DEVELOPMENT - House Extensions

Extensions to buildings are a common means of providing more space within a dwelling, or improving what currently exists. Buildings have always evolved and extensions, or secondary ancillary buildings, can be found throughout the village. Historic extensions such as these were typically constructed of the same materials, using similar forms and vernacular techniques. Nowadays there are many other ways to extend a property and sometimes such extensions fail to respond to a place’s special character, preferring instead to be ‘off the peg’ solutions.

In Bishop Burton it is important therefore for extensions to maintain the aesthetic relationship to the traditional buildings of the village. Whilst there is scope for modern interpretations, as a general rule the materials, forms, scale and proportion of an extension should be responsive and take its inspiration from the local context.

More often than not extensions should offer some concession to the principal building and show a level of subservience to the original property. This can be done in a number of ways (the general rule is to set the ridge of an extension lower and ensure a set back to the front elevation) but the intention should be to ensure the evolution of a site can be understood and to enable the principal house to remain dominant.