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.
Gateshead sits within our coverage for a single-storey extension, as do neighbouring Newcastle upon Tyne, Felling and Gosforth. Before giving a price we want to see the property: the condition of what's there now, the access, and anything that might need extra work. The guide range for the North East is £31,500–£68,000 including VAT, and your written quote will spell out exactly what that covers.
- Guide price
- £31,500–£68,000 inc VAT
- Time on site
- 10–16 weeks on site
- Postcodes
- NE1, NE2, NE4, NE6 and NE8
- Planning rules
- England
- Local area
- Tyne and Wear
- Survey
- Free, with a written quote
What should you budget for a single-storey extension in Gateshead?
In Gateshead, guide figures for a single-storey extension sit at £31,500–£68,000, VAT included. We set them using rates for the North East, currently about 10% below the national guide. The table shows what pushes a project towards either end of the range; your own price is set after a free survey.
| Type of job | What it usually involves | Guide in Gateshead |
|---|---|---|
| Small extension (8–12m²) | A modest rear or side extension, such as a utility room or a slightly larger kitchen. | £20,000–£36,000 |
| Typical rear extension (15–25m²) | A kitchen-diner or family room with bifold doors and a rooflight or lantern. | £31,500–£68,000 |
| Large or wrap-around (30m² plus) | A wrap-around or wide rear extension, often with structural steelwork into the house. | £63,000–£117,000 |
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
Scope of the work
- 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
Tyneside flats, pairs of upper and lower flats behind a terraced front, are a distinctive feature of Newcastle and Gateshead. Sunderland is known for its single-storey terraced 'Sunderland cottages', and both cities have Victorian brick and stone terraces, interwar estates and post-war housing. Washington was built as a new town from the 1960s.
Terraces and Tyneside flats commonly need repointing, roof work and window replacement. Houses suit loft rooms and rear extensions, and new-town homes often take garage conversions and cladding upgrades.
These patterns matter for a single-storey extension: older walls, roofs and floors in Gateshead can need different materials or extra preparation compared with newer homes.
Do you need permission in Gateshead?
Planning law differs across the UK. For a home in Gateshead, 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
We begin by looking at the job in person. During the free survey we discuss options, materials and budget for a single-storey extension, and photograph or measure anything the quote needs to reflect.
Price and scope agreed
You get the price in writing, itemised so you can see where the money goes. As long as the specification stays the same, that is the price you pay for a single-storey extension.
Booking the work
Once you accept, we agree start dates, order materials and deal with any planning, building control or neighbour notices the job needs. You'll know who is coming and when before work begins.
Build and hand over
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
Questions about a single-storey extension in Gateshead
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.
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.
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.
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 Gateshead 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.
Also covering areas around Gateshead
We welcome enquiries from all NE1, NE2, NE4 and NE6 postcodes in Gateshead, plus Newcastle upon Tyne, Felling and Gosforth. Each one gets the same survey at no charge and a written price fixed for the work described.