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Slate-clad roof extension on a yellow-brick London terraced house
Photograph: Daniel Sikpi

01Kingston upon Thames, London

Mansard roof drawings in Kingston upon Thames

Kingston upon Thames is cool towards the mansard. Its design guidance wants dormers set down from the ridge and in from the roof edges, and treats a mansard as at odds with the existing roof form. We test your roof against that first, from £845 including VAT.

From £845 (VAT included)

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    02The brief

    What Kingston's design guidance says about mansards

    The council's Residential Design SPD says dormers should not be built in the style of a mansard roof, and it cites a mansard extension as out of keeping with the existing roof form. Where a street asks for that, we draw a dormer scheme beside any mansard idea so you can compare them before a design is frozen.

    The guidance sets measured limits for dormers: how far they sit down from the ridge, and in from the sides and eaves. Those distances are in the table. On the front slope the guidance says dormers should not normally appear, summarised as no front dormers; no mansard-style dormers.

    Brick cottage with a tiled roof, chimneys and a front dormer window
    Upper floors of a large yellow-brick Victorian house in London with chimney pots
    Photograph: Lorenc Memaga

    03The record

    Local figures for Kingston upon Thames

    Figures with their unit, period and source
    MeasureValuePeriodSource
    Dormers must be set down from the existing ridge lineset down 500 mm from ridge mmNo periodkingston.gov.uk, Residential Design SPD (adopted July 2013), Policy Guidance 39, p.89
    Dormers must be set in from roof sides and eavesset in 500 mm from sides and eaves mmNo periodkingston.gov.uk, Residential Design SPD (adopted July 2013), Policy Guidance 39, p.89
    Dormers should not normally be on the front roof slope nor be built in mansard styleno front dormers; no mansard-style dormersNo periodkingston.gov.uk, Residential Design SPD (adopted July 2013), Policy Guidance 39, p.89; Fig 45
    Piggyback roof extensions must be set back from the front elevationset back 4 m from front elevation mNo periodkingston.gov.uk, Residential Design SPD (adopted July 2013), Policy Guidance 40, p.91
    Piggyback extensions may not raise eaves and ridge beyond a limit, and no dormers in additionmax 1.3 m height increase mNo periodkingston.gov.uk, Residential Design SPD (adopted July 2013), Policy Guidance 40, p.91
    Piggyback extensions unlikely to be appropriate in conservation areas or on listed buildingsgenerally unacceptable in CA or listedNo periodkingston.gov.uk, Residential Design SPD (adopted July 2013), para 4.28, p.90
    Class B, condition B.2(b)(i)(aa)Class B requires the original eaves to be maintained or reinstated, which a parapet-fronted mansard normally removesNo periodlegislation.gov.uk
    Class AA, para AA.1(b)Class AA is not available on article 2(3) landNo periodlegislation.gov.uk
    Householder: alterations/extensions to a single dwellinghouse, from 1 Apr 2026548 GBPNo periodribblevalley.gov.uk
    Conservation areas28 named conservation areas published by the councilNo periodplanning.data.gov.uk
    Article 4 directions3 Article 4 directions published by the councilNo periodplanning.data.gov.uk
    Householder applications granted83 %1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk

    A blank value means the figure has not been published, not that there are none. Check your own address with the council.

    Kingston upon Thames7 neighbouring councils
    Councils bordering Kingston upon Thames

    04The drawing

    A mansard roof in sectionA, Kingston upon Thames: set-back and parapet: set back 4 m from front elevation m. B, Permitted development and the eaves: Class B requires the original eaves to be maintained or reinstated, which a parapet-fronted mansard normally removes. C, Additional storeys under permitted development: Class AA additional storeys exclude houses built before 1 Jul 1948 or after 28 Oct 2018. D, Fire protection to the stair: New storey above 4.5 m by loft conversion: protect the full escape route with fire-resisting doors (min E 20) and partitions (min REI 30)ABCD

    A mansard roof in section

    A London terrace with a mansard behind the parapet. The lettered marks show the limits the legend gives.

