Hove · East Sussex

Extensions over a garage in Hove

Thinking about an extension over a garage in Hove? We design it, take it through the approvals it needs and build it, with one team responsible from the first visit to the final certificate.

What we'd confirm first for a project in Hove.

Postcode districts
BN3
County / area
East Sussex, England
Price region
South East England
Guide price
£34,500–£50,500 (£1,930–£2,800 per m²)
Approval route
Planning permission is needed: in England, permitted development only allows single-storey extensions to the side.
Nearest towns
Brighton (1.2 miles), Portslade (2.3 miles), Shoreham-by-Sea (4.7 miles)
Distance to Brighton
about 1.2 miles
First visit
Free, no obligation

About an extension over a garage

An extension over a garage suits you if you have an attached single garage beside the house and need an extra bedroom or a larger main bedroom with an en-suite. You get an inspection of the garage structure, a design that matches the house, the approvals your nation needs, structural design, building regulations approval and the build, carried out by vetted teams working under S&K.

We cover postcode district BN3 in and around Hove, along with neighbouring Brighton, Portslade and Shoreham-by-Sea.

What it costs in Hove

For budgeting in Hove, allow around £34,500–£50,500 for an extension over a garage with 3 m × 6 m of new first-floor space (18 m²). That's based on £1,930–£2,800 per m² including VAT for South East England. We'll give you a written design-stage price first, then a fixed build price once the drawings are agreed.

SpecPer m²3 m × 6 m of new first-floor space (18 m²)
Essential£1,770–£2,580 per m²£32,000–£46,500
Standard£1,930–£2,800 per m²£34,500–£50,500
Premium£2,310–£3,370 per m²£41,500–£60,500

Planning and building regulations in Hove

In England, most garages sit beside the house, so building over one makes a two-storey extension beyond a side wall, which always needs planning permission. If the garage is at the rear, the 3 m and 7 m rules for two-storey rear extensions apply, measured from the original house. A householder application costs £548 (or £575 for applications made from 8 December 2026).

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.

Design points for Hove homes

Floor levels and headroom

Garage floors are often lower than the house, and the new first floor may not line up with the existing landing. We set the floor level to avoid awkward steps upstairs, while keeping enough headroom in the garage below for a car or storage.

Fire separation

If the garage stays a garage, the floor between it and the room above, and any door into the house, must give fire separation under building regulations. That usually means fire-resisting plasterboard ceilings, sealed gaps and a fire door, which we design in from the start.

How we'd run your project

  1. Start at your house

    We come to your home in Hove, measure up, check the ground floor walls and roof structure, and note anything near the boundaries.

  2. Drawings, then consent

    We draw the scheme, check it against the rules in England, and take it through the right consent with the council.

  3. Structure and building control

    A structural engineer sizes the foundations and steels, and we get building regulations approval before work starts.

  4. Build it

    The new structure goes up first, then we open into the house, finish inside and get the completion certificate.

Questions about extensions over a garage in Hove

Which postcodes do you cover around Hove?

We cover Hove (BN3) and nearby places including Brighton, Portslade and Shoreham-by-Sea, plus the rest of East Sussex. The first site visit is free.

How long does an extension over a garage take?

Allow 4 to 8 weeks for survey and design, then the approval period (councils should decide householder applications within 8 weeks of validation), then 4 to 8 weeks of technical design, which can overlap. The build itself usually takes 14 to 20 weeks, longer for large or complex designs.

How much does an extension over a garage cost in Hove?

Our guide for South East England, which covers Hove, is £1,930–£2,800 per m² including VAT. A typical project with 3 m × 6 m of new first-floor space (18 m²) comes to about £34,500–£50,500. Design and approval fees are extra, and we fix the build price in writing once the design is agreed.

Do I need to convert the garage as well?

No. You can keep the garage for parking or storage and build only the room above, as long as the floor between them and any door into the house meet fire separation rules. Converting the garage at the same time is often good value, because the walls and foundations may be upgraded anyway.

Can I add an en-suite above the garage?

Yes, and it is a common choice for a main bedroom. The en-suite needs an extract fan under Part F, a route for the soil pipe down to the drains and enough fall for the waste, which can be harder over a garage. We plan the pipe route through the garage or an outside wall early.

Nearby

Nearby towns we cover for extensions over a garage:

Other extensions in Hove

All two-storey extension services in Hove · Extensions over a garage across East Sussex

Book a free site visit in Hove and we'll tell you what's possible, what approvals you need and what the design stage would cost.

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