A double-storey extension adds two floors of new space to your house in one build, typically a larger kitchen or living room downstairs with an extra bedroom, bathroom or en-suite above, sharing one set of foundations and one roof.
For a homeowner in Armagh, planning a double-storey extension tends to begin with two questions: what will it cost, and how disruptive will it be? Our guide range is £52,000–£103,000 including VAT, and a typical job runs to 14–22 weeks on site. Both numbers firm up once we have seen the property, measured up and agreed exactly what is included.
- Guide price
- £52,000–£103,000 inc VAT
- Time on site
- 14–22 weeks on site
- Postcodes
- BT61
- Planning rules
- Northern Ireland
- Local area
- County Armagh
- Survey
- Free, with a written quote
What should you budget for a double-storey extension in Armagh?
Below is a breakdown of typical costs for a double-storey extension in Armagh. Because rates in Northern Ireland are about 14% below the national guide, the overall guide comes to £52,000–£103,000, including VAT. Size, materials and access move the figure, and a free-of-charge survey settles it.
| Type of job | What it usually involves | Guide in Armagh |
|---|---|---|
| Small (15–20m² total) | A compact rear or side extension adding a small room on each floor. | £34,500–£56,000 |
| Typical (30–40m² total) | A larger kitchen or living room below with a double bedroom or en-suite above. | £52,000–£103,000 |
| Large (50m² plus total) | Wide or deep extensions, often with a new bathroom, steelwork and high-spec glazing. | £86,000–£155,000 |
The main things that change the figure:
- Combined floor area across both storeys
- How the new roof joins the existing roof
- Bathrooms, en-suites and plumbing on the upper floor
- Scaffolding duration, access and the level of finishes
What’s included?
- Insulated cavity walls with brick or render to match the house
- First-floor joists, stud walls and new openings upstairs
- Roof structure tied into the existing roof, tiled to match
- Electrics, plumbing and heating by qualified trades, with certificates
- Windows, external doors, plastering and internal doors
- Building control inspections and completion certificate
What are homes like around Armagh?
Armagh city has Georgian buildings, many in local limestone, around its historic centre. Portadown and Lurgan, linked by the Craigavon plan of the 1960s, have Victorian terraces, post-war estates and newer developments. The countryside is dotted with detached rural houses and bungalows, often finished in roughcast or render.
A moderate inland climate with frequent rain and winter frost, and low ground near Lough Neagh can be wet.
In Armagh, as elsewhere in County Armagh, we take the building's age and construction into account before recommending anything, because both can change what is involved in a double-storey extension.
Do you need permission in Armagh?
Each UK nation sets its own consent rules, and Armagh is in Northern Ireland. What follows is a plain summary; we check the specifics for your property with the council before pricing anything.
In Northern Ireland, two-storey extensions usually need planning permission from the council.
Building control approval is needed under the Building Regulations (Northern Ireland). There is no Party Wall Act in Northern Ireland.
Rules change and every property is different, so we check the planning history and constraints for your address before we quote.
The four stages
We look at the job
We begin by looking at the job in person. During the free survey we discuss options, materials and budget for a double-storey extension, and photograph or measure anything the quote needs to reflect.
Written quote
Next you receive a written quote with a fixed price for the agreed specification. It lists what is included, what is not, and how payments are staged, so you can compare it properly.
Booking the work
Before anyone starts, we confirm the programme in writing, check whether consents are required and arrange deliveries. If a skip or scaffolding on the road needs a permit, we apply for it.
Build and hand over
On site, the agreed plan is followed and any change is put in writing first. At completion we do a final clean, go through the snagging list with you and leave you with the relevant documents.
How we work
Questions about a double-storey extension in Armagh
Can the new upstairs room have its own bathroom?
A new upstairs room can usually have an en-suite, provided waste pipes can reach the soil stack or a new one can be installed. Running the waste pipe to the right falls is the main design question, and a pumped system is an option where gravity will not work. We plan bathroom positions at the design stage so pipes, ventilation and insulation are built in rather than added later.
Will the extension affect my neighbours?
A double-storey extension can affect neighbours' light, outlook and privacy, which is why planning departments look closely at height, depth and window positions. Side windows facing neighbours often need obscure glass. Work near a shared wall may also need party wall notices; the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 applies in England and Wales only. We talk through these points early so the design is realistic.
Is the price fixed?
Yes, for the specification we agree. Your written quote sets out exactly what is included at a fixed price. It only changes if you ask for something different, or if a problem the survey could not reasonably reveal later needs extra work. In either case we explain the change and confirm it in writing before going ahead.
Do I need planning permission in Armagh?
It depends on the work, the size of the project, your property type and whether the building is listed or in a conservation area. Armagh is in Northern Ireland, so Northern Ireland's rules apply. Many smaller jobs need no planning application, but some still need building control approval. We check what applies to your address before quoting.
Is a double-storey extension better value than single-storey?
A double-storey extension usually gives better value per square metre than a single-storey one, because the same foundations and roof serve twice the floor area. The overall cost is higher, and planning can be harder because of the effect on neighbours. If you might want an extra bedroom later, building both floors now avoids a second round of disruption and scaffolding.
Also covering areas around Armagh
We survey and quote throughout Armagh's BT61 postcodes and in surrounding places such as Portadown, Dungannon and Craigavon. The process and pricing approach are identical in each of them.