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.
Whatever prompted you to look into a single-storey extension, whether wear and tear, a growing family or plans to move, we can survey your Bury St Edmunds home and give you a price in writing. Homes in the East of England typically come in at £37,000–£79,000, VAT included, for this kind of work. We also cover Thetford, Stowmarket and Newmarket, and the same steps apply wherever you are in Suffolk.
- Guide price
- £37,000–£79,000 inc VAT
- Time on site
- 10–16 weeks on site
- Postcodes
- IP32 and IP33
- Planning rules
- England
- Local area
- Suffolk
- Survey
- Free, with a written quote
What should you budget for a single-storey extension in Bury St Edmunds?
Use the table to gauge the cost of a single-storey extension in Bury St Edmunds before we visit. Figures include VAT and are scaled for the East of England, coming out about 5% above the national guide, which gives £37,000–£79,000 overall. After a free survey, you receive a fixed written price.
| Type of job | What it usually involves | Guide in Bury St Edmunds |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
Expect these to shape the final quote:
- 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
What’s included?
- 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
- Electrics and plumbing by qualified trades, with certificates
- Plastering, screed floor and internal doors
- Building control inspections and completion certificate
What are homes like around Bury St Edmunds?
Suffolk villages are full of timber-framed cottages, many limewashed in traditional colours such as Suffolk pink, with pargeting and thatch in places. Flint and pale gault brick are common too. Ipswich has Victorian terraces and interwar estates, Bury St Edmunds has Georgian streets, and Lowestoft and Felixstowe mix Victorian seaside housing with newer estates.
Timber-framed buildings need breathable lime plaster and render, and roof repairs that suit the original materials. Terraces suit loft conversions and rear extensions, while newer homes commonly take garage conversions and porches.
None of this holds for every street in Bury St Edmunds, which is why we look at your actual house before pricing a single-storey extension rather than assuming from its age alone.
Permissions for a single-storey extension in Bury St Edmunds
Homes in Bury St Edmunds come under the regulations for England, summarised below. We don't rely on general rules alone: we confirm the position for your address with the council before a quote goes out.
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.
Price and scope agreed
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.
Booking the work
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.
Build and hand over
During the work we protect the areas around it and tidy up at the end of each day. Once complete, we check the finish, remove our materials and hand over paperwork such as building control sign-off where it applies.
Working with SK Home Improvements
Single-storey extensions in Bury St Edmunds: questions
Do I need an architect for an extension?
You need proper drawings for an extension, but not always a full architect service. A designer or architectural technician can produce planning and building regulations drawings, and a structural engineer provides beam and foundation calculations. If you already have drawings, we price from them. If not, we can arrange the drawings and calculations as part of the project so everything is coordinated from the start.
Can you combine a single-storey extension with other work?
Yes. Because we manage several trades under one contract, we can plan a single-storey extension alongside other work on your Bury St Edmunds home, such as new windows with rendering, or a kitchen refit with an extension. Combining jobs can reduce repeat set-up such as scaffolding, skips and access, and every element is listed and priced in the same written quote.
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.
How much does a single-storey extension cost?
A typical single-storey rear extension of 15–25m² costs £37,000–£79,000, built to a plastered finish ready for your kitchen and decoration. As a guide, allow roughly £1,600–£2,800 per square metre plus fixed costs for groundworks, steelwork and fees. Smaller extensions cost more per square metre. The kitchen, flooring and large glazed doors are usually the biggest extras. We confirm a fixed price for the agreed specification after the survey.
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.
Nearby towns
Homes across IP32 and IP33 in Bury St Edmunds are within our coverage, as are those in Thetford, Stowmarket and Newmarket. If you are just outside these areas, ask anyway, because we work right across the UK.