Backland Development
0800 088 6248Free to call Free plot appraisal

Building in a large rear garden in Berkhamsted

If your back garden in Berkhamsted runs well past the patio and the lawn you actually use, the far end might be a building plot. Whether it is depends on four things: depth, a safe way in, what sits around it, and how a new home would affect the neighbours.

Backland Development looks at gardens like yours for free. If it looks workable, you can sell the plot and keep living in your house, or keep the land and have us design, get planning for and build a new home there. We’re a new brand within the S&K Group, and we’ll tell you straight if your garden isn’t a plot.

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Overhead view of three long, narrow back gardens with lawns, a greenhouse, vegetable beds and sheds
Planning authority
Dacorum Borough Council
Postcodes
HP4
Noon sun, 21 March
About 38°
Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
About 6.3 m
Planning plan
Local Plan
County
Hertfordshire

Before you decide in Berkhamsted

Wherever your home sits within HP4, the street around it shapes what’s possible. Some roads already have houses built behind the originals, while elsewhere the gardens stay unbroken from end to end. Councils read that pattern when judging a new home, so we look at your surroundings as well as your plot.

The same applies if you live just outside Berkhamsted, in nearby places such as Chesham, Hemel Hempstead and Rickmansworth. The first step doesn’t change: a free look at depth, access, levels and what a new home would mean for the people next door.

Section showing noon sun and shadows in Berkhamsted: about 38 degrees on 21 March and 15 degrees on 21 December21 m21 Mar, noon: sun 38°, shadow 6.3 m21 Dec, noon: sun 15°, shadow 18.9 mExistingNew home
Noon sun in Berkhamsted on 21 March sits about 38° above the horizon, so a typical two-storey eaves line (about 5 m) throws a shadow of roughly 6.3 m. In December the sun is only about 15° up and shadows stretch much further. Drawn for a garden facing north, where it matters most.

How we’d take it forward in Berkhamsted

Send us your address in Berkhamsted and a rough idea of what you’d like. We check the planning history around you and the policies Dacorum Borough Council applies, and look for anything in the title that could get in the way. If the garden passes those checks, we arrange a visit at a time that suits you and explain each route in plain terms.

  1. Free plot appraisal

    We look at your garden using maps, the title plan and the planning history around you, then talk it through with you. If it looks workable we arrange a site visit. There’s no cost and no obligation.

  2. Measure and test the layout

    We check depth, the width of the way in, levels, trees, drains and what lies behind, then sketch what could realistically fit: one home, two, or nothing worth pursuing, before anyone pays for an application.

  3. Choose your route

    You decide whether to sell the plot outright, sell subject to planning, grant an option, team up with neighbours, or keep the land and have us design, get planning for and build a home on it.

  4. Sale or build

    If you sell, your solicitor handles the transfer of part and your lender’s release of the plot. If you build, we give a written quote after design and survey, then build and hand over the new home.

Worth checking early

  • Cars passing beside your house to reach the new home bring noise and headlights; screening helps but doesn’t remove it.
  • Surveys and drawings cost money before any decision. On a subject-to-planning sale we normally fund them; on a build you do.
  • A shorter garden changes how your own house feels to live in and may affect what it is worth.

Berkhamsted: questions to ask

Can I build a house in my back garden in Berkhamsted?

Possibly, if the garden is deep enough, has a safe way in and a new home wouldn’t harm the neighbours or the character of the street. A new separate home always needs planning permission, and Dacorum Borough Council makes the decision. A free appraisal will tell you whether your garden is worth taking further.

How do I find out if my Berkhamsted garden is big enough for a house?

Ask for a free garden plot appraisal. We measure depth and the width of the way in, check what lies behind, look at levels, trees and drainage, and compare your garden with your council’s separation and garden-size guidance. Size alone rarely settles it, because access and neighbours’ privacy matter just as much.

Does it cost anything to have my Berkhamsted garden looked at?

No. The garden plot appraisal is free and carries no obligation. It starts with a desktop check and a conversation, and we arrange a site visit if your garden looks viable. You only commit to anything once you’ve chosen a route and seen the terms in writing.

How long does planning take for a garden home in Berkhamsted?

It varies. Small schemes often take a few months from submission to decision, and longer if surveys, amendments or extra consultation are needed. Pre-application advice and early surveys add time at the start but can save time later. We won’t promise a date, because the council sets the pace.

Other options in Berkhamsted

Large rear gardens near Berkhamsted

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