Design and build two-storey extensions in Argyll and Bute

Argyll and Bute at a glance

Nation: Scotland
Price region: Scotland
Postcode areas: G, PA
Towns covered: 8 listed below, plus surrounding villages
Site visits: Free on the mainland; island and remote addresses by arrangement, with travel costs agreed first

What a design and build project involves

This service suits you if you want one team accountable from the first visit to the completion certificate. We manage the design, approvals and build, and the work is carried out by vetted teams working under S&K. Because the same team designs and builds, costs are checked as the design develops. Every project starts with a site visit.

Towns in Argyll and Bute include Helensburgh (G84), Dunoon (PA22), Oban (PA34), Rothesay (PA20), Campbeltown (PA28) and Isle of Islay (PA43). If yours isn't listed, we still cover it.

Fees

The design stage is priced in writing before it starts, and the build is a fixed price in writing once the design is agreed.

Rules in Scotland

In Scotland, design and build covers the Class 1B check or a householder application (£371), the building warrant from the council's building standards service before work starts, and the completion certificate at the end. There is no Party Wall Act, so we handle neighbour matters under common law and title deeds.

Approval in Scotland: Householder planning application: £371. Councils have two months to decide a local planning application.

Building standards: A building warrant from the council's building standards service before work starts, and a completion certificate at the end. Scotland uses its own Technical Handbooks.

There is no Party Wall Act in Scotland. Shared walls and boundaries are governed by title deeds and common law, so we speak to neighbours early and record the condition of shared structures.

Getting the design right

Cost checking as you design

Because the people drawing the extension also build it, each design option comes with a guide cost. That avoids the common problem of an approved design that turns out to be too expensive once builders price it.

How the stages work

We start with a free site visit, then a design stage priced in writing before it begins. That covers the survey, design, approvals, structural design and building standards. Once the design is agreed, the build price is fixed in writing before work starts.

How we work in Argyll and Bute

Understand the brief
At your home in Argyll and Bute we agree what you need: bedroom count, bathroom, kitchen space, and how much garden you want to keep.
Drawings and permission
Our designers produce plans and elevations, then we take care of planning or permitted development checks with the council covering Argyll and Bute.
Detail and price
Construction drawings, engineer's calculations and building warrant approval, then a written fixed price for the build.
On site
One project lead runs the job, keeps you updated and arranges inspections at each stage until completion.

Towns we cover in Argyll and Bute

Design and build two-storey extensions in Argyll and Bute: questions

When is the build price fixed?

Once the design is agreed and the drawings, structural calculations and specification are complete. Before that we give guide costs at each stage. The fixed price is set out in writing before work starts, and any changes you ask for after that are priced separately before they are made.

What is the difference between design and build and using an architect?

With an architect, you appoint them for the design and approvals, then find and manage a builder separately. With design and build, one team does both, so cost, buildability and approvals are considered together and there is one point of contact. Some people still prefer to hire an architect separately.

Who builds my extension?

Your extension is built by vetted teams working under S&K, with the project managed by us from design to completion. You have one point of contact throughout, and the same team that prepared the design is responsible for the build.

Neighbouring areas

All extension services in Argyll and Bute · About design and build two-storey extensions