If you would like to book a consultation with me you can do so here - www.reallifearchitecture.co.uk/online-services Please read the terms and conditions before you book.
What a great video… finally someone talking sense. As someone who estimates jobs week in / week out - this is a very accurate guide. We find a lot of builders in our area knock the price down with a very basic and vague estimate and knock on a load of extras along the way.
All good advice. Prices also vary dependent on location in Uk. For years i used £1,500/m2 for ground and £1,000/m2 for first floors. Now i usually advise £2,500 and £1,700...but its going up virtually weekly at the moment. Most builders i know only want to fix thier price for a month or so, because of volatile material prices. As for 2023...its anyones guess!
I don't know anyone who'd be willing to pay those astronomical prices. But judging by comments and activity as I walk/drive there are plenty of people who are prepared to pay them.
I've noticed an increase in the smaller firms advertising they have availability on Instagram, I think we will see a lot of cancelled projects this year.
Ibwas looking at a kitchen extention myself, but honestly these yoire better off just moving house it's far cheaper and better value considering a single storey extension only adds 7% on average
Good Video Neil. Having taken what some might conceive as an odd route:- From Architecture to the Heating industry (!) I can fully endorse the almost bizarre rise in materials costs. During Covid, steel and timber costs rocketed. Currently I use and monitor the cost of 18mm WPB Ply as a basic benchmark. It was about £33 /sheet. At its height it rose to £47 (basically £50 !). Too expensive for us, so we used OSB. Thankfully it's now dropping in price. Funny old world ! Keep going with the video 🙂
Reason for me looking into this, was new build costs. We're in a 4 bed detached, with a smallish kitchen for the size of house, but wanted an open plan kitchen diner (like what's seen in new builds), but the kitchen half juts out to a lean to, so extending the dining room to meet the kitchen wall seems less expensive than a new build at £370k. Our place only cost £190k, so it's not worth moving.
Great video. Being in sales for a large regional Home Improvement company in the North West, most potential customers don't have a clue about how much things cost but third party resources like yours are excellent in them doing their research before calling us out.
I wonder if these ridiculously expensive/inflated costs will ever come down or if this is the new pricing… otherwise it will be cheaper to just sell up and buy a new house
The first extension and refurb I did I project managed myself. It was a baptism of fire and needed a super helpful building control guy and a structural engineer who didnt patronise me. Finding good trades was always a bit hit and miss, but what worked for me was when I found a good one, I asked for a personal recommendation to his network. In the end I spent about 100k building a 30x10 extension, full house refurb ( new doors, windows, flooring, decorating) and a garage conversion to a one bed annexe. I turned a 3 bed one bath house into a five bed four bath house. The project took 2 years, but I made 100k profit for my effort. Prior to this I had no experience in property development.
@@LondonStuff. Suffolk. Trial and error using my builder. I'd get a good trade then ask for recommendations from them. You need two or three of each trade to keep the project on track. I'd definitely get a better architect than the one I used, and would spec all the materials needed to get an accurate idea of costs before sharing this with the trades for a labour quote.
making me regret not pulling the trigger 5 years ago :/ Now I think I just have to wait and see what happens and if necessary just suck up never having one. Kids will bugger off eventually…right?
Don,t make the assumption the kids will move out in this day and age . My youngest is 33 and Guy Fawkes has tried with an atom bomb . Just look on the web , as to how much you should charge kids to live at ? that might scare them out ? or teach them some reality ?🤔
Hi, I am based in Edinburgh. You should also check out the updated version of this video. How Much Will a UK House Extension Cost 2024 th-cam.com/video/OVSzq0lde5c/w-d-xo.html
Seriously, my mate Daves dad built his extension practically for free. He collected loads of wooden pallets and built it out of them. He was homeless, so he built a tree house. The problem was ,it was a bit pokey, it only had one room. So, he built the extension out of the pallets. Now he has a 2 bed tree house, both rooms are ensuite (caravan pottys) and a freshwater outdoor shower. Well, he did have an extension. Silly bugger didn't get planning permission. I warned him. I said Dave, make sure your dad gets planning permission because once people see this place, they'll be envious. I was right. It broke Daves heart when the council pulled it down. I tried to cheer him up. I saw a council man climbing down from the tree house, or (The Family Tree) as it was named. I said to Dave, look what he's doing, he's taking piss he is.Dave couldn't look. He was grief striken. I said , "Seriously, Dave , you have to look. He's taking the piss. Dave turned around . There was the council man walking off with Daves porta potty. See, I told you he was taking the piss. I'd love to tell you there was a happy ending. Like Dave became the CEO of a global pallet distribution company. Unfortunately, that's not how it ended.
