What is the process for having our kitchen extended?

[LondonLancashireRose]

DH and I have decided to try and extend our kitchen to give us some much needed extra living space which should mean we don't need to move for a few years. The problem is that neither of us know how to make this happen!

Can anyone give me a brief run through of who I need to contact and in what order please.

I have emailed 3 local builders, one came out, gave a rough ballpark figure (which seemed like a lot to us!), a second has said he will need "Building Control level drawings" to give a quote, no response from the third. Do we contact an architect for these drawings? I'm worried about spending a lot on fees only to discover we can't afford the extension - but I suppose that's unavoidable?

For info, we live in a mid-terrace and the extension we want would be permitted development.

Thank you for any help!

We just finished ours in south London so have been through it all! I would definitely suggest calling more builders for quotes to get a truer picture. Any builder worth his salt should be able to give you a rough ballpark (explain your situation that you need an idea of cost before you embark on spending money). These things are so run-of-the-mill that they should have a good idea for the basic shell and core work. All the internal stuff is dependant on what you really want to spend - i.e. are you getting an Ikea kitchen or a bespoke, etc.

As for architects, we met 3 and were shocked by their fees. Ended up using a draughtsman that cost £1k for basic drawings for planning permission and then, once we got permission, he did the calcs for the builder. It seems like you can get non-architect drawings for £1-1.5k in London for this type of extension...maybe less if you shop around.

After you have the actual drawings and get the permission (or approval for permitted development) then just get loads of builders in to quote. And of course it goes without saying, but check multiple references for each builder and go and see their work! Then just prepare yourself for a couple months of mayhem....

Thank you! Would you recommend your builder? We are South London too.

We did this a few years ago and one lesson we learned was not to underestimate the importance of the planning/drawings stage. The architect we chose was pretty rubbish actually, but fortunately one of our neighbours did similar work just before us so we ended up copying a few of their ideas. If you know of anyone else in your area who has extended, I would suggest having a chat. This was really invaluable for us.

We already knew what we wanted, I had sketched out different kitchen lengths from a 2.5m extension up to a 4m extension and went from there. So we settled on a 3m extension (see my profile) as that was the best layout for us.

I roughly costed up the kitchen (Ikea) plus appliances, flooring and lighting so I knew what the interior part would cost. Did some serious saving as we funded it ourselves.

I had an architect copy my plan and submit it to planning as we have no permitted development. The cost of that was under £400 for the architect (planning is free when you have no permitted development)

I had a builder recommended who came out and quoted for the build side. I had subscribed to Homebuilding and Renovation magazine for 2 years and attended a homebuilding show so we knew approximately that it would cost £1200psqm.

With the builder's quote we knew exactly how much it would all cost. I'm in Yorkshire but my 2.5m wide by 3m extension cost £11,500k.

Kitchen all in was £9k for everything from cabinets to oven, cheap Beko dishwasher but £850 induction hob to sockets, cooker switch, new light switches.

I had LED lighting, under cab lights etc, cost of electrician was £1500 but then I had extra work done (CCTV cameras, outside lights and security lights and a shower cable fed through the house to the bathroom) kitchen fitter was £1500 too.

I hope that helps, you may have party wall issues, I don't know about that because we are detached.

It was smooth sailing but I was very glad to get my house back. Good luck.

I would recommend our builder (only reservation was the quality of some of the finishing carpentry - not terrible but not perfection). His name is David O'Brien and email is david (at) drjbuild.com. We also spoke to Peter James Developments based in Dulwich/Denmark Hill and they seemed very good as well and their quote was almost the same. You can find some great recommendations and reviews on the East Dulwich Forum if you're based in south london. Good luck!