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.
Planning a single-storey extension for a home in Luton means making a handful of decisions about materials, layout, finish and timing. We help you work through them at a free survey, then confirm in writing what it will cost for the options you pick. Most projects of this type need 10–16 weeks on site, and we cover every LU1, LU2, LU3 and LU4 address as well as the rest of Bedfordshire.
- Guide price
- £37,000–£79,000 inc VAT
- Time on site
- 10–16 weeks on site
- Postcodes
- LU1, LU2, LU3 and LU4
- Planning rules
- England
- Local area
- Bedfordshire
- Survey
- Free, with a written quote
How much does a single-storey extension cost in Luton?
Below is a breakdown of typical costs for a single-storey extension in Luton. Because rates in the East of England are about 5% above the national guide, the overall guide comes to £37,000–£79,000, 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 Luton |
|---|---|---|
| Small extension (8–12m²) | A modest rear or side extension, such as a utility room or a slightly larger kitchen. | £23,000–£42,000 |
| Typical rear extension (15–25m²) | A kitchen-diner or family room with bifold doors and a rooflight or lantern. | £37,000–£79,000 |
| Large or wrap-around (30m² plus) | A wrap-around or wide rear extension, often with structural steelwork into the house. | £74,000–£136,000 |
Expect these to shape the final quote:
- Floor area, shape and number of corners
- Ground conditions, foundation depth and drains to divert
- Steelwork needed to open into the existing house
- Finishes, kitchen, flooring and heating specification
What do you get?
- 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
- Steel beams to open into the existing house
- Windows and external doors, including bifolds if chosen
- Building control inspections and completion certificate
What are homes like around Luton?
Bedfordshire has a long brick-making history, and brick dominates: Victorian terraces in Bedford and Luton, interwar semis, large post-war estates around Luton and Dunstable, and newer developments near Bedford and Biggleswade. Villages in the north of the county keep limestone cottages, with timber framing and thatch scattered across older settlements.
Terraced houses here often benefit from rear extensions, loft rooms and repointing. Interwar and post-war semis commonly suit kitchen extensions, porches and garage conversions, while older village properties may call for lime plastering and sympathetic window replacements.
Knowing the typical building types in Bedfordshire helps, but a survey of your own home in Luton is what decides the right approach to a single-storey extension.
Planning and building rules in Luton
As Luton is in England, read the following with that system of planning and building control in mind. We check what applies to your house with the council before you receive a quote.
In England, many single-storey rear extensions are permitted development: typically up to 3 m deep on a semi-detached or terraced house and 4 m on a detached house, no more than 4 m high, and covering no more than half the land around the original house. Larger rear extensions can go through the prior approval process. Side extensions, flats, listed buildings, conservation areas and homes where permitted development rights have been removed need planning permission.
Building Regulations approval is needed for almost every extension, covering foundations, structure, insulation, drainage, ventilation and fire safety. If the work is on or near a shared wall or boundary, the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 may apply.
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
It starts with a survey at the property, free of charge. We check condition, access and services, ask how you want the finished result to look, and answer any questions you have about a single-storey extension.
Written quote
The quote arrives in writing, not over the phone. It covers the full scope, the finishes you've chosen, any exclusions and the payment schedule, with a fixed price tied to that specification.
Dates and permissions
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.
The work itself
Our trades complete a single-storey extension while your point of contact keeps you updated. When everything is finished, we clear the site, take away waste and go through the result with you before handover.
Working with SK Home Improvements
Single-storey extensions in Luton: questions
What does a typical extension build look like week by week?
A typical single-storey extension follows the same order: clearing the site and digging foundations, building walls up to roof level, then fitting the roof and windows to make it weathertight. Electrics, plumbing, insulation and plastering follow. The last stage is opening into the house, laying the screed and fitting doors and finishes. Building control inspects at key stages, and we book those visits for you.
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.
Which postcodes in Luton do you cover?
We cover LU1, LU2, LU3 and LU4, along with the rest of Bedfordshire. 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.
How much does a single-storey extension cost?
A typical single-storey rear extension of 15–25m² costs £37,000–£79,000, built to a plastered finish ready for your kitchen and decoration. As a guide, allow roughly £1,600–£2,800 per square metre plus fixed costs for groundworks, steelwork and fees. Smaller extensions cost more per square metre. The kitchen, flooring and large glazed doors are usually the biggest extras. We confirm a fixed price for the agreed specification after the survey.
How long will a single-storey extension take?
On a typical home, allow 10–16 weeks on site. Larger projects, older buildings and extra work found once things are opened up can extend that, while simpler jobs may be shorter. Your quote includes an estimate of time on site, and your point of contact keeps you updated on the programme as the work progresses.
Also covering areas around Luton
Live in Luton? Our coverage takes in the LU1, LU2, LU3 and LU4 postcode areas and reaches out to Dunstable, Harpenden and Hitchin, so homes on the outskirts and in the next town along are included.