Costs of extension and/or loft conversion?

[Pufflesome]

Has anyone in Cambridge had either of these done recently? I'm keen to find out what it would costs to have a loft conversion done, with staircase and all that, and preferably an extension to the back of the house (kitchen) as well. The extension we're looking at would be about 3m x 2.5m but I'm just interested in a rough idea of costs.

Thanks very much!

There is a big range of possible prices depending on who you go with and what you have done.

We had a kitchen extension larger than yours in 2012 (5.4m wide by 3.6m deep) and we had quotes of between £30,000 to £50,000. We ended up going with a builder at an agreed cost of about £40,000. There were around £1,000 of unforeseen extras. The final bill was closer to £60,000 due to the cost of a new kitchen, cloakroom, bi-fold doors, flooring and various other things not included in the main quote.

The best thing to do is get a few companies round to discuss what you are planning and give you an estimate. You will need to have plans drawn up and you will need Planning Permission if you are within the Conservation Area, even for a small extension. You will also have to comply with Building Regs. For example, if you don't have a hallway or enclosed stairs then your top floor loft conversion won't be an official bedroom as there will be no safe escape route in the event of a fire. Another Building Regs rule is about loft insulation - you need a lot of it, and this can reduce the ceiling height upstairs below what you might consider acceptable unless you raise the roof ridge, which takes you back to Planning Permission and is something they aren't keen on.

I'll be interested to hear the quotes you get and who you end up using OP. We're hoping to convert our loft but probably not for a few years.

We've just had quotes in and all are
perhaps we were just naive about what we were asking for (and have got carried away with the architect who clearly thinks we are made of money - one of the builders has even commented - "this is very high spec - are the clients aware?!"

We are "just" extending our bedroom and converting a spare room into an ensuite but the 3 quotes are all £100k plus vat.

I totally just feel like giving in and saying "a lick of paint and a new carpet might be better..."