Our services
Extensions in Bodmin& Cornwall
Single and double-storey, wrap-around, side-return and kitchen extensions — more space, done properly, with minimal disruption.
More space, without the guesswork
An extension is one of the best ways to get the home you want out of the home you already have. It's also where a lot goes wrong when the permissions, structure and sequencing aren't thought through. We handle those parts so you don't inherit the problems.
Permitted development or full planning?
The first question on any extension is whether you even need planning permission. Plenty of single-storey rear extensions are allowed under permitted development, but the size limits are specific — and those rights are frequently tightened in conservation areas and across the Cornwall National Landscape, which covers a lot of the county. Double-storey, wrap-around and side-return extensions more often need a full application. We tell you honestly which route yours falls under before any drawings are paid for, and we manage the submission.
Steel, openings and Building Regulations
The bit you don't see is what keeps the house standing. Removing a load-bearing wall — to open a kitchen into a dining room, or to fit wide sliding doors across the back — needs a correctly sized steel beam, designed by a structural engineer and inspected by Building Control. Foundations for the new footprint, thermal performance, drainage and fire safety all fall under Building Regs too. This is routine work for us, but it's not optional, and it's where cut corners come back to bite.
The kinds of extension we build
Single-storey rear and side-return extensions to open up kitchens and living space; double-storey extensions to add bedrooms and bathrooms above; wrap-around extensions that combine both; and kitchen extensions where the structural work and the fit-out need to land together. Each has a different sequence — a double-storey has to account for the load path all the way to the foundations, while a side-return is often about light and drainage in a tight space.
Joining old to new
A good extension doesn't look like an extension. Matching render or stone, lining up floor levels, and making good the junction between the existing house and the new build is what separates a considered job from an obvious add-on — and it's the detail we take seriously.
How we work
The extensions process
- 01
Site visit & feasibility
We look at how your house is built, where services run, and what the ground and existing foundations can take — then talk honestly about what's worth doing.
- 02
Permissions — planning vs permitted development
Many extensions fall under permitted development, but double-storey work, larger footprints, and anything in a conservation area or National Landscape usually needs full planning. We tell you which applies and handle the application.
- 03
Structural design & Building Regs
A structural engineer sizes any steel beams (RSJs) needed to open up walls, and we submit the Building Regulations application. Where a neighbour's wall or boundary is involved, we deal with the Party Wall Act.
- 04
Groundworks & structural shell
New foundations, then walls and roof tied into the existing house, structural openings formed, and the extension made watertight.
- 05
Fit-out & making good
First and second fix, plastering, flooring and decoration — including making good the join between old and new so it reads as one house, not a bolt-on.
Common questions
Extensions: your questions answered
Not always. Many single-storey rear extensions fall under permitted development, but size limits apply, and permitted development rights are often restricted in conservation areas and the Cornwall National Landscape. Double-storey and wrap-around extensions usually need full planning. We'll confirm which applies before you commit.
Where we do this work
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Ready to build something that lasts?