- Planning authority
- Buckinghamshire Council
- Postcodes
- HP8, SL9
- Noon sun, 21 March
- About 38°
- Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
- About 6.3 m
- Planning plan
- Local Plan
- County
- Buckinghamshire
Before you decide in Chalfont St Peter
A measured survey is where a family home in Chalfont St Peter stops being an idea and becomes a plan. We record boundaries, levels, trees, drains and the windows of your house and the houses next door, then test where the new building can sit. With the spring equinox sun standing near 38° at midday here, a 5 m eaves line throws a noon shadow close to 6.3 m; drawing that onto the survey shows which positions keep light in the main rooms of both homes. Buckinghamshire Council will expect to see the same evidence with the application.
From first call to decision
Getting started in Chalfont St Peter costs nothing. Send us a few photos of your garden and the way in, or simply call, and we’ll look at the plot from the desk and talk through your family’s plans. If there’s a realistic scheme, we arrange a site visit. Survey and design are quoted in writing before you commit, and the build price follows once the design is settled.
Free plot appraisal
We look at your plot, access and the planning picture from the desk, talk through who will live in the new home, and visit if it looks viable. There’s no cost and no obligation.
Annexe or separate home
We set out both routes for your plot, covering what each means for planning, ownership, council tax, CIL and VAT, so you can decide with your family and advisers before design starts.
Survey and design
A measured survey, then a design built around the person moving in: step-free routes, a ground-floor bedroom if needed and privacy for both households. You get a written quote after design and survey.
Build and handover
We build while you carry on living next door, with access, deliveries and working hours agreed up front. At handover you get the completion certificate and the paperwork you’ll need for council tax, lenders and any VAT claim.
Worth checking early
- Family plans change: agree ownership, costs and what happens if circumstances change in writing, with a solicitor.
- A separate home needs its own garden, parking, bins and access, so it needs more land than an annexe.
- An annexe tied by planning condition usually can’t be sold or let separately, which limits flexibility later.
Chalfont St Peter: questions to ask
How much garden do I need for a family home in Chalfont St Peter?
There’s no fixed figure. A single-storey annexe close to the house can work on a smaller plot than a separate dwelling, which needs its own garden, parking and access. What matters is whether Buckinghamshire Council can be satisfied on privacy, daylight and the space left for both homes. The free appraisal gives you a first view based on your plot’s actual shape and access.
Can I reclaim VAT on a family annexe in Chalfont St Peter?
Often not. HMRC’s guidance gives an annexe that can’t be used or sold separately from the main house as an example of work that can’t be zero-rated, and the DIY housebuilders refund scheme asks the same question. A separate dwelling is usually treated differently. Take advice from a tax adviser before you settle the planning route, because the wording of the permission matters.
Can you design a home in Chalfont St Peter for a relative who uses a wheelchair?
Yes. The design can include a level approach and threshold, turning space in each room, a wet room, wider doors and worktops at a usable height. Where Buckinghamshire Council requires a particular access standard through planning, the design meets it; otherwise it’s your choice how far to go. Input from your relative’s occupational therapist is well worth having.
Is CIL payable on a family home in Chalfont St Peter?
Only if Buckinghamshire Council has adopted the Community Infrastructure Levy, which its website will confirm, and we check it for you during the appraisal. Where it applies, self-build and residential annexe exemptions exist, but both must be claimed before work starts and can be withdrawn if the home is sold or let within three years of completion.
Other options in Chalfont St Peter
- Combine gardens with your neighbours
- Sell part of your garden
- Sell subject to planning
- Planning promotion for your garden plot
- Large rear gardens
- Joint venture on your garden plot