Thanks for your comment but I just don't see how your numbers can be accurate. I have lost jobs recently because we simply could not find contractors to build the project to a price the client was willing to pay. A lot of experienced people are very worried about costs, this is the biggest problem the construction industry faces right now. I double checked my figures with several architects and builders around Edinburgh and £2,750 + VAT per square meters is the going rate for entry level house extensions. It can rise to £5k + VAT with higher spec.
@@YouTellemFrosk I appreciate you sharing. Where in the country is he based? Does this include everything (decoration, flooring, fitting bathrooms and kitchens etc) Take a look at this cost breakdown from the project in the video, it covers everything instagram.com/p/CjDf6E6MaTC/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
Great detailed video. Your provided costs seem reasonable. I have seen a lot of builders quoting 3k per square meter just for the shell and everything else is additional I won't lie I find this to be just wrong. And should you want a full breakdown of their cost....... Christ anyone would think you had just slapped them lol
Despite the headlines I think the UK construction industry is still running hot. There is a lot of work out there and building firms do not feel the need to competitively tender.
How much more expensive /m2 is its a 2-story wrap around? Assume it's not that prohibitive since it wont add to prelims or dig-out/foundations. Probably just prolongation on labour (not incl roof)? I'd like to separately then add a new roof (attic truss) to the entire structure as my ridge height is incredibly low.
It can cost double, the rule of thumb is to use the square meter rate over all floors. This is a crude way to measure the cost. You also need to take into account the cost of disrupting the existing fabric of the house to connect a two storey extension. I have lost count of the number of people I have talked out of doing a two storey extension. I recently did this during a consultation and will be making a video about this in the coming days
So at £139k and £2,,750/sqm this project is a 50sqm extension? It sure does not look like that based on the plans. That would be a 5x10 m extension. You can barely fit a sofa in the length so it does not look like 5m from the existing rear wall.
Only a fool would extend a property at these crazy prices. Just buy a bigger house or a big new build and get the best energy efficiency and future proof against green upgrade costs coming down the line.
That is totally dependent on property prices. I live in Fife, where prices are relatively affordable, but all my work is in Edinburgh, where prices are about double.
How’s that work? I live in the South East, my house is worth £650/700k if I wanted to move house I’d have to not only take out a larger mortgage, but also pay stamp duty (so say £50k)… so another £200k plus on the mortgage and a one time payment for £50k, totalling a cool quarter of a million just to get myself a larger house which I’d likely need to renovate? Or I could shell out £150k (no stamp duty) add value to my existing home and have it renovated at the same time? It’s all relative, sure what you suggest makes sense in Hull, not so much in Surrey!
@@glowwurm9365 well for a start it’s relative. Your extension isn’t gonna cost £150k in Surrey. It will be more. Also you ain’t gonna be borrowing for it so you need the capital. Then you got planning issues plus the risk that it doesn’t actually add the value to the house you think it will. The only valid point you make is stamp duty. But soon property will be taxed on value anyway. So you are going to get screwed down south with your inflated house prices either way. Gone are the days where spending 150k on an extension adds value to a house. Just ask anyone in last 4 years that’s done it. Extension prices have doubled and house prices have gone down.
@@mattx4253 It’s not about the value add, the issue is the additional £150k won’t buy me a house which is worthy of the move and stamp duty costs! What’s more likely is I would need £300k, and that’s before renovation costs… sadly that’s the state the housing market is in, in the South East. You’re probably under estimating what a £150k extension would add to a house in Surrey the price difference between a 3 and a 5 bedroom house are vast. Besides the extension would be to add to an existing structure (garage) so costs such as foundation work are baked in to what I’d have done. It’s actually more expensive per sqft to build a one storey extension.
