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.
Every house in Gillingham is a little different, so we never price a single-storey extension from a brochure. We look at the structure, access and existing finishes first, then put in writing a fixed figure for the scope we settle on. As a rough steer, homeowners in the South East should budget £39,000–£84,000 including VAT, with work typically taking 10–16 weeks on site.
- Guide price
- £39,000–£84,000 inc VAT
- Time on site
- 10–16 weeks on site
- Postcodes
- ME7 and ME8
- Planning rules
- England
- Local area
- Medway
- Survey
- Free, with a written quote
Single-storey extensions prices in Gillingham
Below is a breakdown of typical costs for a single-storey extension in Gillingham. Because rates in the South East are about 12% above the national guide, the overall guide comes to £39,000–£84,000, 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 Gillingham |
|---|---|---|
| Small extension (8–12m²) | A modest rear or side extension, such as a utility room or a slightly larger kitchen. | £24,500–£45,000 |
| Typical rear extension (15–25m²) | A kitchen-diner or family room with bifold doors and a rooflight or lantern. | £39,000–£84,000 |
| Large or wrap-around (30m² plus) | A wrap-around or wide rear extension, often with structural steelwork into the house. | £78,000–£146,000 |
The main things that change the figure:
- 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
Scope of the work
- Groundworks, foundations and below-ground drainage
- Cavity walls built and insulated to building regulations
- 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
Building in Gillingham
Kent's older buildings include oast houses, weatherboarded cottages, Wealden timber-framed houses and Kentish ragstone walls. Medway towns have long rows of Victorian terraces, Margate and Ramsgate have Regency and Victorian seafronts, and Ashford, Maidstone and Dartford have seen large new estates alongside interwar and post-war housing.
Victorian terraces suit loft rooms and rear extensions; weatherboarded and timber-framed buildings may need cladding repairs and lime work. Newer estate homes often take garage conversions, porches and landscaping.
In Gillingham, as elsewhere in Kent, we take the building's age and construction into account before recommending anything, because both can change what is involved in a single-storey extension.
Do you need permission in Gillingham?
Planning law differs across the UK. For a home in Gillingham, 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.
How does the job run?
A visit to your home
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
We turn the survey notes into a written quote. The price is fixed for the specification we agree, and the document sets out materials, scope and payment stages in plain language.
Dates and permissions
Preparation matters as much as the build. We agree access, parking and working hours with you, order materials in good time, and confirm any permissions so the job isn't held up once it starts.
The work itself
Work goes ahead as scheduled and you deal with one contact throughout. When the last trade leaves, we clear and clean the site, talk you through what has been done and pass on any certificates and care instructions.
Why homeowners choose us
Frequently asked questions
Who do I deal with during the job?
One point of contact manages your project from survey to handover. They schedule the trades working under our contract, keep you updated on progress, and are the person to call with any question. You don't need to coordinate builders, electricians or decorators separately, because that is part of what we do.
Is the price fixed?
Yes, for the specification we agree. Your written quote sets out exactly what is included at a fixed price. It only changes if you ask for something different, or if a problem the survey could not reasonably reveal later needs extra work. In either case we explain the change and confirm it in writing before going ahead.
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.
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.
Also covering areas around Gillingham
Whether you're in the centre of Gillingham or on its outskirts, ME7 and ME8 addresses are covered. We extend the same service, and the same fixed-price approach, to Chatham, Rochester and Strood.