Extra bedroom and en-suite extensions in Edinburgh and the Lothians

Edinburgh and the Lothians at a glance

Nation: Scotland
Price region: Scotland
Postcode areas: EH
Towns covered: 24 listed below, plus surrounding villages
Approval route: Planning permission is usually needed: Class 1B permitted development only applies if every part of the extension is at least 10 m from all boundaries. A building warrant is needed before work starts.
Site visits: Free, no obligation

What an extra bedroom and en-suite extension involves

This service suits you if you need another bedroom, or want a main bedroom with its own bathroom, without converting the loft or moving. You get a first-floor layout that connects well to your landing, an en-suite designed for plumbing and ventilation, a useful room downstairs, the approvals your nation needs and the build, managed by us and carried out by vetted teams working under S&K.

Edinburgh and the Lothians towns we list: Edinburgh (EH1), Livingston (EH53), Musselburgh (EH15), Bathgate (EH48), Bonnyrigg (EH18) and Penicuik (EH26). Every other address in Edinburgh and the Lothians is covered as well.

Guide price in Scotland

Expect an extra bedroom and en-suite extension in Edinburgh and the Lothians to land somewhere around £52,500–£71,000 (plus £5,500–£11,000 for the en-suite) for a 4 m × 3.5 m footprint on two floors (28 m² of new floor space). Our Scotland guide rate is £1,880–£2,540 per m², including VAT. The fastest way to a firmer number is a free site visit, after which we price the design stage in writing.

Spec	Per m²	Typical project
Essential	£1,730–£2,330 per m²	£48,500–£65,500
Standard	£1,880–£2,540 per m²	£52,500–£71,000
Premium	£2,260–£3,050 per m²	£63,000–£85,500

Rules in Scotland

In Scotland, an extra bedroom on a new first floor makes the extension more than one storey, so Class 1B applies, needing at least 10 m to every boundary. Most plots need a householder application, which costs £371 and is decided within two months. The building warrant then covers the escape window, ventilation and drainage.

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

Escape window and fire safety

A new first-floor bedroom needs an escape window with a clear opening of at least 0.33 m², at least 450 mm wide and high, and the bottom no more than 1,100 mm above the floor, unless there is a protected route to the stairs. We design the windows to meet this.

Sound and privacy

Bedrooms above a kitchen or family room benefit from an insulated floor to reduce noise. Side-facing upstairs windows usually have to be obscure-glazed, so we place the main bedroom window to the rear and the en-suite window to the side where possible.

How we work in Edinburgh and the Lothians

Measure and listen
A visit to Edinburgh and the Lothians to understand how you live in the house now and what the extra rooms need to do, plus a first look at the structure.
Design and approvals
We draw the extension and check it against the rules for Scotland, then apply for planning permission or a certificate of lawfulness, whichever fits.
Detail and price
Construction drawings, engineer's calculations and building warrant approval, then a written fixed price for the build.
Finish and certify
Second fix, plastering and making good, then the council's final building standards inspection and the completion paperwork.

Towns we cover in Edinburgh and the Lothians

Extra bedroom and en-suite extensions in Edinburgh and the Lothians: questions

How much does an extra bedroom and en-suite extension cost in Edinburgh and the Lothians?

In Scotland our guide is £1,880–£2,540 per m² including VAT, so about £52,500–£71,000 (plus £5,500–£11,000 for the en-suite) for a 4 m × 3.5 m footprint on two floors (28 m² of new floor space). Essential and Premium specs move that by roughly 8% down or 20% up.

What goes on the ground floor below a new bedroom?

Whatever suits you: a bigger kitchen, a family room, a study, a utility or a downstairs shower room. The ground floor usually costs about the same whatever it is used for, apart from kitchen units and bathroom fittings, which are priced separately.

Does an extra bedroom add value to my house?

It usually does, though not always by the full cost. Nationwide's 2025 research found that adding a double bedroom to a two-bed house was linked to about 13% higher value, and a double bedroom and bathroom on a three-bed, one-bathroom house up to 24%. Local ceiling prices still apply.

How big should a new double bedroom be?

There is no legal minimum size for a bedroom in a house you own, so the test is whether it works. A comfortable double needs room for the bed with space to walk round it, wardrobes and a door that opens freely. We draw furniture on the plans so you can judge the space before anything is built.

Will I need planning permission in Edinburgh and the Lothians?

Edinburgh and the Lothians is in Scotland. Planning permission is usually needed: Class 1B permitted development only applies if every part of the extension is at least 10 m from all boundaries. A building warrant is needed before work starts.

Neighbouring areas

All extension services in Edinburgh and the Lothians · About extra bedroom and en-suite extensions