who builds them.

Latest

Completed single-storey rear extension with bifold doors on a brick family house

21 August 2026 · 7 min read

Planning Permission and Building Regulations: The Homeowner's Guide

A homeowner's overview of planning permission, permitted development, building regulations, conservation areas, Green Belt, party wall and flood risk.

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Substantial family home with brick, timber cladding and a clay tile roof, the kind of streetscape Article 4 directions are written to protect

Planning

21 August 2026 · 8 min read

Article 4 Directions Explained: What They Mean for Your Home

What an Article 4 direction is, what it removes, how to check if your home is covered, and the planning fee point most people miss. A plain-English guide.

Glass garden room extension on a flint and stone period house, designed to sit quietly against the original building

Planning

21 August 2026 · 7 min read

Extending in a Conservation Area: What You Can and Cannot Do

Can you extend in a conservation area, what needs permission, what the council looks at, and why materials decide the outcome. A plain-English guide.

Timber-clad countryside extension with a slate roof, typical of a proportionate Green Belt addition

Planning

21 August 2026 · 7 min read

Can You Extend in the Green Belt? What's Allowed and What Isn't

Can you extend a house in the Green Belt, how much you can add, whether your home is even in it, and how to get approval. An honest, plain-English guide.

Rear extension built against an existing house, the kind of work that usually needs party wall notices on a terrace or semi

Planning

21 August 2026 · 8 min read

The Party Wall Act Explained for Homeowners

What the Party Wall Act is, when it applies to an extension, the notice you must give, and whether your neighbour can stop the work. A plain-English guide.

House extension under construction with foundation trenches and materials on site

Planning

21 August 2026 · 7 min read

Building Regulations vs Planning Permission: What's the Difference?

The difference between planning permission and building regulations, why you can need one without the other, and why the completion certificate matters at resale.

Timber-clad garden extension with bifold doors, the kind of permitted-development project a lawful development certificate protects

Planning

21 August 2026 · 7 min read

Lawful Development Certificates: What They Are and Why You Want One

What a Lawful Development Certificate is, the two types, why you want one even when it's optional, and why it matters when you sell. A plain-English guide.

Foundation trench excavated through a patio for a house extension, the stage where ground and drainage issues show up

Planning

21 August 2026 · 8 min read

Flood Risk and Home Building Projects: What You Need to Know

Whether you can extend in a flood risk area, how to check, when you need a flood risk assessment, and how to design for it. A plain-English guide.

Well-matched brick rear extension with bifold doors and rooflights, an example of getting the structure and the light right

Guides

21 August 2026 · 7 min read

The Most Common House Extension Mistakes (and How to Avoid Them)

The extension mistakes that come up again and again, from posts in the middle of the kitchen to skipped rooflights and mid-build changes, and how to avoid them.

Open-plan kitchen extension with sliding doors to a sandstone patio, the finished result of a structural opening

Guides

21 August 2026 · 8 min read

Open-Plan Living: What Steel Beams and Knocking Through Actually Involve

What knocking through for open-plan living really involves: load-bearing walls, steel beams, padstones, building regs and foundations, explained in plain English.