@@glowwurm9365 I agree that the maths don’t make sense in either situation especially in Surrey. But in the rest of the UK outside the southeast the situation isn’t like this. Unless you live in a Goldilocks house you can’t replace then extensions have lost all financial sense. The reason is because builders just rip you off now with quotes from 100k to 200k for the same work nobody knows how to price a job any more. It’s only going to get worse as the skills shortage is acutely increasing. The house prices are only based on boomers who are dying off now also so maybe some balance will return to the market. I earn good money and I still wouldn’t get a 700k house and the mortgage to go with it. I’d rather go on 4 holidays a year and work from home and drive a sports car. People who live in the southeast 99% live in poverty and don’t even realise it.
If you would like to book a consultation with me you can do so here - www.reallifearchitecture.co.uk/online-services
Please read the terms and conditions before you book.
What a great video… finally someone talking sense. As someone who estimates jobs week in / week out - this is a very accurate guide. We find a lot of builders in our area knock the price down with a very basic and vague estimate and knock on a load of extras along the way.
Thank you 👍
All good advice. Prices also vary dependent on location in Uk. For years i used £1,500/m2 for ground and £1,000/m2 for first floors. Now i usually advise £2,500 and £1,700...but its going up virtually weekly at the moment. Most builders i know only want to fix thier price for a month or so, because of volatile material prices. As for 2023...its anyones guess!
Very true, I realise I am a hostage to fortune by making this video.
I don't know anyone who'd be willing to pay those astronomical prices. But judging by comments and activity as I walk/drive there are plenty of people who are prepared to pay them.
What’s the choice? Buying a larger house? Good luck with that given mortgage rates aren’t falling anytime soon.
If the bluetooth update does not work, try to turn the crystal ball off and on again.
🤣
Most trades use a random number generator when choosing a price for a job.
lol
yep , thats why crazy quotes like this vary so much from one builder to another. for 150k id just buy a new house haha
Shh !!! Don’t tell everyone.
I've noticed an increase in the smaller firms advertising they have availability on Instagram, I think we will see a lot of cancelled projects this year.
I’ve seen it too
Ibwas looking at a kitchen extention myself, but honestly these yoire better off just moving house it's far cheaper and better value considering a single storey extension only adds 7% on average
Good Video Neil. Having taken what some might conceive as an odd route:- From Architecture to the Heating industry (!) I can fully endorse the almost bizarre rise in materials costs. During Covid, steel and timber costs rocketed. Currently I use and monitor the cost of 18mm WPB Ply as a basic benchmark. It was about £33 /sheet. At its height it rose to £47 (basically £50 !). Too expensive for us, so we used OSB. Thankfully it's now dropping in price.
Funny old world !
Keep going with the video 🙂
Thank you!
Reason for me looking into this, was new build costs. We're in a 4 bed detached, with a smallish kitchen for the size of house, but wanted an open plan kitchen diner (like what's seen in new builds), but the kitchen half juts out to a lean to, so extending the dining room to meet the kitchen wall seems less expensive than a new build at £370k. Our place only cost £190k, so it's not worth moving.
I recently posted an updated video on house extension costs
th-cam.com/video/OVSzq0lde5c/w-d-xo.html
My mate Bob down the pub he built an extension he had a look at these costs, he replied, 'looks about right.'
Bob from down the pub is a sensible man.
Great video. Being in sales for a large regional Home Improvement company in the North West, most potential customers don't have a clue about how much things cost but third party resources like yours are excellent in them doing their research before calling us out.
Thank you, glad you found it useful. I will make a 2024 costs follow up in December
Thank you, glad you found it useful. I will make a 2024 costs follow up in December
I wonder if these ridiculously expensive/inflated costs will ever come down or if this is the new pricing… otherwise it will be cheaper to just sell up and buy a new house
Great info and advice fella, and extremely well put …. 👌
Thank you, will be making an update video for 2024 soon
The first extension and refurb I did I project managed myself. It was a baptism of fire and needed a super helpful building control guy and a structural engineer who didnt patronise me. Finding good trades was always a bit hit and miss, but what worked for me was when I found a good one, I asked for a personal recommendation to his network. In the end I spent about 100k building a 30x10 extension, full house refurb ( new doors, windows, flooring, decorating) and a garage conversion to a one bed annexe. I turned a 3 bed one bath house into a five bed four bath house. The project took 2 years, but I made 100k profit for my effort. Prior to this I had no experience in property development.
Interesting. Location? How did you not get burnt / find builders?
