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Estimate for 2 tier house extension - not imminent work on offer



Bold Seagull

strong and stable with me, or...
Mar 18, 2010
29,719
Hove
If you do want to write you own specification, you could try http://test.specright.co.uk. It is a case of adding pre-written clauses that apply into your document. However someone has to do the drawings and building control compliance.

Anyone willing to plough 50 to 100k+ into a building would be recommended to get professional help to draw up the necessary Building Control compliance drawings and notes, construction details, and to coordinate the structural information from the engineer, and produce a contract set of documents that set out exactly what the contractor needs to build and to what standard and specification. A loosely put together tender set will return only loosely put together prices. A cheap price from a builder will generally mean them clawing it back during the work with various extras, variations and claims which inevitability leads to a break down in trust between the home owner and the builder. As tempting as it maybe, consider particularly cheap prices with extreme caution, the builder may have made an honest mistake, but this doesn't help you budgeting, or them making a profit from the project. The main increase in building costs aren't the builders, it is the cost of materials. Timber, steel and insulation especially have risen considerably.

I would have agreed with £1400 per sq m a few years ago, but that continues to rise, and I would be tempted to put a figure closer to £1750 per sq m in all honesty, especially in the South East. For bespoke items like bifold doors you are looking at £1000 per linear m for a standard aluminium system plus installation.

Also, well worth checking the sewer plans as currently if a drain runs across your land that serves a dwelling other than yours, then this is considered a public sewer and owned by the water authority. You are not allowed to build within a certain distance of the drain, or you need to apply for a Build Over Licence which can be expensive as you will not be able to use conventional strip foundations. A quick call to either B&H Building Control, or South Water should confirm this for you if you don't have anything in your own property titles.
 


Tim Over Whelmed

Well-known member
NSC Patreon
Jul 24, 2007
10,165
Arundel
Similar space a couple of years ago cost £80k, but rates were higher then as most builders were up at the Olympics, not competing!
 


mothy

Well-known member
Dec 30, 2012
2,094
I am hoping NSC can provide a few guesses for a proposed extension we would like done on the side of our house.

We are currently saving for this but want an idea of the final goal we will need to save to.

The space is 3m x 8m and would be 2 tiers. A bedroom and utility room downstairs with a bedroom and en suite upstairs. Obviously a pitched roof above match existing design.

Am I looking at £20k, £30k, £50k...

I am doing a 1.5m x 6m single story extension with quotes of 35 to 55k with most about 45k. Ours has no access & all has to be dug by hand mind. Even so. Increased meterage + 2 storey you'd have to double it. Ball park 70 to 110k. Doubt you'll get any change out of 90 to 100k if guessing (Inc VAT)
 
Last edited:


B-right-on

Living the dream
Apr 23, 2015
6,162
Shoreham Beaaaach
Similar space a couple of years ago cost £80k, but rates were higher then as most builders were up at the Olympics, not competing!

Myself and a few of my mates in the building trade are busier now than years ago. The Olympics didnt affect us at all.

The estimate of £90-£100k is about right IMO.
 






Simster

"the man's an arse"
Jul 7, 2003
54,110
Surrey
The building work alone for our single story extension with a part pitched part flat roof was £60k. Now, this was a bit complex and we didn't want to have any supporting steels or beams showing so that bumped up the cost but still I think you're being a little optimistic. If we'd have had a cheaper kitchen and not bifold doors I don't think we'd have seen much change change from £80k and this was 5 years ago.

Almost exactly the same as my experience.

£20k for 3m x 8m on two floors :lolol: :lolol: :lolol: :lolol:
 


B-right-on

Living the dream
Apr 23, 2015
6,162
Shoreham Beaaaach
The building game does seem to be a bit of a rip off for what is actually being done in most cases.

I think it has benefited from the UK's obsession with the property market.

Spoken like a professional that actually researched the costs of materials, labour, insurance etc... and worked in the trade for years - no I thought not. Typical 'know it all' statement based in the hairy pimples on your buttocks.

You make it sound bad that the building trade has benefited from the UKs 'obsession' with the property market. Is there something wrong with having bigger and nicer houses than our parents and grandparents had? Hard to do that without a builder.

Plenty of other industries are supported by the building trade and keeps a lot of pople in employment. From builders merchants, to haulage companies to local cafe's.

Nothing wrong with providing a good honest service which gives people a better standard of living (bigger houses) and getting paid for it.
 


Stumpy Tim

Well-known member
Spoken like a professional that actually researched the costs of materials, labour, insurance etc... and worked in the trade for years - no I thought not. Typical 'know it all' statement based in the hairy pimples on your buttocks.

You make it sound bad that the building trade has benefited from the UKs 'obsession' with the property market. Is there something wrong with having bigger and nicer houses than our parents and grandparents had? Hard to do that without a builder.

Plenty of other industries are supported by the building trade and keeps a lot of pople in employment. From builders merchants, to haulage companies to local cafe's.

Nothing wrong with providing a good honest service which gives people a better standard of living (bigger houses) and getting paid for it.

Agree. I can't speak highly enough of the guys who did my place, who incidentally I found via NSC. They were totally honest about the price - it came in at about £5k more than they said, and that was because we went for expensive flooring. They've done a great job
 




Perkino

Well-known member
Dec 11, 2009
5,978
Thank you, I genuinely had no idea. I was expecting something around £60k but a friend was arguing that this was too much.

