YOUR HOME EXTENSIONS ENQUIRY
Planning your home extensions job
Request an extension quotation with the proposed use, drawings and investigation stage clearly explained.
What to include in your enquiry
- Desired rooms and size
- Drawings and approval status
- Access drains and occupied-house needs
What should the quote cover?
Separate design, approvals, investigation and construction, with inclusions and exclusions by stage.
Can a builder’s quote confirm all permissions?
No. Planning, building control, heritage and other approvals need their own checks; identify who handles each.
Local property and responsibility checks
Check public sewer proximity early through the operator’s route as well as the council’s project requirements. The building quote does not grant either approval.
- Desired rooms and size
- Drawings and approval status
- Access drains and occupied-house needs
Further guidance: Planning heritage and building control · Building over or near Anglian Water assets
Start with the space you need
Quick answer
Enquire about a home extension, with the proposed space, design stage and construction scope made clear before comparing building quotes.
Define how the new room will be used, its relationship to the existing house and the priorities for access, daylight and storage. A floor-area target alone does not describe a useful extension. Share the budget range and any fixed constraints with the designer and builder before materials are chosen. The brief should distinguish essential outcomes from optional finishes. A preliminary estimate is useful for planning, but it is not a fully specified construction price or confirmation that the proposal is feasible.
Planning, building control and the actual address
Describe the intended extension and check the current address, conditions and applicable council routes. Planning, listed-building consent and building regulations are separate; a quotation does not establish an exemption or approval.
Sources: Mid Suffolk interactive mapping · Planning heritage and building control
Design the junction with the existing building
Assess the junction with the existing building, including retained fabric and drainage assets, before finalising construction details. Agree who investigates unknowns and how the design protects the original structure.
Sources: Building over or near Anglian Water assets · Historic renders and plasters
Ground, drains and adjoining property
The foundation design, existing utilities and drainage route need assessment. Anglian Water publishes requirements for proposals near its sewer assets; a pipe on private land is not automatically private. Relevant party-wall procedures may also apply and are separate from planning permission. Identify these issues before excavation. Ask who obtains records, carries out necessary assessment and handles permissions. No standard footing depth or generic sewer distance on this site replaces a design for the actual location.
Useful next steps
Sources: Anglian Water: building near sewer assets · GOV.UK: party walls and building work
Living through the build
Agree access, deliveries, protected routes, welfare, working arrangements and temporary loss of services. Decide when the existing house is opened to the extension and who coordinates other trades. HSE explains domestic construction role arrangements under CDM; clarify the relevant responsibilities for the project. A programme needs assumptions about approvals, weather and discoveries. If you remain at home, agree which areas are safe and usable rather than rely on a broad promise of minimal disruption.
Sources: HSE: domestic construction clients
Compare complete extension quotes
Ask whether the quote includes…
Compare the same drawings, specification, structural information, ground assumptions and exclusions. Separate design, applications, utility changes and building work and agree who is responsible for each before accepting a price.
- The same design, specification and finish scope.
- Services, drainage, making good and excluded fees.
- Programme assumptions, variations and completion records.
Completion and the enquiry
Plan inspections, relevant compliance documents, product care information and a snagging process. A visual handover is not a substitute for required records. Keep the agreed changes and final specification with the house documents. For an enquiry, provide postcode, intended room/use, current design stage and known restrictions. We review requests for suitable local help; sending details does not book a builder, approve the extension or guarantee feasibility without assessment.
Useful next steps