    A Kingston upon Thames: set-back and parapet
    set back 4 m from front elevation m
    B Permitted development and the eaves
    Class B requires the original eaves to be maintained or reinstated, which a parapet-fronted mansard normally removes
    C Additional storeys under permitted development
    Class AA additional storeys exclude houses built before 1 Jul 1948 or after 28 Oct 2018
    D Fire protection to the stair
    New storey above 4.5 m by loft conversion: protect the full escape route with fire-resisting doors (min E 20) and partitions (min REI 30)
    The mansard in three dimensions3D
    Scroll the page: the model turns with it.

    05The detail

    Piggyback roofs and the borough's protected houses

    A piggyback roof lifts the eaves and ridge together, and the guidance caps how far, with no dormers allowed on top. The guidance's verdict on this kind of extension for houses in a conservation area (CA) or on the list: generally unacceptable in CA or listed.

    That matters here. The council publishes 28 conservation areas and 3 Article 4 directions, and Historic England lists 163 entries. A listed roof needs consent as well; see listed building consent drawings in Kingston upon Thames.

    Why permitted development rarely reaches a mansard

    Class B requires the original eaves to be maintained or reinstated, which a parapet-fronted mansard normally removes. Class AA is not available on article 2(3) land, so a house in a conservation area is a householder application either way.

    In the latest published year the council decided 742 householder applications, granted 83% and decided 92.5% within eight weeks or an agreed extension. These are past figures, not a prediction. Kingston takes £548 when the householder application is submitted.

    What we draw, and what it costs

    Our fixed fee starts at £845 including VAT. The set holds existing and proposed plans, sections and elevations of the roof on one surveyed datum, with the roofline shown against both neighbours. Work on a shared roof brings party structure rules: Party structure notice at least 2 months before work.

    Large houses on Kingston Hill get their own treatment in architectural drawings on Kingston Hill. The lower floors are covered by basement conversion drawings in Kingston upon Thames, and the general route is in the mansard roof drawings hub.

    Planning sheet for a single-storey rear extension: proposed ground floor plan and rear elevation, with the Property Architecture title block
    Sample drawing. Proposed plan and rear elevation from a planning application set, sheet 03 at 1:50.

    06The papers

    What the drawings rest on

    Rear view of brick terraced houses in London with slate roofs and chimney stacks along the shared rooflineParty wall services
    Photograph: Ben Hadfield
    Loft floor plan marked up in an independent review, with three critical issues clouded and explained
    Sample drawing. A loft plan with the reviewer’s mark-up: stair pitch, dormer cheeks and roof ventilation.

    07Correspondence

    Questions

    Can I build a mansard in Kingston upon Thames?

    The council's guidance resists mansard-style roofs and mansard-style dormers, so it depends on your roof and street. We check the address in the free constraints check and draw the option the guidance supports.

    What is the alternative to a mansard here?

    A dormer set down from the ridge and in from the roof sides and eaves, as the council's guidance requires. We show it next to any mansard idea, so the choice rests on drawings.

    Does a conservation area change the answer?

    Yes. The upward-extension permitted development class is not available there, and the guidance says piggyback extensions are generally unacceptable in conservation areas or on listed houses.

    Will Kingston accept dormers on the front of the roof?

    Not normally. The guidance summarises its stance as no front dormers; no mansard-style dormers. Dormers on the rear slope, set down and in as the table shows, are the usual way to get the room, and we draw them against the street before you commit.

    Converted loft bedroom with roof windows and a Juliet balcony

    83%

    Householder applications granted, Kingston upon Thames, 1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026. Source: assets.publishing.service.gov.uk

    Photograph: Imad Clicks

    08Further reading

    Other services in Kingston upon Thames

    Mansard roof drawings nearby

    09Sources

    Sources and dates

    Licences

    Kensington street lined with brick townhouses and lit streetlamps beneath an orange dusk sky

    Send us the address of your house.

    We look up the conservation area, listing and Article 4 position, then reply with a fixed fee. A message before 3pm is answered the same working day.

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    Mansard roof drawings in Kingston upon Thames