Backland Development
0800 088 6248Free to call Free plot appraisal

Build a home for family in your garden in Stanley

Two households, one plot: that’s the idea behind a family home in a Stanley garden. Done well, each has privacy and a front door, yet help is a few steps away. Done badly, it can strain relationships and leave a building nobody can use when circumstances change.

The difference lies mostly in the planning route and the layout. Backland Development is a new S&K Group brand offering design and build to homeowners in Stanley and the surrounding area, and each project begins with a free plot appraisal that weighs an annexe against a separate home for your family.

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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
Durham County Council
Postcodes
DH9
Noon sun, 21 March
About 35°
Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
About 7.1 m
Planning plan
Local Plan
County
County Durham

Before you decide in Stanley

A measured survey is where a family home in Stanley 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 35° at midday here, a 5 m eaves line throws a noon shadow close to 7.1 m; drawing that onto the survey shows which positions keep light in the main rooms of both homes. Durham County Council will expect to see the same evidence with the application.

Section showing noon sun and shadows in Stanley: about 35 degrees on 21 March and 12 degrees on 21 December21 m21 Mar, noon: sun 35°, shadow 7.1 m21 Dec, noon: sun 12°, shadow 24.2 mExistingNew home
Noon sun in Stanley on 21 March sits about 35° above the horizon, so a typical two-storey eaves line (about 5 m) throws a shadow of roughly 7.1 m. In December the sun is only about 12° 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 Stanley 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. 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.

  3. Planning and approvals

    We prepare and submit the planning application and manage it with the council, which makes the decision. Before work starts, approval under the Building Regulations is in place and any CIL exemption has been claimed.

  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

  • VAT savings available on a separate dwelling often don’t apply to an annexe; take advice from a tax adviser before choosing.
  • An annexe tied by planning condition usually can’t be sold or let separately, which limits flexibility later.
  • Family plans change: agree ownership, costs and what happens if circumstances change in writing, with a solicitor.

Your questions, answered for Stanley

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

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 Durham County 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 Stanley 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. Durham County Council’s council tax team can tell you how the rules apply to your household.

Is CIL payable on a family home in Stanley?

Only if Durham County 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.

Can you design a home in Stanley 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 Durham County 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.

Other options in Stanley

Family home in your garden near Stanley

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