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.
Getting a single-storey extension right in Ely starts with understanding the house you already have: its age, how it was built and what has been altered over the years. We survey first, then commit on paper to a price that holds as long as the scope stays the same. Across the East of England, guide prices run at £37,000–£79,000 including VAT, and homes in Newmarket, March and Cambridge are covered too.
- Guide price
- £37,000–£79,000 inc VAT
- Time on site
- 10–16 weeks on site
- Postcodes
- CB6
- Planning rules
- England
- Local area
- Cambridgeshire
- Survey
- Free, with a written quote
Single-storey extensions prices in Ely
Every figure below is a guide for a single-storey extension in Ely, inclusive of VAT. Regional pricing for the East of England works out about 5% above the national guide, and the overall span is £37,000–£79,000. 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 Ely |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
Your price depends mostly on:
- 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
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
- Electrics and plumbing by qualified trades, with certificates
- Plastering, screed floor and internal doors
- Building control inspections and completion certificate
Local housing and a single-storey extension
Cambridge has many Victorian terraces in pale gault brick, with Edwardian villas and modern estates around the city. Peterborough expanded as a new town from the 1970s, adding large planned estates, while Ely, Huntingdon, St Neots and the Fenland market towns keep Georgian and Victorian centres. Limestone appears in villages near the Northamptonshire border.
This is one of the driest parts of the UK, but open fenland is windy and peat or clay ground can shrink, affecting foundations.
Building traditions across Cambridgeshire also raise conservation and planning questions, so we check those for a single-storey extension in Ely at the survey stage.
Do you need permission in Ely?
Planning law differs across the UK. For a home in Ely, it is the England rules below that count, and we check them with the council ahead of any 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.
What happens after you get in touch?
We look at the job
Book a visit and we'll come to you. The survey covers measurements, the state of what's there now and any obvious constraints, so the price that follows is based on your actual home, not an average.
Your fixed price
We put everything into a written, fixed-price quote: the specification, what's excluded, staged payments and the expected time on site. Take whatever time you need to decide; there's no pressure to commit.
Plan and prepare
Next comes planning the work itself. We set a start date that suits you, line up the right trades, and make sure any approvals for a single-storey extension are in place before the first day on site.
The work itself
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
Single-storey extensions in Ely: questions
Is a flat roof or a pitched roof better on an extension?
A flat roof is quicker to build and usually costs less, gives a clean modern look and works well with a roof lantern. A pitched roof matches the main house, sheds water faster and allows a vaulted ceiling, but it costs more and its height can affect neighbours. Modern flat roofs in EPDM rubber or GRP last well when properly detailed. Planning rules on height can also decide the choice.
What happens at the survey?
We visit your home at a time that suits you, look at the area involved, take measurements and check access, condition and any services that might be affected. We talk through what you want from a single-storey extension, explain the options and answer questions. There is no charge and no obligation; afterwards we send a written quote.
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 I need planning permission in Ely?
It depends on the work, the size of the project, your property type and whether the building is listed or in a conservation area. Ely is in England, so England'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.
Also covering areas around Ely
From CB6 to the edges of Ely and on into Newmarket, March and Cambridge, we can arrange a site visit and a written quote for your project, planned around dates that work for you.