First-floor extensions in Portadown
For a first-floor extension in Portadown, the first questions are always the same: how big, which approvals, and what it will cost. This page answers all three for County Armagh.
Before you start in Portadown, here's what applies.
- Postcode districts
- BT62 and BT63
- County / area
- County Armagh, Northern Ireland
- Price region
- Northern Ireland
- Guide price
- £22,000–£32,000 (£1,580–£2,290 per m²)
- Approval route
- It may be permitted development if it goes no more than 3 m beyond the original rear wall and stays 7 m from the rear boundary.
- Nearest towns
- Craigavon (2.8 miles), Tandragee (4.9 miles), Waringstown (5.9 miles)
- Distance to Craigavon
- about 2.8 miles
- First visit
- Free, no obligation
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.
Around Portadown we also work in Craigavon, Tandragee and Waringstown, and across the rest of County Armagh. Postcode districts in and near Portadown: BT62 and BT63.
What it costs in Portadown
Most of the cost of a first-floor extension is set by its size and specification. For Portadown and the rest of Northern Ireland, our guide is £1,580–£2,290 per m² including VAT, so about £22,000–£32,000 for 4 m × 3.5 m of new first-floor space (14 m²). Kitchens, bathroom fittings and flooring are priced separately so you can compare like with like.
| Spec | Per m² | 4 m × 3.5 m of new first-floor space (14 m²) |
|---|---|---|
| Essential | £1,460–£2,100 per m² | £20,500–£29,500 |
| Standard | £1,580–£2,290 per m² | £22,000–£32,000 |
| Premium | £1,900–£2,750 per m² | £26,500–£38,500 |
Planning and building control in Portadown
In Northern Ireland, a first floor over a rear extension can be permitted development if the extension goes no more than 3 m beyond the original rear wall and stays at least 7 m from the rear boundary, with height, materials and roof pitch conditions. Over a side extension, or beyond these limits, a planning application costs £347 per dwelling.
Approval in Northern Ireland: Planning application for works to a house: £347. Councils aim to decide local applications within an average of 15 weeks; many take longer.
Building control: Building control approval from the local council under the Building Regulations (Northern Ireland), using the Technical Booklets.
Design points for Portadown 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.
Replacing the flat roof
The existing roof usually comes off and is replaced by a new first-floor structure. The room below is exposed for a short time, so we plan temporary weatherproofing and sequence the work to keep the kitchen or living room usable for as long as possible.
How we'd run your project
Free site visit
We visit your home in Portadown, look at the structure, access and boundaries, and talk through what you want the new rooms to do.
Drawings and permission
Our designers produce plans and elevations, then we take care of planning or permitted development checks with the council covering Portadown.
Structure and building control
A structural engineer sizes the foundations and steels, and we get building regulations approval before work starts.
On site
One project lead runs the job, keeps you updated and arranges inspections at each stage until completion.
Questions about first-floor extensions in Portadown
How much does a first-floor extension cost in Portadown?
Our guide for Northern Ireland, which covers Portadown, is £1,580–£2,290 per m² including VAT. A typical project with 4 m × 3.5 m of new first-floor space (14 m²) comes to about £22,000–£32,000. Design and approval fees are extra, and we fix the build price in writing once the design is agreed.
Do I need planning permission for a first-floor extension in Portadown?
Portadown is in Northern Ireland. It may be permitted development if it goes no more than 3 m beyond the original rear wall and stays 7 m from the rear boundary.
How long does a first-floor extension take?
Allow 4 to 8 weeks for survey and design, then the approval period (councils aim to decide local applications within an average of 15 weeks; many take longer), 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.
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 building control approval and ask the structural engineer to confirm what can stay, what needs strengthening and what must be rebuilt.
Nearby
Close to Portadown? We work across the area, including:
Other extensions in Portadown
- 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 Portadown · First-floor extensions across County Armagh
The quickest next step is a visit. We'll look at your house in Portadown and give you an honest view of the options.