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.
Anyone planning a single-storey extension in Romford wants three things: a clear price, a realistic timetable and a tidy job. We publish a guide of £45,500–£98,000 including VAT for London up front, explain that work normally takes 10–16 weeks on site, and confirm both in writing after a free survey of your property.
- Guide price
- £45,500–£98,000 inc VAT
- Time on site
- 10–16 weeks on site
- Postcodes
- RM1, RM2, RM5, RM7 and RM11
- Planning rules
- England
- Local area
- Greater London
- Survey
- Free, with a written quote
Single-storey extensions prices in Romford
To help you plan, we show what a single-storey extension typically costs in Romford instead of holding figures back for a sales call. The range is £45,500–£98,000 with VAT, using rates in London that are about 30% above the national guide. A free survey then fixes your actual price.
| Type of job | What it usually involves | Guide in Romford |
|---|---|---|
| Small extension (8–12m²) | A modest rear or side extension, such as a utility room or a slightly larger kitchen. | £28,500–£52,000 |
| Typical rear extension (15–25m²) | A kitchen-diner or family room with bifold doors and a rooflight or lantern. | £45,500–£98,000 |
| Large or wrap-around (30m² plus) | A wrap-around or wide rear extension, often with structural steelwork into the house. | £91,000–£169,000 |
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?
- 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
- Plastering, screed floor and internal doors
- Building control inspections and completion certificate
Local housing and a single-storey extension
London's housing is dominated by Victorian and Edwardian terraces, often in yellow London stock brick, with Georgian terraces in central districts and mansion blocks across many inner areas. Outer boroughs have large belts of interwar semis, and there are extensive post-war council estates. Many houses have been split into flats, and conservation areas are widespread.
Terraces suit side-return extensions and rear dormer loft conversions; interwar semis commonly take hip-to-gable lofts. Shared party walls, restricted parking and conservation rules often shape the plans and the programme.
With that background in mind, here is how we typically handle a single-storey extension for homes in Romford, from the first visit to the finished result.
Do you need permission in Romford?
The notes below cover England, which is where Romford sits. Rules change and every property is different, so we speak to the council before pricing your job.
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
We arrange a free site survey on a date convenient to you. We measure up, look at the existing structure and access, and discuss your plans for a single-storey extension so the price reflects your home.
Written quote
Next you receive a written quote with a fixed price for the agreed specification. It lists what is included, what is not, and how payments are staged, so you can compare it properly.
Booking the work
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.
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.
Why homeowners choose us
Frequently asked questions
Do I need planning permission in Romford?
It depends on the work, the size of the project, your property type and whether the building is listed or in a conservation area. Romford 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.
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.
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.
What is the Party Wall Act and does it apply to me?
The Party Wall etc. Act 1996 applies in England and Wales only. In England and Wales, it requires you to give notice to neighbours before certain work on or near a shared wall, such as digging foundations within 3m of their building and deeper than its footings. Neighbours can agree or appoint a surveyor. Scotland and Northern Ireland have no equivalent Act, though general rights still apply. We identify whether notices are needed during the survey.
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.
Near Romford
Homes across RM1, RM2, RM5 and RM7 in Romford are within our coverage, as are those in Hornchurch, Dagenham and Becontree. If you are just outside these areas, ask anyway, because we work right across the UK.