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.
Addresses across IV1 and IV3 fall within our coverage for a single-storey extension, so if your home is in Inverness we can arrange a survey on a day that works for you. We inspect the existing building, discuss materials and layout, and then price the agreed specification in writing. Expect a guide range of £33,500–£72,000 including VAT before that visit.
- Guide price
- £33,500–£72,000 inc VAT
- Time on site
- 10–16 weeks on site
- Postcodes
- IV1 and IV3
- Planning rules
- Scotland
- Local area
- Highland
- Survey
- Free, with a written quote
How much does a single-storey extension cost in Inverness?
Here is how the guide price for a single-storey extension breaks down in Inverness. We start from national figures and adjust for Scotland, which comes out about 4% below the national guide. The resulting range, VAT included, is £33,500–£72,000, and a survey, at no cost to you, firms it up.
| Type of job | What it usually involves | Guide in Inverness |
|---|---|---|
| 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:
- 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
- Finishes, kitchen, flooring and heating specification
What’s included?
- Groundworks, foundations and below-ground drainage
- Flat or pitched roof, with rooflights or a lantern if specified
- Steel beams to open into the existing house
- 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
Inverness has Victorian villas and terraces and large modern estates, while rural Highland homes range from harled stone cottages and croft houses to modern timber-frame kit houses, which are common across the region. Orkney uses local flagstone, and island and coastal communities mix traditional stone homes with newer bungalows.
Croft houses and stone cottages often need lime harling, re-roofing and window renewal. Bungalows commonly take extensions and loft rooms, and remote projects need careful planning for materials and access.
If your house in Inverness fits one of these patterns, it helps us anticipate what a single-storey extension will involve, though we always confirm the details on site.
Permissions for a single-storey extension in Inverness
The notes below cover Scotland, which is where Inverness sits. Rules change and every property is different, so we speak to the council before pricing your job.
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?
Free site survey
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.
Quote in writing
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
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
The work is carried out to the agreed specification, with floors and furniture protected and the site kept tidy. At the end we clean up, walk through the finished job with you and hand over any certificates.
What you can expect from us
Frequently asked 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.
Do I need planning permission in Inverness?
It depends on the work, the size of the project, your property type and whether the building is listed or in a conservation area. Inverness 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.
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.
Do you cover Nairn, Forres and Elgin?
Yes. As well as Inverness, we cover Nairn, Forres and Elgin and the rest of Highlands and Islands. 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.
Near Inverness
Inverness and its IV1 and IV3 postcodes are part of our coverage. Homeowners in Nairn, Forres and Elgin can also book a free survey with us and receive a written price for their job.