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.
Across Scottish Borders, people look into a single-storey extension to replace something worn out, to make the house work better for them, or to get it ready for a sale. We cover Hawick, Galashiels, Peebles and Kelso and the smaller towns around them, working to the rules that apply in Scotland. Expect a guide of £33,500–£72,000, VAT included, in Scotland, and every quote follows a free visit.
- Guide price
- £33,500–£72,000 inc VAT
- Time on site
- 10–16 weeks on site
- Planning rules
- Scotland
- Price level
- About 4% below the national guide
- Towns listed
- 4
- Survey
- Free, with a written quote
Single-storey extensions prices in Scottish Borders
These are guide costs, not quotes. For a single-storey extension in Scottish Borders the range is £33,500–£72,000, VAT included, reflecting prices in Scotland that are about 4% below the national guide. Once we have visited for a free survey, you get a firm figure for the scope you approve.
| Type of job | What it usually involves | Guide in Scottish Borders |
|---|---|---|
| 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:
- Floor area, shape and number of corners
- Roof type, rooflights, lanterns and the amount of glazing
- Steelwork needed to open into the existing house
- Finishes, kitchen, flooring and heating specification
Scope of the work
- 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
- Windows and external doors, including bifolds if chosen
- Plastering, screed floor and internal doors
- Building control inspections and completion certificate
Homes in Scottish Borders
Mill towns such as Hawick, Galashiels and Selkirk have stone terraces and tenements from the textile industry, Melrose and Kelso have older sandstone centres, and farmhouses and cottages across the Borders are built of whinstone or sandstone under slate roofs. Post-war and newer estates surround the larger towns.
Mill-town terraces and tenements often need lime repointing, re-roofing in slate and replacement windows. Newer homes commonly take extensions and garage conversions, and rural properties add fencing, porches and driveways.
Cold winters with frost and snow on higher ground, and the Tweed and Teviot can flood low-lying properties.
Planning and building rules in Scottish Borders
Because Scottish Borders falls under Scotland's rules, the guidance below is the version relevant to you. Before sending a price, we check your property's position with the council.
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.
From survey to handover
We look at the job
First, someone visits your home in Scottish Borders to see the space, take measurements and note anything that could affect the work, such as access or the condition of what is there. There is no charge for this visit.
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.
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
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.
How we work
Questions about a single-storey extension in Scottish Borders
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.
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.
Can I stay at home during the work?
In most cases, yes. Most people can live at home throughout, and we plan the work to keep disruption down by protecting floors, agreeing working hours and keeping access routes clear. Bigger jobs affecting kitchens, bathrooms or heating may mean a short spell with reduced facilities, and we talk this through with you at the survey.
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.
Towns in Scottish Borders
Find your town below. Every place listed in Scottish Borders is covered for a single-storey extension, with the same survey, written quote and fixed-price process.