@@LondonStuff. Suffolk. Trial and error using my builder. I'd get a good trade then ask for recommendations from them. You need two or three of each trade to keep the project on track. I'd definitely get a better architect than the one I used, and would spec all the materials needed to get an accurate idea of costs before sharing this with the trades for a labour quote.
@@johngalt6708 great stuff - got an email? Had some questions.
So in the 80s a house costed 4 to 5 years medium salaries. Now an extension cost 4 to 5 years of medium salary.
Depends on the size of the extension but yes, costs have risen dramatically over the last 10 years.
how much would it cost to change a bungalow into 2 story homes
Its the little things that you forget is where the cost goes up. Thats why you get a firm to do it till at least 1st fix.
Excellent video, thank you.
You are welcome
making me regret not pulling the trigger 5 years ago :/ Now I think I just have to wait and see what happens and if necessary just suck up never having one. Kids will bugger off eventually…right?
That’s my plan, too
Don,t make the assumption the kids will move out in this day and age . My youngest is 33 and Guy Fawkes has tried with an atom bomb . Just look on the web , as to how much you should charge kids to live at ? that might scare them out ? or teach them some reality ?🤔
DIY. The Egyptians did it without power tools. How hard can it be ?
A good AT and QS plus decent builder will make the whole process easier.
Are the costs similar if I wanted to extend over the top of my attached garage, and extend the roof (open gable)?
First off, your garage foundations need to be checked by an engineer. They probably weren’t designed to cope with another storey on top.
Hi I come across this video I’m planning to extend my kitchen where do you base
Hi, I am based in Edinburgh.
You should also check out the updated version of this video.
How Much Will a UK House Extension Cost 2024
th-cam.com/video/OVSzq0lde5c/w-d-xo.html
Oh thank you reply you are too far I’m in London Essex
it makes total sense
Check out the updated version for 2024 th-cam.com/video/OVSzq0lde5c/w-d-xo.htmlsi=gwBKTsQdIQOQ87vd
Never paid more than 10k. I sold it for 100k+
Seriously, my mate Daves dad built his extension practically for free. He collected loads of wooden pallets and built it out of them. He was homeless, so he built a tree house. The problem was ,it was a bit pokey, it only had one room. So, he built the extension out of the pallets. Now he has a 2 bed tree house, both rooms are ensuite (caravan pottys) and a freshwater outdoor shower. Well, he did have an extension. Silly bugger didn't get planning permission. I warned him. I said Dave, make sure your dad gets planning permission because once people see this place, they'll be envious. I was right. It broke Daves heart when the council pulled it down. I tried to cheer him up. I saw a council man climbing down from the tree house, or (The Family Tree) as it was named. I said to Dave, look what he's doing, he's taking piss he is.Dave couldn't look. He was grief striken. I said , "Seriously, Dave , you have to look. He's taking the piss. Dave turned around . There was the council man walking off with Daves porta potty. See, I told you he was taking the piss.
I'd love to tell you there was a happy ending. Like Dave became the CEO of a global pallet distribution company. Unfortunately, that's not how it ended.
And the prize for the best comment goes to…
£125k for a single storey extension how is anyone affording to do any extension work at the moment
With great difficulty, if at all
Goodness. All your reasons ring true though.
👍
So it is, Ted..
Your price per m2 is close to a grand more than most estimates. And that’s not after speaking to a mate down the pub..
Thanks for your comment but I just don't see how your numbers can be accurate. I have lost jobs recently because we simply could not find contractors to build the project to a price the client was willing to pay. A lot of experienced people are very worried about costs, this is the biggest problem the construction industry faces right now. I double checked my figures with several architects and builders around Edinburgh and £2,750 + VAT per square meters is the going rate for entry level house extensions. It can rise to £5k + VAT with higher spec.
@@RealLifeArchitecture they are my brother’s numbers. General builder. Was £1000s/m but due to current costs is shy of 1500 he’s saying. Per floor
@@YouTellemFrosk I appreciate you sharing. Where in the country is he based?
Does this include everything (decoration, flooring, fitting bathrooms and kitchens etc)
Take a look at this cost breakdown from the project in the video, it covers everything instagram.com/p/CjDf6E6MaTC/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
Do you think it’s cheaper to go with brick or modular?
