How much will an extension cost?

[marionara]

Hi!
Bought a tiny 30s bungalow.
We'd like to extend out the back (kitchen and living room) and fit some extra bedrooms in if possible, either above that, so a double storey extension, or a dormer in the roof. Garden is big so no problem there.
Could anyone speculate as to how much this might cost? Would £70k go very far?
(East Anglia!)

Thanks!

That sounds ambitious for £70k.
The general rule is it ends up being much more than you’d think, but it depends on size, finish, location, site, state of existing building etc. do you have an idea of size and finish? If you work out approximate size Google should give you an estimate per square metre for your area for standard build. That price won’t include finishes like flooring or a kitchen (or even VAT) Without that it’s impossible to estimate from the info provided.
My guess would be that you could maybe do part of what you listed for £70k if you are careful.

I don’t think 70 will swing it. We spent that on a one story extension which was about 28 sq m - it added on a dining / living and we put in a new kitchen and utility.

@jusdepamplemousse

I don’t think 70 will swing it. We spent that on a one story extension which was about 28 sq m - it added on a dining / living and we put in a new kitchen and utility.

That makes sense. We don't need it that big, but having an extra bedroom would be great. So do you think a modest single storey extension might be more realistic? Someone said its cheaper to go out than up?

@JackyinaTracky

That sounds ambitious for £70k. The general rule is it ends up being much more than you’d think, but it depends on size, finish, location, site, state of existing building etc. do you have an idea of size and finish? If you work out approximate size Google should give you an estimate per square metre for your area for standard build. That price won’t include finishes like flooring or a kitchen (or even VAT) Without that it’s impossible to estimate from the info provided. My guess would be that you could maybe do part of what you listed for £70k if you are careful.

Thanks. Do you think extending the kitchen and living room and installing a new kitchen might fit within that £70k? Sorry for questions, I'm just very naive when it comes to costing this kind of thing!

@jusdepamplemousse

I don’t think 70 will swing it. We spent that on a one story extension which was about 28 sq m - it added on a dining / living and we put in a new kitchen and utility.

Ah okay. I'm unsure how big 28sq ft is (or indeed any sq ft!) which is why I'm having trouble speculating on costings Would you share a photo of what you had done perhaps? Did you build in a way which would be strong enough to take an upper storey were you to want one in the future? And was yours done bricks and mortar? Or glass? Or some other method? Thanks :-)

We were quoted between £40k and £60k for a not very big, single story extension. I don't think £70k would get a double.

We didn't go for it in the end

@RubyRedRoses

We were quoted between £40k and £60k for a not very big, single story extension. I don't think £70k would get a double.

We didn't go for it in the end

Ah okay. That seems a lot, was it just a brick and mortar type extension to one room?

It was knocking out the corner of an L shaped living room to make it into a rectangle if that makes sense. One wing of the L shape was a conservatory, so already single story. But they were going to have to pull down the conservatory and build a back wall.

I actually wanted to put our kitchen back there instead of the conservatory / living room L shape thing we have, but we only quoted for the basic extension thinking it would be fairly cheap, but it wasn't. It also was going to be a lot of disruption for us as it is our only living area with seats.

We did a long single storey extension. About £110 but that included some interior work elsewhere. The extension has Big sliding doors, a steel, some underpinning and 2 big roof lights.

It didn’t include flooring, kitchen, decorating and making good the garden after. Or planning fees, architect fees, structural drawings and site survey.

That was also a pre covid price.

I think £70k might get you a small extension….but you might have to do a bit yourself. It’s not that much more expensive to go up too…

We're having a small side return infill (about 5 x 12ft); by the time we've had it built (including some extra costs like moving the boiler, having a pitched rather than flat roof, reclaimed stocks rather than new bricks) and replaced the kitchen & downstairs bathroom inc flooring, tiling, appliances etc we'll be spending about £70k (inc VAT).
Prices are high; our build to plaster finish is about 20-25% more than neighbours with same footprint, which was done about 4 years ago.

It's about £1k a sq m where we are.

£3k per sqm here is the norm at the moment unless you need big steels etc which push it even higher we are having a single story 18sqm starting soon and it’s £65k. New flooring/kitchen/decoration is over & above

Wow @BeautifulBirds where are you?

@Bushkin

Wow *@BeautifulBirds* where are you?

North West, that's unfinished, no plaster or fittings

I saw something in a homes magazine about a company that create a whole second floor for bungalows off site. They then crane it onto the house.

I seem to remember it was cheaper than a traditional extension and quicker as the change over from roof to top floor is like a week.

Wish I could remember their name. I seem to remember they only did bungalows...

@BeautifulBirds is that recent? It’s crazy cheap!

@BeautifulBirds I'm in the NW and almost completed our extension and over £2k sq m but that's to 2nd fix and plastered. That's an amazing price you have!!

@JustJam4Tea

We did a long single storey extension. About £110 but that included some interior work elsewhere. The extension has Big sliding doors, a steel, some underpinning and 2 big roof lights.

It didn’t include flooring, kitchen, decorating and making good the garden after. Or planning fees, architect fees, structural drawings and site survey.

That was also a pre covid price.

I think £70k might get you a small extension….but you might have to do a bit yourself. It’s not that much more expensive to go up too…

Bloody hell. We though £70k might get us a biggish single storey extension at least!

£1k s/m unfinished, no plaster, fittings, just the bricks.

When though? Recently?

We’ve just done a 2 story extension, 30 square foot on each level.

Rejigged the kitchen downstairs, and added a utility room to it. Rejigged downstairs bathroom to create a corridor and added a play room. New kitchen.

Upstairs we redone the family bathroom as had to move the wall for a corridor. New wet wall and layout and new shower, kept toilet, bath & sink.

Added a bedroom with a dressing room and ensuite. En-suite fully fitted, and fitted wardrobes.

We were 107k, in Scotland. Think we have actually for a lot for our money.

@BeautifulBirds

£1k s/m unfinished, no plaster, fittings, just the bricks.

I think this is very unrealistic in todays market. I would think closer to 1,500 for basic finish, and that’s in Scotland.

OP you still have said how big. No one can say accurately until they know how much sq.ft you want.

A good guide for single storey is £1500 sq metre but that doesn't include big ticket items like kitchens and bathrooms. This is midlands prices and I last extend 5 years ago, I paid £52k for 40 sqm

We are south west and have decided to give up on our building project and move. Quoted£2000 sq/m to first fix plus all the other stuff that needs doing. The quotes were insane.
For the upstairs we were quoted £50k to put in an ensuite, replace current bathroom and install built in wardrobes in 4 bedrooms.
Unless you are doing a lot of work yourself, £70k won’t got very far.