Backland Development
0800 088 6248Free to call Free plot appraisal

Build a home for family in your garden in St Austell

Bringing an elderly parent to live beside you in St Austell often feels like the obvious answer, until you look at what the house can offer. A spare room up a flight of stairs rarely suits someone whose mobility is failing. A purpose-built single-storey home in the garden can.

We offer design and build of garden homes for family across Cornwall, with no steps to climb, a bedroom at ground level and a walk-in shower built in from day one. Planning goes through Cornwall Council, and we prepare and manage the application for you. Start with a free plot appraisal and we’ll tell you honestly whether your garden looks suitable.

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Single-storey garden home with wide glazed doors and a covered porch at the back of a family garden
Planning authority
Cornwall Council
Postcodes
PL25, PL26
Noon sun, 21 March
About 40°
Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
About 6.0 m
Planning plan
Local Plan
County
Cornwall

Before you decide in St Austell

Access usually decides what a St Austell garden can take. An annexe can often share your drive because it is used with the house, but a separate home needs an access Cornwall Council will accept for a dwelling in its own right, with room for cars, bin collection and emergency vehicles. We cover homes in St Austell and around Bodmin, Truro and Newquay, and on every plot we measure the drive width, the view along the road where the access joins it, and how far bins would need to travel, before anyone draws a plan.

Section showing noon sun and shadows in St Austell: about 40 degrees on 21 March and 16 degrees on 21 December21 m21 Mar, noon: sun 40°, shadow 6.0 m21 Dec, noon: sun 16°, shadow 17.2 mExistingNew home
Noon sun in St Austell on 21 March sits about 40° above the horizon, so a typical two-storey eaves line (about 5 m) throws a shadow of roughly 6.0 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.

From first call to decision

The next step is a conversation, by phone or through the form, about your garden in St Austell and who the new home is for. We check access, title, the main planning constraints and any CIL position for your address, then tell you whether an annexe, a separate home or neither looks realistic. If neither does, we’ll say so and explain why.

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. 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

  • A separate home needs its own garden, parking, bins and access, so it needs more land than an annexe.
  • CIL exemptions are lost if work starts before the claim is made, and can be withdrawn if the home is sold or let within three years.
  • Planning is the council’s decision, and an annexe is not a way round the rules that apply to a new house.

Questions about garden plots in St Austell

How long will building work disrupt my home in St Austell?

A single garden home usually takes several months on site, with the noisiest work, such as groundworks, drainage and heavy deliveries, concentrated near the start. We agree working hours, access and parking with you up front, and with the people next door where it affects them, so your household knows what each week will look like.

How much garden do I need for a family home in St Austell?

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 Cornwall 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.

Will an annexe in St Austell put up my council tax?

It might. Annexes can be banded separately, but exemptions exist for annexes lived in by certain dependent relatives, and in some cases a discount applies where family live there or the annexe is used as part of the main home. Who qualifies depends on the relative’s circumstances and how the annexe is used. Cornwall Council’s council tax team can tell you how the rules apply to your household.

Who owns an annexe built in my St Austell garden?

You do. An annexe stays on the title of your house and usually carries a planning condition tying it to the main home, so it can’t be transferred to the relative living in it. If a family member is paying towards it, record what they’ve put in and what happens on a sale in a written agreement drawn up by a solicitor.

Other options in St Austell

Family home in your garden near St Austell

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