As a practiceing architect in the Westmidlands we use £2750 to $K Sqm rates to guide as well.@@RealLifeArchitecture
Only good thing is that lizz truss is gone b4 chrismas
I should have asked the crystal ball for the lottery numbers 🤣
Great detailed video. Your provided costs seem reasonable. I have seen a lot of builders quoting 3k per square meter just for the shell and everything else is additional I won't lie I find this to be just wrong. And should you want a full breakdown of their cost....... Christ anyone would think you had just slapped them lol
Despite the headlines I think the UK construction industry is still running hot. There is a lot of work out there and building firms do not feel the need to competitively tender.
Great video.
Thank you!
How much more expensive /m2 is its a 2-story wrap around? Assume it's not that prohibitive since it wont add to prelims or dig-out/foundations. Probably just prolongation on labour (not incl roof)? I'd like to separately then add a new roof (attic truss) to the entire structure as my ridge height is incredibly low.
It can cost double, the rule of thumb is to use the square meter rate over all floors. This is a crude way to measure the cost.
You also need to take into account the cost of disrupting the existing fabric of the house to connect a two storey extension.
I have lost count of the number of people I have talked out of doing a two storey extension. I recently did this during a consultation and will be making a video about this in the coming days
4k a Sam is audacious… you would get way more just moving house
Well at least you didn’t have to wait til Christmas to find out…
🤣
At these prices its cheaper for me to buy new flats for my kids.
So at £139k and £2,,750/sqm this project is a 50sqm extension? It sure does not look like that based on the plans. That would be a 5x10 m extension. You can barely fit a sofa in the length so it does not look like 5m from the existing rear wall.
The extension is L shaped, check out the floor plan 3:28
... sure thing ... i'll do it myself for £35,00
It's the only way , if i paid these prices I'd be in negative equity.
I've got balls of steel
We will have to take your word for it
Only a fool would extend a property at these crazy prices. Just buy a bigger house or a big new build and get the best energy efficiency and future proof against green upgrade costs coming down the line.
That is totally dependent on property prices. I live in Fife, where prices are relatively affordable, but all my work is in Edinburgh, where prices are about double.
How’s that work? I live in the South East, my house is worth £650/700k if I wanted to move house I’d have to not only take out a larger mortgage, but also pay stamp duty (so say £50k)… so another £200k plus on the mortgage and a one time payment for £50k, totalling a cool quarter of a million just to get myself a larger house which I’d likely need to renovate?
Or I could shell out £150k (no stamp duty) add value to my existing home and have it renovated at the same time?
It’s all relative, sure what you suggest makes sense in Hull, not so much in Surrey!
@@glowwurm9365 well for a start it’s relative. Your extension isn’t gonna cost £150k in Surrey. It will be more. Also you ain’t gonna be borrowing for it so you need the capital. Then you got planning issues plus the risk that it doesn’t actually add the value to the house you think it will. The only valid point you make is stamp duty. But soon property will be taxed on value anyway. So you are going to get screwed down south with your inflated house prices either way. Gone are the days where spending 150k on an extension adds value to a house. Just ask anyone in last 4 years that’s done it. Extension prices have doubled and house prices have gone down.
@@mattx4253 It’s not about the value add, the issue is the additional £150k won’t buy me a house which is worthy of the move and stamp duty costs! What’s more likely is I would need £300k, and that’s before renovation costs… sadly that’s the state the housing market is in, in the South East.
You’re probably under estimating what a £150k extension would add to a house in Surrey the price difference between a 3 and a 5 bedroom house are vast.
Besides the extension would be to add to an existing structure (garage) so costs such as foundation work are baked in to what I’d have done. It’s actually more expensive per sqft to build a one storey extension.
@@glowwurm9365 I agree that the maths don’t make sense in either situation especially in Surrey. But in the rest of the UK outside the southeast the situation isn’t like this. Unless you live in a Goldilocks house you can’t replace then extensions have lost all financial sense. The reason is because builders just rip you off now with quotes from 100k to 200k for the same work nobody knows how to price a job any more. It’s only going to get worse as the skills shortage is acutely increasing. The house prices are only based on boomers who are dying off now also so maybe some balance will return to the market. I earn good money and I still wouldn’t get a 700k house and the mortgage to go with it. I’d rather go on 4 holidays a year and work from home and drive a sports car. People who live in the southeast 99% live in poverty and don’t even realise it.
Brexit is another
Great info but please stop with that cringe jokes.