House Extensions in East Grinstead (RH19)
East Grinstead splits cleanly for extension work. Near the old centre the constraints are real and the detail matters enormously; beyond it you are into Victorian terraces and family houses with room to build and far fewer complications.
Building near the old centre
Work on or near the historic core is a different discipline.
Old timber-framed buildings move, floors are rarely level, and nothing can be assumed square — so an extension has to be designed and built to meet a building that is not true, which is skilled work and needs pricing as such. The conservation position governs what may be done and what it may be done in, and consents come before work rather than alongside it. We would far rather tell you at survey that a scheme is unlikely to be acceptable than take a fee for building towards a refusal.
The Victorian streets and the family housing
Beyond the centre the picture is much more ordinary and a good deal more flexible. Victorian terraces here take side-return and rear work in the same way terraces elsewhere do, and the larger family houses have the width for a proper rear extension and often a garage that is more useful brought into the house than left as it is. The question worth asking on these is the same one as anywhere: where is the house failing? Usually it is a kitchen in the wrong place or a layout that bottlenecks, and more square metres alone will not fix either.
One firm answerable from survey to handover
Our own team does the building work — brickwork, carpentry, plastering and groundworks — with specialists for electrics, roofing and decorating brought in and managed by us. One firm answerable throughout, and one number to ring afterwards.
More in East Grinstead
Everything we do in East Grinstead is on the East Grinstead area sheet, and the full detail of how we approach this trade is on the extensions & renovations page.
Common questions
Q.01Can I extend a listed or timber-framed building?
Sometimes, within limits, and with consents in place before work starts. It is skilled work because nothing in the existing building is square or level. We will give you a straight view at survey of what is likely to be achievable.
Q.02How far is East Grinstead from your base?
Our base is 27 High Street, Godstone, a short drive away, and we work across RH19 regularly.
Q.03Can the garage be brought into the house?
On a lot of the family housing here it is the most useful space available. It needs floor, walls and roof brought up to habitable standard rather than the door simply blocked up, and we price it as that job.
Q.04Do you work from our architect's drawings?
Yes. We price the scheme as drawn, and flag anything that will cause difficulty on site or cost more than it needs to before you commit.
Thinking about extensions & renovations in East Grinstead?
Tell us what you are planning. We come out, look at the job properly and give you a price for it.