Design and build two-storey extensions in Cumbria

Cumbria at a glance

Nation: England
Price region: North West England
Postcode areas: CA, LA
Towns covered: 22 listed below, plus surrounding villages
Site visits: Free, no obligation

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 free site visit.

The main places we list in Cumbria are Carlisle (CA3), Barrow-in-Furness (LA13), Kendal (LA8), Whitehaven (CA28), Workington (CA14) and Penrith (CA10). We cover the villages in between too.

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 England

In England, design and build covers the permitted development check or planning application (£548 (or £575 for applications made from 8 December 2026)), building regulations approval from council building control or a registered approver, Party Wall Act notices where needed, and the Building Safety Act dutyholder roles. We programme them so they overlap where possible.

Approval in England: Householder planning application: £548 (or £575 for applications made from 8 December 2026). Lawful development certificate: £274 (about £288 for applications from 8 December 2026). Councils should decide householder applications within 8 weeks of validation.

Building regulations: Building regulations approval (full plans recommended) from the council or a registered building control approver, with a completion certificate at the end.

The Party Wall etc. Act 1996 applies, so notices may be needed for work on or near a shared wall or boundary.

Getting the design right

Responsibility for the rules

In England, where more than one contractor is involved, a principal designer and principal contractor must be appointed. On design and build projects we take on these duties, so you are not left holding responsibilities you may not know you had.

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 regulations. Once the design is agreed, the build price is fixed in writing before work starts.

How we work in Cumbria

Understand the brief
At your home in Cumbria we agree what you need: bedroom count, bathroom, kitchen space, and how much garden you want to keep.
Drawings, then consent
We draw the scheme, check it against the rules in England, and take it through the right consent with the council.
Engineer it
Foundations sized for two floors, steels for any openings, and building control approval, all before anyone starts on site.
Build
Foundations, walls, floor, roof, windows, then first and second fix. We break through into the house as late as we can.

Towns we cover in Cumbria

Design and build two-storey extensions in Cumbria: questions

Do I have to use you for the build if I pay for the design stage?

No. The design stage is priced separately, so you can take the approved drawings to other builders if you choose. Most people who use design and build carry on to the build, because the design has been costed as it developed.

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.

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.

Neighbouring areas

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