I shall probably need to consider a remortgage as saving this amount would take me a lifetime
 


moggy

Well-known member
Oct 15, 2003
5,050
southwick
Amazed at some of these quotes.
Just had a quote for a single tier extension for a fourth bedroom with ensuite bathroom ground floor.
This is for my villa in Spain.
Been quoted €12k
Amazing what a rip off the uk is
 


ferring seagull

Well-known member
Dec 30, 2010
4,606
If you do want to write you own specification, you could try http://test.specright.co.uk. It is a case of adding pre-written clauses that apply into your document. However someone has to do the drawings and building control compliance.

Anyone willing to plough 50 to 100k+ into a building would be recommended to get professional help to draw up the necessary Building Control compliance drawings and notes, construction details, and to coordinate the structural information from the engineer, and produce a contract set of documents that set out exactly what the contractor needs to build and to what standard and specification. A loosely put together tender set will return only loosely put together prices. A cheap price from a builder will generally mean them clawing it back during the work with various extras, variations and claims which inevitability leads to a break down in trust between the home owner and the builder. As tempting as it maybe, consider particularly cheap prices with extreme caution, the builder may have made an honest mistake, but this doesn't help you budgeting, or them making a profit from the project. The main increase in building costs aren't the builders, it is the cost of materials. Timber, steel and insulation especially have risen considerably.

I would have agreed with £1400 per sq m a few years ago, but that continues to rise, and I would be tempted to put a figure closer to £1750 per sq m in all honesty, especially in the South East. For bespoke items like bifold doors you are looking at £1000 per linear m for a standard aluminium system plus installation.

Also, well worth checking the sewer plans as currently if a drain runs across your land that serves a dwelling other than yours, then this is considered a public sewer and owned by the water authority. You are not allowed to build within a certain distance of the drain, or you need to apply for a Build Over Licence which can be expensive as you will not be able to use conventional strip foundations. A quick call to either B&H Building Control, or South Water should confirm this for you if you don't have anything in your own property titles.

Agree entirely - Chartered Surveyor could draw up plans and make suggestions which you had not considered or thought possible. He would almost certainly take the planning application on board and deal with that side of it also.
 






Diablo

Well-known member
NSC Patreon
Sep 22, 2014
4,173
lewes
Most, if not all, builders will stick 20% on the entire cost, so you are paying 40% vat on materials

No... Vat element is is always 20% any extra is just what the builder wants for profit . If he`s added 20% for profit He will need to add another 4% (20%of 20%) if Vat registered.
 


mikeyjh

Well-known member
Dec 17, 2008
4,473
Llanymawddwy
Amazed at some of these quotes.
Just had a quote for a single tier extension for a fourth bedroom with ensuite bathroom ground floor.
This is for my villa in Spain.
Been quoted €12k
Amazing what a rip off the uk is

The 'rip off UK' thing doesn't make any sense - Materials and in particular labour (and therefore salaries) are more expensive here, you can't just take a Euro value in Spain and compare like for like.

Additionally, and I would rarely say something like this but I'll make an exception here, I've stayed in a lot of villas in Spain - The quality of the materials in workmanship is not of a similar standard to the UK, maybe that's another difference.
 




Hugo Rune

Well-known member
NSC Patreon
Feb 23, 2012
21,496
Brighton
If it's more space you need, have you considered a loft conversion & a conservatory? Shouldn't need planning permission in most cases.
 




samtheseagull

Well-known member
Sep 15, 2010
1,599
Amazed at some of these quotes.
Just had a quote for a single tier extension for a fourth bedroom with ensuite bathroom ground floor.
This is for my villa in Spain.
Been quoted €12k
Amazing what a rip off the uk is

Thing is mate Spanish builders finish is usually pretty crap. I would say builders in the UK get a fair wage(for a good one) and are hardly a rip off.Most will charge around the £200-£300 per day mark if self employed. In my opinion when you take into consideration tax, fuel, insurances, no sick or holiday pay and loss of work at times when the weather is bad its pretty fair. Compare it too a solicitor that charges £200 per hour and it makes more sense.
 


CAPTAIN GREALISH

Well-known member
Jan 6, 2010
2,595
Thing is mate Spanish builders finish is usually pretty crap. I would say builders in the UK get a fair wage(for a good one) and are hardly a rip off.Most will charge around the £200-£300 per day mark if self employed. In my opinion when you take into consideration tax, fuel, insurances, no sick or holiday pay and loss of work at times when the weather is bad its pretty fair. Compare it too a solicitor that charges £200 per hour and it makes more sense.
were do you get your figures from???
 




LA1972

New member
May 20, 2009
638
West Sussex
Thing is mate Spanish builders finish is usually pretty crap. I would say builders in the UK get a fair wage(for a good one) and are hardly a rip off.Most will charge around the £200-£300 per day mark if self employed. In my opinion when you take into consideration tax, fuel, insurances, no sick or holiday pay and loss of work at times when the weather is bad its pretty fair. Compare it too a solicitor that charges £200 per hour and it makes more sense.

£200-£300 a day??? Where's that? I've been in the building game for 25 years and Sussex day rates are nowhere near that
 


samtheseagull

Well-known member
Sep 15, 2010
1,599
£200-£300 a day??? Where's that? I've been in the building game for 25 years and Sussex day rates are nowhere near that

I have charged that for 5 years and never not had any work.
What sort of day rate does a electrician, plumber, carpenter charge then?
 



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