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The past year stay and the subsequent changes to our lifestyles, has triggered a boom in home improvements, with over 80% of homeowners planning to make changes to their homes in the next 12 months. Paint sales went through the roof in the lockdowns as we took to freshening up our home décor, and now tradespeople are like gold dust should we want to install a new bathroom or kitchen.

Many of those now working from home indefinitely are finding themselves cramped with their laptop in their bedroom, or huddled around the dining room table with little separation between work mode and living space, so it is not surprising there has been an increased appetite from people to extend their property.

As the trend for working from home is likely to continue, as many businesses implement a hybrid working model, many people will be looking for a purpose built office hub at home – whether a garage conversion, a house extension or even a garden office.

Planning permission must be granted for any extension works to your property and unfortunately planning disputes are common. In the last 12 months we’ve all got to know those physically closest to us a little bit better, and some of our neighbours have become like friends and family. However these relationships can quickly turn sour if you interfere with your neighbours land or impact their living space. Before you start the planning process, ensure you understand where your property boundaries lie. And don’t just look at the final plans for your new extension, but consider how you are going to get there – will your builders have to access your neighbour’s property in order to construct scaffolding or to store materials and equipment? Falling foul of the property boundaries will not only leave a bad smell with your neighbours it could be a costly and lengthy process to get your extension and planning permission granted, and worst case scenario could mean that your building works have to be demolished.