Design and build two-storey extensions in the Scottish Borders

The Scottish Borders at a glance

Nation: Scotland
Price region: Scotland
Postcode areas: EH, TD
Towns covered: 8 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 the Scottish Borders are Hawick (TD9), Galashiels (TD1), Peebles (EH45), Kelso (TD3), Selkirk (TD7) and Jedburgh (TD8). 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 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

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.

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 we work in the Scottish Borders

Understand the brief
At your home in the Scottish Borders we agree what you need: bedroom count, bathroom, kitchen space, and how much garden you want to keep.
Choose the approval route
Some designs fit permitted development, most need a householder application. We decide which applies in Scotland before drawing in detail.
Structure and building standards
A structural engineer sizes the foundations and steels, and we get a building warrant before work starts.
Build and sign-off
Vetted teams working under S&K build the extension, and we arrange the completion certificate at the end.

Towns we cover in the Scottish Borders

Design and build two-storey extensions in the Scottish Borders: questions

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.

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.

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.

Neighbouring areas

All extension services in the Scottish Borders · About design and build two-storey extensions