Backland Development
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Build a home for family in your garden in Exeter

The first question for any family in Exeter thinking about building in the garden is usually this: annexe or proper house? The answer turns on the person moving in, how long they’re likely to stay, and whether you might ever want to sell or let the building on its own.

An annexe is used with your home and usually tied to it by condition. A separate dwelling stands alone, with its own permission and potentially its own title. Exeter City Council assesses them on different terms, and council tax, CIL and VAT rules split along the same line. Our free plot appraisal sets out both, so you can decide with your family and your advisers.

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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
Exeter City Council
Postcodes
EX1, EX2, EX3, EX4
Noon sun, 21 March
About 39°
Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
About 6.1 m
Planning plan
Local Plan
County
Devon

Before you decide in Exeter

A measured survey is where a family home in Exeter 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 39° at midday here, a 5 m eaves line throws a noon shadow close to 6.1 m; drawing that onto the survey shows which positions keep light in the main rooms of both homes. Exeter City Council will expect to see the same evidence with the application.

Section showing noon sun and shadows in Exeter: 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 17.6 mExistingNew home
This section is worked out for the latitude of Exeter: around 39° of sun at midday in late March and about 16° at midwinter. It shows why the gap between your house and a new home behind it is about light as well as privacy. Garden assumed to face north.

From first call to decision

From first call to keys, a family home in Exeter follows a clear order. Free appraisal and site visit; measured survey and design around the person moving in; a planning application to Exeter City Council; approval under the Building Regulations and any CIL exemption claimed before work starts; then the build, with you living next door throughout. You receive a written quote after design and survey, and we keep the household updated at each stage.

  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

  • 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.
  • 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.

Your questions, answered for Exeter

How long will building work disrupt my home in Exeter?

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.

Do I need planning permission for a granny annexe in Exeter?

Yes, almost always for a detached annexe with its own kitchen, bathroom and bedroom. Exeter City Council will treat it as accommodation linked to your home and will usually add a condition so it can’t be let or sold separately. A garden building used only as a home office or gym is a different matter, but sleeping and cooking take it beyond those allowances.

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

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 Exeter City 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 Exeter 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. Exeter City Council’s council tax team can tell you how the rules apply to your household.

Other options in Exeter

Family home in your garden near Exeter

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