Extensions · Essex
House Extensions
Built Properly,
Priced In Writing.
Single-storey, two-storey, side-return and wrap-around extensions across Essex — foundations to final coat by one accountable team. Fixed written quote inside 48 hours of survey, building control coordinated, work we stand behind on completion.
35+ Years On The Tools · Fixed Written Quotes · Same-Week Surveys
Service Overview
Extensions —
The Brief, In Plain English.
What It Is
A house extension adds usable, planning-compliant square footage to your existing home — a kitchen-diner side return, a rear lounge extension, a two-storey bedroom and bathroom build, a wrap-around that opens up the whole back of the property, or a loft and ground-floor combined scheme that effectively gives you a new house without moving. We take the project from initial measure and architectural coordination through groundworks, shell, roof, services, plaster, second fix and decoration.
Who It's For
Essex homeowners who've outgrown their property but love the location and the school catchment, landlords adding value before sale or remortgage, growing families needing a proper kitchen-diner or an extra bedroom and en-suite, and homeowners with existing planning permission who need a single contractor to deliver the whole build instead of juggling six trades themselves.
When You Need It
As soon as you've got planning approval (or you're confident the scheme falls inside permitted development). Typical lead time is a minimum of around 2 months from signed contract to on-site start, with site surveys often arranged inside the same week. Better to start in spring or early summer so the shell is watertight before autumn — but we run weather-tight programmes year-round across Grays, Thurrock and the wider Essex catchment.
Why It Matters
Extensions go wrong when nobody owns the whole programme. Foundations get poured before the steel schedule is finalised, the roof gets cut before the building control inspector signs off the joists, the plasterer waits for the electrician, the electrician waits for the plasterer, and the homeowner gets stuck refereeing trades that have never worked together. A single accountable team — same number from quote to sign-off — keeps the dates on the wall and absorbs the small problems that always come up.
What Happens If You Wait
The Cost Of
Doing Nothing.
An extension that's been started badly costs more to rescue than to do once properly. The mistakes are buried inside the structure long before the snags become visible.
Risks Of Ignoring It
- →Foundations under-dug for the ground conditions — settlement cracks within 18 months, structural remedial work the only fix.
- →Steel beams under-specified or installed without correct padstones — sagging openings, doors that won't shut, eventual prop-and-rebuild.
- →Cavity insulation skipped or fitted to the wrong U-value — heat loss above building reg standard, an EPC that won't pass on sale.
- →Flat roof falls run the wrong way — standing water, blistered membrane, internal leaks the first proper winter.
- →Damp-proof course bridged at the junction with the existing house — rising damp into the new build the moment the brickwork settles.
- →No building control sign-off paperwork — a Land Registry headache and a price-chip the day you try to sell.
Common Mistakes Customers Make
- ×Picking the cheapest quote without comparing scopes line-by-line — the cheap quote always excludes the expensive bits.
- ×Letting the architect's drawing dictate the build sequence instead of letting the builder programme it.
- ×Paying big stage payments up front before any milestone has been hit.
- ×Skipping a written contract, programme and variation procedure — verbal extras become invoice arguments at the end.
- ×Choosing the kitchen and finishes before the structural shell is locked in — late changes drive cost and time overruns.
Our Process
First Call To
Final Sign-Off.
01
Site Survey
We measure up, photograph every elevation, check existing foundations and drains, review your drawings and listen to how you actually want to live in the finished space.
02
Fixed Quote & Programme
Itemised written quote with brick, steel, insulation, roof and finish spec — plus a dated programme covering ground-break, shell, watertight, first fix, plaster, second fix and handover.
03
Groundworks & Shell
Dig and concrete foundations to building control depth, lay drainage, build the cavity walls, install steels with correct padstones, deck and weather-proof the roof.
04
First & Second Fix
Electrical and plumbing first fix, insulation, plasterboard and skim, screed where required, then kitchen, bathroom, doors, skirting, sockets and decorations.
05
Sign-Off & Handover
Final building control inspection, snags walked together same day, completion certificate and your handover pack with the keys.
Why It's Worth It
What You
Actually Get.
One Phone Number
Owner-led. Same direct number from quote to sign-off — no project-manager turnover halfway through your build.
Programme On The Wall
Dated milestones agreed up front. You know exactly what trade is on site each week and what is happening the week after.
Building Control Handled
We coordinate the inspector at the right stages and hand you the completion certificate — material when you remortgage or sell.
Spec That Lasts
Cavity ties at correct centres, lintels properly borne, DPC trays installed, falls on flat roofs correctly set. The bits you don't see are the bits that fail first.
Tidy Site, Every Day
Dust sheets down, off-cuts skipped daily, garden protected. You can still live in the rest of the house while we build.
Fixed Price In Writing
Variations get re-quoted in writing before we proceed. No verbal extras turning into invoice arguments at handover.
In Detail
Extensions —
Every Variation Covered.
Materials, methods and the situations each variation applies to — so you know what you're buying before you buy it.
