First-floor extensions in Alness
Our first-floor extensions service in Alness covers everything: measured survey, design, planning or permitted development checks, structural design, building control and the build itself.
We take on projects in Alness by arrangement. Site visits here aren't free as standard, and we'll agree travel costs with you in writing first.
Alness: the key facts for this kind of project.
- Postcode districts
- IV16 and IV17
- County / area
- The Highlands, Moray and Islands, Scotland
- Price region
- Scotland
- Guide price
- £23,500–£34,000 (£1,690–£2,440 per m²)
- 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.
- Nearest towns
- Invergordon (3.3 miles), Dingwall (9.4 miles), Tain (10.9 miles)
- Distance to Inverness
- about 15 miles
- First visit
- By arrangement
About a first-floor extension
A first-floor extension is a new upstairs room built on top of an existing single-storey part of your house, such as a rear kitchen extension, a utility or a side annexe. It adds a bedroom, bathroom or study without enlarging the footprint. Whether it works depends mainly on whether the walls and foundations below can carry the extra load.
Alness sits about 15.0 miles from Inverness. Closer to home, Invergordon is 3.3 miles away and Dingwall 9.4 miles.
What it costs in Alness
Most of the cost of a first-floor extension is set by its size and specification. For Alness and the rest of Scotland, our guide is £1,690–£2,440 per m² including VAT, so about £23,500–£34,000 for 4 m × 3.5 m of new first-floor space (14 m²). We'll give you a written design-stage price first, then a fixed build price once the drawings are agreed.
| Spec | Per m² | 4 m × 3.5 m of new first-floor space (14 m²) |
|---|---|---|
| Essential | £1,560–£2,250 per m² | £22,000–£31,500 |
| Standard | £1,690–£2,440 per m² | £23,500–£34,000 |
| Premium | £2,030–£2,930 per m² | £28,500–£41,000 |
Planning and building standards in Alness
In Scotland, permitted development for extensions of more than one storey (Class 1B) needs at least 10 m to every boundary and no part higher than the house. Most first-floor extensions cannot meet the 10 m test, so plan for a householder application (£371, decided within two months) and a building warrant before work starts.
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.
Design points for Alness homes
Escape 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 450 mm high, with the bottom no more than 1,100 mm above the floor, unless there is a protected route to the stairs.
Tying into the house
The new floor and walls must line up with the existing first floor, often through a new opening in the rear wall above the old one. Floor levels, the position of upstairs windows and the existing roof all affect where the opening can go, so we survey both floors carefully.
How we'd run your project
Visit by arrangement
We agree a visit to your home in Alness and any travel costs with you in writing first, then look at the structure, access and boundaries.
Get it approved
Once you're happy with the design we submit it to the council for Alness and deal with any questions from the planning officer.
Detail and price
Construction drawings, engineer's calculations and building warrant approval, then a written fixed price for the build.
Build and hand over
We manage the build from groundworks to decoration-ready finish and hand over with the completion paperwork.
Questions about first-floor extensions in Alness
Who handles building standards for a project in Alness?
We handle it as part of the project. What's needed in Scotland: 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. We prepare the drawings and the engineer's calculations, book the inspections and pass you the completion paperwork at the end.
How much does a first-floor extension cost in Alness?
Our guide for Scotland, which covers Alness, is £1,690–£2,440 per m² including VAT. A typical project with 4 m × 3.5 m of new first-floor space (14 m²) comes to about £23,500–£34,000. Design and approval fees are extra, and we fix the build price in writing once the design is agreed.
Which postcodes do you cover around Alness?
We cover Alness (IV16 and IV17) and nearby places including Invergordon, Dingwall and Tain, plus the rest of the Highlands, Moray and Islands. Visits and projects in Alness are by arrangement, with travel costs agreed in writing first.
What happens to the room below while the first floor is built?
The old roof is removed, so the room below is exposed for a short period. We fit temporary weather protection, plan the work so the roof comes off only when the new structure is ready, and agree with you which rooms will be out of use and for roughly how long.
Can I build on top of my existing single-storey extension?
Often yes, but only after the structure has been checked. Foundations, walls and lintels built for one storey may not carry two. We dig trial holes, look for the original a building warrant and ask the structural engineer to confirm what can stay, what needs strengthening and what must be rebuilt.
Nearby
Other towns near Alness:
Other extensions in Alness
- Rear
- Side
- Wraparound
- Part two-storey
- Over a garage
- Semi-detached
- Detached
- Kitchen and bedrooms
- Bedroom and en-suite
All two-storey extension services in Alness · First-floor extensions across the Highlands, Moray and Islands
The quickest next step is a visit. We'll look at your house in Alness and give you an honest view of the options.