Do You Need House Extension Drafties With Planning Experience?

If you're planning a house extension in New South Wales, you’ll need more than just a basic set of drawings.

You’ll need architectural plans that are accurate, compliant and tailored to meet local NSW planning rules.

That’s where the experience of a draftsperson with planning knowledge becomes essential.

At Town Planning Sydney, we specialise in house extensions that require both detailed drafting and expert planning advice.

We don’t just draw plans. We draw them to meet development application or council approval standards.

Here’s why working with a team that combines drafting and town planning experience is the best move for your house extension project.

1. Council expects plans that show compliance, not just design ideas

Your house extension may need DA approval depending on your zoning, heritage status or the scale of the work.

Even if your proposal qualifies for exempt or complying development, it still needs drawings that meet set rules.

These include setbacks, building height, floor space ratio, site coverage and overshadowing.

Our drafties prepare floor plans, elevations, sections and site layouts based on the NSW planning framework.

2. Many delays are caused by plans that miss key planning details

We often see clients who have worked with draftspersons who understand design but not planning.

The result is a development application that gets refused or stuck in council review.

In one Inner West project, a client’s extension plans failed to account for visual privacy controls.

Our planning consultant revised the layout, added screening measures and reissued updated plans. The project received council approval within the month.

3. Planning-led drafting saves time and reduces back-and-forth with council

When planners and drafters work together, your plans are more likely to be accepted on the first submission.

At Town Planning Sydney, our drafting team works alongside our planning consultants to ensure every extension plan matches the local DCP and LEP.

In a two-storey rear extension in Ryde, council requested adjustments to the first-floor balcony to reduce overshadowing.

Because our drafter was on hand, we updated the shadow diagrams and plan sheets within 48 hours.

4. We draft extensions for heritage homes, sloping blocks and complex sites

Not all house extensions are straightforward. If your home is in a heritage conservation area, bushfire-prone land or flood zone, the drafting must reflect specific constraints.

We recently worked on a heritage-listed property in Marrickville where we adjusted the roofline and materials to meet the conservation officer’s comments. The DA approval was granted with no need for external redesign.

5. We offer both drafting and end-to-end planning support

Our clients value the fact that they don’t need to hire a separate consultant after the plans are drawn.

We provide complete planning advice, lodge the development application, and respond to council requests as part of the service. In a project in Campbelltown, the homeowner needed help with both design and council process.

We provided architectural drafting, prepared the Statement of Environmental Effects and submitted a complete package that passed on first review.

6. House extension plans are more successful when drafted with DA support

Council wants to see accurate, compliant and professionally presented plans.

That only happens when your draftsperson understands the town planning side of the process. At Town Planning Sydney, we don’t leave compliance to chance.

We draw your extension plans to succeed in the council system, no matter the complexity of your site.