Single Storey Extensions in Milton Keynes
Rear, side and wraparound single storey extensions across Milton Keynes, from a three metre kitchen push out to a full width garden room.
Nine out of ten extensions we build in Milton Keynes are single storey. They are the least disruptive, they usually fall within permitted development, and on a typical estate house they turn a galley kitchen and a separate dining room into the one big room everybody wants. The decisions are in the roof, the glazing and how far you go.
Typical works can include
Every project is different. Depending on the agreed scope, works may include:
- Setting out, excavation and foundations to Building Control depth
- Oversite, drainage runs, insulation and concrete floor
- Cavity blockwork and matched facing brickwork
- Flat, pitched or lean to roof with insulation and membranes
- Roof lanterns, flush rooflights, bifold and sliding doors
- Steel beam and opening into the existing house
- First and second fix electrics, plumbing and underfloor heating
- Plastering, flooring, decoration and finishing carpentry
- Building Control liaison and sign off, where required and where included within the agreed scope
Elements such as decoration, flooring, structural engineer fees, Building Control fees and any professional or design costs are dealt with according to the individual project, and are included only where the quotation says so.
How far can you go without planning permission?
Under permitted development a single storey rear extension can typically reach around 3 metres on a semi or terrace and 4 metres on a detached house, no higher than 4 metres overall, and 3 metres to the eaves if it is within 2 metres of a boundary. The Larger Home Extension route can take that to 6 or 8 metres subject to a prior approval application to Milton Keynes City Council, where the neighbours are consulted.
That position changes inside the 27 conservation areas in the borough, on listed buildings, on flats, and where permitted development rights have been removed by condition, which is common on newer estates. This is general guidance rather than planning advice. We can flag the likely position on the first visit and advise when confirmation should be obtained from the council or an appropriate professional.
Flat roof, pitched roof or lantern
A flat roof with a warm deck and a single ply membrane or GRP is the cheapest and gives you the biggest lantern. A pitched roof in matching tiles looks like it was always there and is what a conservation officer will usually prefer. A lean to pitched roof against a two storey house has to clear the first floor windows, which on a lot of Milton Keynes houses limits how far back the extension can go before the roof runs out of height.
Whichever you choose, put the light in the middle. A deep extension with glazing only on the back wall leaves the old kitchen dark. A roof lantern or a run of flush rooflights over the middle of the room fixes it for a fraction of what you would spend regretting it.
Building Regulations apply either way
Even where no planning permission is needed, every extension needs Building Regulations approval: foundations, structure, insulation, drainage, glazing and electrics are all inspected. We generally use the Full Plans route so the drawings are checked before we dig. Building Control liaison is included where it forms part of the agreed scope.
What a single storey extension costs in Milton Keynes
Nobody can price it from a phone call, and any builder who gives you a firm figure without seeing the house is guessing. What we can say is that the shell of a straightforward 3 by 5 metre rear extension, with foundations, walls, roof, glazing and the opening into the house, is the smaller half of the budget once you add a kitchen, underfloor heating, bifolds and a lantern. The site visit and the written quotation are free, and we will give you a realistic range on the day.
Good honest and knowledgeable work. They gave a fair quote and carried out repairs to my house wall that had some subsidence cracking. The mortar and replaced bricks were all matched well. I would use them again for any other house job.
Examples of this work
Some of these are mid build rather than finished, because that is where you can see how something was put together.
Worth knowing
The most common regret we hear is not going far enough. A three metre extension that stays within permitted development is easy, but if the garden allows it, four or five metres with a prior approval application often makes a far better room for a proportionally small amount more. Worth talking through before the drawings are done.
Where we do this work
Milton Keynes is home and most of this work is inside the city. We also take it on across the surrounding towns, and each of these has its own page on what the job tends to involve there.
Every area we cover, and what is different about building there
Common questions
Will I need planning permission for my extension?
Often not. A single storey rear extension can usually go to 3 metres on a semi or terrace and 4 metres on a detached house under permitted development, with a 4 metre height limit and a tighter one within 2 metres of the boundary. You also cannot cover more than half the land around the original house.
The Larger Home Extension route can take those depths further, but it requires prior approval from Milton Keynes City Council before work starts and that process takes time. Conservation areas, listed buildings and properties that have had permitted development rights removed are all different again.
This is general guidance rather than planning advice, and the position depends entirely on your property and what has been built before. We can flag the likely requirements at the first visit and advise when confirmation should be obtained from the council or an appropriate professional.
How long will the work take?
It depends on the job, and anyone who gives you a number without seeing the house is guessing. As a rough guide: a bathroom is two to three weeks, a kitchen refit two to four, a single storey rear extension is usually ten to fourteen weeks from breaking ground, and a full house renovation runs three to six months depending on scale.
Weather, Building Control inspections and lead times on windows, doors and kitchens all move those numbers. We build realistic float into the programme rather than promising a date we cannot hold.
Can we stay in the house while you work?
Usually yes, and most of our customers do. On an extension you can live fairly normally right up until we break through into the existing house, which we leave as late as possible for that reason.
On a full renovation it is harder but still workable. We go room by room, keep a working kitchen and bathroom going as long as possible, sheet up properly and clean down at the end of each day.
Do I need to tell my neighbours?
Legally, sometimes. The Party Wall etc. Act 1996 applies if you are building on the line of junction, cutting into a shared wall, or excavating within 3 metres of a neighbouring building and deeper than their foundations, or within 6 metres on the 45 degree line. Notice has to be served in advance: one month for excavation, two months for party structure work.
Practically, always. Even where no notice is required, telling next door what is happening and roughly when is the difference between a neighbour who tolerates the noise and one who complains to the council. We keep sites tidy and the road clear.
Related work
Rear extensions
The back of the house pushed out into one open plan kitchen diner.
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Kitchen and open plan extensions
Kitchen, dining and family space in one, with the structure to open it up.
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Double storey extensions
A bigger kitchen below and a bedroom above, for not much more than one.
Read moreTalk it through before you commit
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