Surrey | Waverley Borough Council
Farnham Extensions, Surveys and Structural Engineering
Open Plan Homes Limited works across Farnham on house extensions, property surveys, party wall matters, structural engineering and chimney work. Farnham falls under Waverley Borough Council, and it is the local planning authority, with Surrey County Council above it for highways matters such as skip permits and any scaffold that reaches the pavement.
Farnham runs from Georgian brick townhouses along Castle Street, West Street and Downing Street, with Victorian terraces behind East Street through to post war and later estates out toward Weybourne, Badshot Lea and Rowledge. We look at the property before we say what anything involves, and every project gets a written scope and price.
What we do here
Our Services in Farnham
Farnham, Surrey
Working on Farnham Property
- Planning authority
- Waverley Borough Council
- County
- Surrey
- Typical ground
- Folkestone Formation greensand with river terrace deposits along the Wey valley
- Party wall exposure
- Terraced and semi detached property is common right through the older centre, so party wall notices are part of most projects rather than an exception.
Farnham covers a real mix of building stock, and which part of the town a property sits in changes what structural work actually involves. Around Castle Street, Gostrey Meadow and the Bourne, the older stock is Georgian brick townhouses along Castle Street, West Street and Downing Street, with Victorian terraces behind East Street. Further out you find post war and later estates out toward Weybourne, Badshot Lea and Rowledge, where the construction is more standardised and the structural picture is usually easier to establish.
On the planning side, Waverley Borough Council is the local planning authority, with Surrey County Council above it for highways matters such as skip permits and any scaffold that reaches the pavement. It is also worth knowing that Farnham has one of the largest conservation areas in Surrey, covering most of the historic town centre, and a number of the Georgian frontages are listed in their own right. None of that necessarily stops a project, but it does change the route, and it is far cheaper to establish before a design is fixed than after.
The ground under Farnham is commonly Folkestone Formation greensand with river terrace deposits along the Wey valley, which is relevant wherever a foundation or a new bearing is involved, though a site investigation is what confirms it for a particular plot. Terraced and semi detached property is common right through the older centre, so party wall notices are part of most projects rather than an exception. Castle Street and the streets running off it are narrow and often restricted for loading, so on town centre projects the practical questions about skip permits, scaffold licences and delivery windows come up early rather than at the last minute.
Questions we get asked
Farnham: Frequently Asked Questions
Will a project in Farnham need a party wall notice?
Terraced and semi detached property is common right through the older centre, so party wall notices are part of most projects rather than an exception. If the property is semi detached or terraced, or if the foundations for any new element sit close to a boundary, the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 is likely to apply and notice has to be served before work starts. We can confirm the position once we have seen the property, and serve the notices as part of the same project rather than leaving you to arrange it separately.
How much do structural calculations cost?
It depends on the number of openings and the complexity of the load path. We quote in writing against a defined scope rather than an hourly estimate.
Do I have to serve a party wall notice for a rear extension?
It depends on where the foundations sit and whether you are cutting into a shared wall. On a semi detached or terraced property with foundations close to the boundary, notice is usually required. On a detached house set well back from every boundary, often it is not.
Do I need a survey on a new build property?
A structural survey is rarely the priority on a brand new house, but a snagging inspection usually is, because defects raised within the developer's snagging period are far easier to get resolved than ones raised afterwards.
Do you also work in the areas around Farnham?
Yes. Alongside Farnham we regularly work in Aldershot, Farnborough and Fleet, and across the wider Surrey border area from our office in Fleet. Bear in mind that some of those neighbouring towns sit under a different council to Farnham, so the planning and building control route can change from one to the next even over a short distance.
Are structural calculations included in your extension work?
Yes. Beam and lintel design is part of the package rather than a separate purchase, which avoids the common situation where drawings are produced by one party and the structural detail has to be commissioned from another before building control will look at it.
Do you cover the whole of Farnham, including Castle Street?
Yes. Farnham is fully within our normal working area for building and structural work, from Castle Street, Gostrey Meadow, the Bourne and Upper Hale through to the surrounding streets. Castle Street and the streets running off it are narrow and often restricted for loading, so on town centre projects the practical questions about skip permits, scaffold licences and delivery windows come up early rather than at the last minute.
Which council handles building control for building and structural work in Farnham?
Farnham falls under Waverley Borough Council. It is the local planning authority, with Surrey County Council above it for highways matters such as skip permits and any scaffold that reaches the pavement. That matters because a set of calculations and drawings has to be submitted to the authority that actually covers the address, and on this patch the boundaries run close together, so neighbouring towns can sit with entirely different councils.
Are there heritage or planning constraints to watch in Farnham?
Yes. Farnham has one of the largest conservation areas in Surrey, covering most of the historic town centre, and a number of the Georgian frontages are listed in their own right. Where any of that applies to a property, permitted development cannot be assumed, and on a listed building even internal alterations can need consent. We establish which of these apply to your address at the start, because it can change the structural solution as well as the paperwork.
Does the ground in Farnham affect the foundation design?
It can. Across Farnham the underlying ground is commonly Folkestone Formation greensand with river terrace deposits along the Wey valley, and that has a bearing on foundation depth, on how a new bearing is detailed, and on how close to mature trees a foundation can sensibly go. That is a general description of the area rather than a statement about any particular plot, so where foundations are involved we design against what an investigation on the site actually shows.
Talk it through first
Work on a Farnham property
Whether it is an extension, a survey before you buy, a party wall notice or a wall you want out, tell us about the property and we will tell you what it involves. We are ten minutes to an hour from most of Farnham from our office in Fleet.