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.
We take on a double-storey extension throughout Elgin and the surrounding IV30 postcodes, as well as in Lossiemouth, Forres and Buckie. The guide range for this work in Scotland is £58,000–£115,000 including VAT; where your project falls depends on its size, the materials you pick and how easy the site is to reach. A free survey turns that range into a fixed figure.
- Guide price
- £58,000–£115,000 inc VAT
- Time on site
- 14–22 weeks on site
- Postcodes
- IV30
- Planning rules
- Scotland
- Local area
- Moray
- Survey
- Free, with a written quote
Double-storey extensions prices in Elgin
Every figure below is a guide for a double-storey extension in Elgin, inclusive of VAT. Regional pricing for Scotland works out about 4% below the national guide, and the overall span is £58,000–£115,000. The survey costs you nothing, and after it we commit to a firm price for your specification in writing.
| Type of job | What it usually involves | Guide in Elgin |
|---|---|---|
| Small (15–20m² total) | A compact rear or side extension adding a small room on each floor. | £38,500–£62,000 |
| Typical (30–40m² total) | A larger kitchen or living room below with a double bedroom or en-suite above. | £58,000–£115,000 |
| Large (50m² plus total) | Wide or deep extensions, often with a new bathroom, steelwork and high-spec glazing. | £96,000–£173,000 |
What moves the price up or down:
- 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 does the job include in Elgin?
- Insulated cavity walls with brick or render to match the house
- First-floor joists, stud walls and new openings upstairs
- Scaffolding for the full build, erected and inspected
- 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 Elgin?
Elgin and Forres have historic sandstone centres, fishing towns such as Buckie and Lossiemouth have stone cottages and terraces, and Speyside villages have grown around their distilleries. Harled cottages, farmhouses and modern estates on the edges of the main towns make up much of the remaining housing.
Moray is sunnier and drier than much of Scotland, but winters are cold and the Moray Firth coast is exposed.
With that background in mind, here is how we typically handle a double-storey extension for homes in Elgin, from the first visit to the finished result.
Do you need permission in Elgin?
For anyone in Elgin, the relevant framework is Scotland's. The summary below is general, so we always contact the council about your address before putting a price in writing.
In Scotland, extensions of more than one storey are only permitted development in narrow cases (Class 1B, well away from the boundary they face and outside conservation areas), so most need planning permission.
A building warrant is required before work starts. Scotland has no Party Wall Act; neighbour and title issues are handled under general law.
Rules change and every property is different, so we check the planning history and constraints for your address before we quote.
From survey to handover
A visit to your home
A free survey comes first. It gives us what we need to price a double-storey extension properly, including dimensions, existing materials and access for deliveries, and gives you the chance to ask anything you like.
Quote in writing
We turn the survey notes into a written quote. The price is fixed for the specification we agree, and the document sets out materials, scope and payment stages in plain language.
Dates and permissions
We handle the paperwork side: checking whether planning permission or building control approval is needed, submitting applications where they are, and scheduling the trades and materials around your dates.
On site to finish
Work goes ahead as scheduled and you deal with one contact throughout. When the last trade leaves, we clear and clean the site, talk you through what has been done and pass on any certificates and care instructions.
How we work
Questions about a double-storey extension in Elgin
How much does a double-storey extension cost?
A typical double-storey extension of 30–40m² across both floors costs £58,000–£115,000, built to a plastered finish. As a rough guide, allow around £1,400–£2,600 per square metre plus fixed costs for groundworks, scaffolding and fees. The second storey usually costs less per square metre than the first, because foundations and roof are shared. Bathrooms upstairs and a complex roof add most. We confirm a fixed price after the survey.
Do you cover Lossiemouth, Forres and Buckie?
Yes. As well as Elgin, we cover Lossiemouth, Forres and Buckie and the rest of Moray. Our coverage is UK-wide, so the process is the same wherever you are: a free site survey, a quote in writing that fixes the price for the agreed scope, and one point of contact while the work is planned and carried out.
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 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.
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.
Near Elgin
We welcome enquiries from all IV30 postcodes in Elgin, plus Lossiemouth, Forres and Buckie. Each one gets the same survey at no charge and a written price fixed for the work described.