Annexe Advice

[Redhound]

I am planning to annexe a section of my house and have sought the advice of a local architect. He has been very positive about it and will come up with some suggestions and plans. The problem is I can't decide how to annexe the house; I keep changing my mind as there are several options. Obviously I will see what suggestions he comes up with, but I wanted to give some guidelines first and keep costs down as much as possible. I wonder whether any one else has done this -either as a granny annexe or holiday let- and if they have come across any issues which I might not otherwise think of. I want the annexe to be incorporated into the main house when not in use, so it would probably be created just by partitions and perhaps an extra staircase. Also, would any extra council tax kick in upon completion or when any new owners purchase it? Does anyone know the cost of adding a stair case including fitting? Any experiences or thoughts appreciated; thanks!

Our new staircase cost £800 including labour, but was part of a much bigger job.

Is it possible to add an annexe without a staircase though? Just thinking of possible future buyers who might want an annexe for an elderly parent which may not be practical if not very mobile.

I think there may be problems re council tax if you have two kitchens/bathrooms but am not an expert so suggest you get advice on this - might depend on whether you intend to split the bills between the main house and the annexe.

Thanks Spickle. I agree it would be sensible to make a ground floor annexe, I had thought about that albeit only vaguely. However this would limit my options as it's a house not a bungalow. I am not planning to sell it short or medium term. That is less than I thought for a stair case! Thanks again.

You really need to take proper advice.

My understanding,which is years out of date and may only be relevant to my LA anyway, was that if there is an internal door linking the two areas then it should count as one property for council tax. There may be some clause about whether it's lockable, or the type of lock like the rules for HMOs. If thinking of a holiday let and partion walls you'd need to consider noise and security between the 2 areas. I think annexes rarely add much value and can often end up costing more they add to resale, but that obviously depends on what and how it's done.

I would be surprised if 2 kitchens were an issue, I think some Jewish households have this as standard(?). One option to make good use of space is to have the annex kitchen designed so it could also function as a utility room for the main house.

I have friends who once viewed a house that was owned by sisters who had inherited it and separated it into 2 flats, upstairs and downstairs, by simply adding a kitchen upstairs and a bathroom downstairs. Genius, and as buyers my friends really liked it because it was still totally functional as a "normal" house. They could see themselves living there.

My parents created an annexe of sorts so that my grandparent could live with us. There was no door inbetween the two areas, just a short flight of steps but the local council still charged two sets of council tax as the annexe had a hob in the kitchen. Apparently it was the cooking facilities that triggered the extra council tax, so a utility room in a non-annexed house wouldn't have that issue.

I'd start with seeing a Conveyancer or property solicitor for advice about potentially splitting the property and selling each part separately; there may well be issues with the freehold if you do this and you want to be forewarned.

Also consider if you will have separate water and electrical supplied to the annexe and a separate fuse board, stop cock etc. Will it have separate bills?

Will you need a fire door inbetween the two areas to comply with fire regulations?

Will you need planning permission to create two separate dwellings?

Thank you for the further thoughts. EinKlein by proper advice who would you mean if not an experienced local architect? I thought that an annexe would add value to a country house? Though as I say I am not planning on selling it. Pragmatic Wench I definitely wouldnt be separating the house and annexe it would just be a guest annexe. So the utilities would still be with the main house. I am advised that no PP would be required it would be building regs only. I would prefer not to make contact with the council at this stage so is there anywhere else I could find out about the council tax side? Thanks

No, I just meant proper advice as in don't necessarily rely on what us lot say . It's not that common a thing to do, and my own experience is ancient and probably in a different LA area to yours.

Be really careful if you're doing it to add value, and maybe try talking to a local estate agent. They can be a bit white elephanty.

Thank you EineKleine. It wouldnt be done in order to add value to the house, but clearly that would be preferable! I think I will speak to an estate agent too as you suggest. Thanks again.

I actually think that an annexes can add a lot of value. As long as you do not split the title deed - there should not be any extra council tax. Other than letting it - what else do you have in mind for it? My friend just finished renovating her whole house and she used a floor plan specialist she found online that gave her some really good ideas for very little money. I think the site was betterspace.co or something like that. Good luck!

AFAIK there is no additional council tax if it's not a separate dwelling. My friend has an annexe which is separate, i.e. it's a whole building on its own, with a kitchen, but she uses it for friends and family only, not as a holiday let. The council tried to charge her additional council tax as they reckoned it was a 'separate dwelling' but she got her solicitors to argue, successfully, that as it was for her use only it was covered by paying council tax for her main house. The council accepted it and backed off.

Thank you for the thoughts Joanna and Thefabulous. Joanna I had in mind flexible usage- primarily a guest annexe, as I moved 200 miles from home and would love friends to be able to stay longer without feeling they are getting under my feet. However I would also like the option to rent it out to a lodger or as a little specialist horsey holiday let! I live in an AONB with lots of lanes and bridleways so I think this could work. I have contacted an estate agent and a builder for further advice.
Thanks again.

I think a separate letter box is one of the things that can trigger an investigation by the council. If hobs are an issue (seems unlikely to me) then you could always finish the kitchen as if it's a utility then buy some of those plug in induction hot plates.

I would call the council for advice without giving your name or address.

Thank for for your input eggs. I have a utility room downstairs which I would like to be the annexe kitchen as you suggest, if there is enough room for stairs.. unfortunately my council wont give any advice unless I cough up some money first :/