Working across
Grays · Thurrock · Basildon · Billericay · Rochford · Romford · Upminster
Full Service Area MapSingle-Storey Rear & Side-Return Extensions
The Essex classic: opening up the back of a Victorian or Edwardian terrace into a kitchen-diner that finally works. Steel goose-neck or full goal-post frame, cavity wall construction, warm flat roof with parapet detail or a vaulted ceiling with rooflights, bi-fold or sliding doors onto the garden. Coordinated so the kitchen fitter walks into a square, plumb, fully-serviced room.
Two-Storey & Wrap-Around Extensions
Adds bedrooms and bathrooms above your new kitchen — the most cost-efficient way of growing the house because you're paying for foundations and roof once but getting two floors of new space. Wrap-arounds combine side-return and rear in one envelope, usually a planning rather than build challenge — we coordinate the design team if you haven't already got drawings.
Garage Conversions & Outbuildings
Converting an attached garage into a habitable room (study, snug, utility, ground-floor bedroom with wet room) is one of the highest return-on-investment moves in Essex housing stock. We upgrade the foundation, raise the floor to match the house, insulate to current building regs and finish to the same standard as the original rooms — not a 'garage with carpet on it' job.
Glass-Box & Orangery Extensions
Steel-and-glass structures with full-height glazing, lantern roofs or full glass roofs. Specialist detailing around the thermal break, water tightness and structural deflection — done properly, an orangery is the architectural showpiece of the house. Done badly, it leaks every winter.
Permitted Development vs Planning
Most single-storey rears across Essex fall under permitted development if you stay inside the height, depth and material rules. We help homeowners read the rules realistically before they commit to drawings — and we work with local architects in Thurrock, Basildon and Brentwood for schemes that need a full planning application.
Residential vs Light-Commercial
We mostly run domestic extensions but we'll quote on light-commercial outbuildings — small office annexes, treatment rooms and home-business workshops — to the same fixed-price written-quote standard. Heavier commercial work isn't our sweet spot; we'll tell you straight rather than wing it.
Recent Projects
Extensions —
Recent Builds.
Questions
Straight
Answers.
Cost, timeline, lifespan, lead times — the questions everyone asks, answered before you call.
Ask YoursHow much does a house extension cost in Essex?
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Cost scales with size, ground conditions, glazing and finish — a basic single-storey rear is materially different from a two-storey with bi-folds and a lantern roof. We give fixed written quotes after a site visit, itemised by structure, services, finishes and externals so you can see and adjust scope before committing.
How long does a typical extension take?
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A single-storey rear is usually 10–14 weeks from groundbreak to handover. A two-storey side or rear extension typically runs 14–20 weeks. Wrap-arounds and orangeries with significant glazing are 16–22 weeks. We give you a dated programme up front, not a 'few months' guess.
Do I need planning permission or is it permitted development?
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Most single-storey rear extensions across Thurrock, Basildon and the wider Essex boroughs fall under permitted development if they stay within the height, depth and material rules. Two-storey and wrap-around extensions usually need full planning. We'll tell you straight at the survey, and we work with local architects if you need drawings and a planning application.
Will you handle the building control inspections?
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Yes. We coordinate building control at the right stages — foundations, drainage, structural, insulation, completion — and hand you the completion certificate at sign-off. That paperwork is what your conveyancer asks for when you eventually sell.
Do you stand behind your work?
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Yes. If something we built isn't right, we come back and put it right. Installed kits (roof systems, windows, kitchens, boilers) are covered by the relevant manufacturer guarantees, and all paperwork is bundled and handed over on completion.
Can we live in the house while you build?
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For most rear extensions, yes — we hoarding off the works area, keep a working kitchen and bathroom available, and protect the floors and routes through the house. For larger two-storey or whole-rear schemes that disconnect the kitchen, moving out for the messy phases is usually faster and cheaper.
Do you handle the kitchen fit at the end?
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Yes — either supply through our trade contacts or fit a kitchen you've bought yourself. We coordinate the worktop template, splashback tile and final electrical sign-off so you finish with one accountable team rather than chasing a separate kitchen company.
What deposit do you take?
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No large up-front deposit. We work on stage payments tied to completed milestones — groundworks complete, shell complete, watertight, first fix, plaster, completion. You pay for work done, not work promised.
Do you cover my postcode?
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Yes — Grays, Thurrock, Basildon, Billericay, Rochford, Romford, Upminster, Hornchurch and across Essex. We're based on Malvern Road in Grays so anywhere within a sensible drive of the RM and SS postcodes is our home turf.
How quickly can you start?
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Site surveys can typically be arranged within the same week. From signed contract to on-site start, plan for a minimum of around 2 months for a single-storey extension and longer for two-storey or larger schemes. Booking ahead of spring usually beats the rush — call 07802 209143 to check current availability.
Next Step
Need An Extension Built Properly First Time?
Free site survey, fixed written quote inside 48 hours, no obligation. 35+ years on the tools, Grays-based.
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