Backland Development
0800 088 6248Free to call Free plot appraisal

Build a new home in your garden in Peacehaven

Keep the land, gain a home: that is the design and build route we offer to garden owners in Peacehaven. Instead of selling a plot to a developer, you commission the new house yourself, with us managing design, planning, approvals and construction on your behalf.

It suits owners who can fund a build, or arrange finance for one, and who want the finished home rather than a land sale. If that isn’t you, our sell-or-partner routes may fit better, and the free appraisal compares both for your plot so you can choose with the facts in front of you.

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Timber-frame house under construction with scaffolding at the bottom of a back garden, seen from the patio
Planning authority
Lewes District Council
Postcodes
BN10
Noon sun, 21 March
About 39°
Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
About 6.1 m
Planning plan
Local Plan
County
East Sussex

Before you decide in Peacehaven

Daylight is one of the first things Lewes District Council will check on a garden house. At midday on 21 March the sun in Peacehaven stands roughly 39° above the horizon, so an eaves line about 5 m high casts a shadow of around 6.1 m. On 21 December the sun is only about 16° up and shadows stretch far longer.

That’s why the gap between your house and the new one, and the height of the new roof, are set by measurement rather than guesswork. A lower eaves line, a hipped roof or a single-storey section can make a real difference to the gardens either side.

Section showing noon sun and shadows in Peacehaven: about 39 degrees on 21 March and 16 degrees on 21 December21 m21 Mar, noon: sun 39°, shadow 6.1 m21 Dec, noon: sun 16°, shadow 17.7 mExistingNew home
Noon sun in Peacehaven on 21 March sits about 39° above the horizon, so a typical two-storey eaves line (about 5 m) throws a shadow of roughly 6.1 m. In December the sun is only about 16° up and shadows stretch much further. Drawn for a garden facing north, where it matters most.

The next steps, locally

From appraisal to a decision from Lewes District Council, each step in Peacehaven is agreed before it starts. After the site visit we quote for survey and design; after design we prepare the application; after permission we deal with conditions and technical approvals and give you a written build quote. Each stage is a separate decision for you, with its cost set out first.

  1. Free plot appraisal

    We check the title plan, access, constraints and planning policy from our desk, talk the plot through with you, and visit if it looks viable. There’s no cost and no obligation.

  2. Survey and design

    A measured survey records levels, boundaries, trees and neighbouring windows. We then design a layout and house that suit the plot, the street and your budget, and decide whether pre-application advice is worth seeking.

  3. Planning and approvals

    We submit the planning application and manage it to a decision, then deal with conditions, Building Regulations approval, the structural warranty, any build-over agreement and the new utility connections.

  4. Written quote and build

    Once design and survey are complete you get a written quote. The build runs in stages — access and groundworks, foundations, frame and roof, fit-out and external works — with inspections at each key point.

Worth checking early

  • A build next door means months of noise, deliveries and contractors near your home; good planning reduces the disruption but doesn’t remove it.
  • Your own garden gets smaller and the new home will be visible from your house, so screening and separation matter for both homes.
  • You fund the build and carry the cost risk; ground conditions, sewer diversions or supply upgrades found later can move the price.

Peacehaven: questions to ask

Do you visit gardens in Peacehaven before giving advice?

We start with a desk review of the title plan, access, constraints and planning policy, then talk the plot through with you. If it looks viable, we arrange a site visit to see the access, levels, trees and neighbouring windows for ourselves. The appraisal is free and carries no obligation.

Can I build a house in my garden in Peacehaven and keep the land?

Yes. On our design and build route you remain the owner while we design the home, apply to Lewes District Council for planning, deal with Building Regulations and build it. The finished house can be sold, let or kept for family. Whether your plot can take a house depends on access, space, neighbours and local policy, and the decision rests with the council.

How close can a new house be to my own in Peacehaven?

There’s no single national distance. Many councils use separation guides of around 21 metres between facing back windows and around 12 to 15 metres between a back window and a blank side wall, but the guidance used by Lewes District Council decides. Window positions, ground levels, roof shape and screening all affect what is acceptable, which is why we survey before we design.

Can the new home in my Peacehaven garden connect to the main sewer?

Usually, yes, but the route and depth decide how easily. The new home needs its own foul connection, agreed with the water company, and gravity drainage is simplest where the sewer sits lower than the new floor. If it doesn’t, a pumped connection may be needed. Where a public sewer runs under your garden, a build-over agreement or diversion may also be required.

Other options in Peacehaven

Build in your garden near Peacehaven

Find out what your garden could become

Free garden plot appraisal. No cost, no obligation, and a straight answer if it won’t work.

Get my free appraisal 0800 088 6248