A porch is a small enclosed structure built over a front or side door, adding a weatherproof entrance space for coats, shoes and deliveries, improving security and reducing draughts and heat loss from the house.
Cost is usually the first question about a new porch, so here is the guide for Scotland: £3,400–£7,700 including VAT. We cover the whole of Argyll and Bute, with Helensburgh, Dunoon, Oban and Isle of Bute among the main centres. Because each UK nation sets its own rules, we check the requirements in Scotland for your property, then put a firm price on paper following a free survey.
- Guide price
- £3,400–£7,700 inc VAT
- Time on site
- 1–2 weeks on site
- Planning rules
- Scotland
- Price level
- About 4% below the national guide
- Towns listed
- 4
- Survey
- Free, with a written quote
Porches prices in Argyll and Bute
What will a new porch cost in Argyll and Bute? Our guide range is £3,400–£7,700 including VAT. That figure is adjusted for Scotland, about 4% below the national guide, and is intended for planning a budget. A firm written price for your chosen specification follows a free survey at your home.
| Type of job | What it usually involves | Guide in Argyll and Bute |
|---|---|---|
| Canopy or open porch | A tiled or lead canopy, or an open timber porch, over an existing door. | £950–£2,900 |
| uPVC or aluminium porch | A glazed enclosed porch on a brick dwarf wall with a new door. | £2,900–£5,300 |
| Brick-built porch | A fully brick-built porch matching the house, with tiled roof, windows and lighting. | £5,300–£9,600 |
What moves the price up or down:
- Floor area and height of the porch
- Construction: uPVC, aluminium, brick or timber frame
- Door and window specification
- Drains, meters or paths that need moving
What do you get?
- Foundations and a concrete base with damp-proof membrane
- Brick dwarf walls or full brick walls to match the house
- Roof tiled or covered to suit the house, with flashing
- Guttering and a downpipe connected to drainage
- Electrics for lighting or sockets by a qualified electrician
- Plastering, sills, skirting and flooring ready to use
Homes in Argyll and Bute
Much of Argyll and Bute is rural and coastal, with whitewashed or harled stone cottages, slate roofs and island homes. Helensburgh has Victorian villas, Oban, Dunoon and Rothesay have Victorian seaside terraces, and post-war and newer housing surrounds the main towns.
Stone cottages need lime harling, repointing and slate roof repairs; villas may need roof and window renewal. Island and remote properties need the programme planned around ferries, deliveries and weather.
One of the wettest and windiest parts of the UK, with high exposure on the coast and islands, so roof and render details must suit severe weather.
Do you need permission in Argyll and Bute?
For anyone in Argyll and Bute, 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, a small porch is often permitted development within floor-area and height limits and away from a road boundary, but not in conservation areas.
Very small porches can be exempt from a building warrant, though they must still meet the building standards.
Rules change and every property is different, so we check the planning history and constraints for your address before we quote.
The four stages
Survey and measure
A free survey comes first. It gives us what we need to price a new porch properly, including dimensions, existing materials and access for deliveries, and gives you the chance to ask anything you like.
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.
Getting ready
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
During the work we protect the areas around it and tidy up at the end of each day. Once complete, we check the finish, remove our materials and hand over paperwork such as building control sign-off where it applies.
How we work
Questions about a new porch in Argyll and Bute
Which postcodes in Argyll and Bute do you cover?
We cover G84, PA23, PA34 and PA20, along with the rest of Argyll and Bute. If your postcode is not listed, get in touch anyway: our coverage is UK-wide, and we can usually arrange a survey wherever you live. Enter your postcode in the guide-price tool or contact form and we will confirm.
Do I need planning permission for a porch?
Whether a porch needs planning permission depends on its size and height, how close it is to a road, your home's location, whether it is listed or in a conservation area, and which UK nation you live in. In England, a porch is usually permitted development if its ground floor area is no more than 3m², no part is over 3m high and it is at least 2m from a boundary with a road. We check before quoting.
How long does it take to build a porch?
Building a porch usually takes one to two weeks on site. Foundations and base go in first, then the brickwork, roof, windows and door. uPVC and aluminium porches are often quicker because the frames are made off-site, while brick-built porches with a tiled roof take a little longer. Frames and doors are made to measure, so allow a few weeks' lead time before starting.
Can I use my porch as a room?
A porch is designed as an entrance space for coats, shoes and deliveries rather than a habitable room. If you want to use it as part of the house, for example by removing the front door between them, it is likely to need building regulations approval like a small extension, with higher insulation standards. We can design the porch to suit either use.
Do I need planning permission in Argyll and Bute?
It depends on the work, the size of the project, your property type and whether the building is listed or in a conservation area. Argyll and Bute is in Scotland, so Scotland'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.
Towns in Argyll and Bute
Homes in all of the following Argyll and Bute towns can get a written quote for a new porch. Open a town page to see prices and the postcodes we cover.