A single-storey extension is a new ground-floor room built onto your house, usually at the rear or side, with its own foundations, walls and roof, creating a bigger kitchen, living space or bedroom without moving home.
We offer a single-storey extension across Argyll and Bute, and Oban is one of the places we cover, along with nearby Fort William, Dunoon and Helensburgh. Before anything is agreed we visit, check the existing structure and talk through your options. You then receive a written quote setting out the full scope; for most homes in Scotland it sits within £33,500–£72,000 including VAT.
- Guide price
- £33,500–£72,000 inc VAT
- Time on site
- 10–16 weeks on site
- Postcodes
- PA34
- Planning rules
- Scotland
- Local area
- Argyll and Bute
- Survey
- Free, with a written quote
How much does a single-storey extension cost in Oban?
Budgeting for a single-storey extension in Oban? The numbers below include VAT and are adjusted for Scotland, where costs are about 4% below the national guide. The headline range is £33,500–£72,000. Nothing is final until we have measured up at a free survey and agreed the specification with you.
| Type of job | What it usually involves | Guide in Oban |
|---|---|---|
| Small extension (8–12m²) | A modest rear or side extension, such as a utility room or a slightly larger kitchen. | £21,000–£38,500 |
| Typical rear extension (15–25m²) | A kitchen-diner or family room with bifold doors and a rooflight or lantern. | £33,500–£72,000 |
| Large or wrap-around (30m² plus) | A wrap-around or wide rear extension, often with structural steelwork into the house. | £67,000–£125,000 |
What moves the price up or down:
- Floor area, shape and number of corners
- Roof type, rooflights, lanterns and the amount of glazing
- Ground conditions, foundation depth and drains to divert
- Steelwork needed to open into the existing house
Scope of the work
- Groundworks, foundations and below-ground drainage
- Cavity walls built and insulated to building regulations
- Flat or pitched roof, with rooflights or a lantern if specified
- Windows and external doors, including bifolds if chosen
- Plastering, screed floor and internal doors
- Building control inspections and completion certificate
What are homes like around Oban?
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.
Whatever era your Oban home dates from, we plan a single-storey extension around how it is actually built rather than a one-size-fits-all specification.
Do you need permission in Oban?
For anyone in Oban, 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, Class 1A permitted development covers some single-storey extensions, within limits on depth, height and distance from boundaries, and not in conservation areas or on flats. Anything outside those limits needs planning permission from the council.
A building warrant from the council’s building standards service is usually needed before work starts, and a completion certificate is accepted at the end. There is no Party Wall Act in Scotland; work near a boundary is agreed with neighbours under general law.
Rules change and every property is different, so we check the planning history and constraints for your address before we quote.
How does the job run?
A visit to your home
A free survey comes first. It gives us what we need to price a single-storey extension properly, including dimensions, existing materials and access for deliveries, and gives you the chance to ask anything you like.
Price and scope agreed
You get the price in writing, itemised so you can see where the money goes. As long as the specification stays the same, that is the price you pay for a single-storey extension.
Getting ready
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.
Finish and handover
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.
What you can expect from us
Common questions
Do I need planning permission for a single-storey extension?
Whether you need planning permission depends on the extension's size and height, how close it is to boundaries, your home's location, whether it is listed or in a conservation area, and which UK nation you live in. In England, many rear extensions up to 3m deep on a semi or terrace, or 4m on a detached house, can be built under permitted development. We check the rules that apply to your home before quoting.
How long does a single-storey extension take to build?
A single-storey extension usually takes 10–16 weeks on site, from digging foundations to final plastering. Bad weather, deep foundations or a complex roof can add time. Before work starts, allow several weeks for drawings, structural calculations and building control approval, and longer if planning permission is needed. We give you a stage-by-stage programme with your quote so you know what happens each week.
Do you cover Fort William, Dunoon and Helensburgh?
Yes. As well as Oban, we cover Fort William, Dunoon and Helensburgh and the rest of Argyll and Bute. 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.
How much will a single-storey extension cost in Oban?
As a guide, expect to pay £33,500–£72,000 including VAT for a single-storey extension in Oban. That range is adjusted for Scotland, which runs about 4% below the national guide. Where your project lands depends on size, materials, access and the condition of what is already there. We confirm a fixed price in writing after a free survey of your home.
Can we stay at home during the build?
Most people stay at home while we build a single-storey extension, because the new structure goes up outside before we break through. The disruptive part is usually the last few weeks, when we open into the house and fit the kitchen. We put up dust screens, keep a safe route through the house and agree a temporary kitchen setup if needed. Water and power are only off for short, planned periods.
Nearby towns
Homes across PA34 in Oban are within our coverage, as are those in Fort William, Dunoon and Helensburgh. If you are just outside these areas, ask anyway, because we work right across the UK.