First-floor extensions in Shropshire

Shropshire at a glance

Nation: England
Price region: West Midlands
Postcode areas: SY, TF, WV
Towns covered: 11 listed below, plus surrounding villages
Approval route: It may be permitted development if it goes no more than 3 m beyond the original rear wall (counting any single-storey part) and stays 7 m from the rear boundary; otherwise it needs planning permission.
Site visits: Free, no obligation

What a first-floor extension involves

A first-floor extension suits you if your house already has a single-storey extension and you need more space upstairs. You get a structural check of the existing walls and foundations, a design that ties the new floor into the house, the approvals your nation needs, building regulations approval and the build, managed by us and carried out by vetted teams working under S&K.

Shropshire towns we list: Telford (TF2), Shrewsbury (SY1), Wellington (TF1), Oswestry (SY10), Ryton (TF11) and Hadley (TF1). Every other address in Shropshire is covered as well.

Guide price in the West Midlands

Our guide for the West Midlands is £1,800–£2,600 per m² including VAT. On a project with 4 m × 3.5 m of new first-floor space (14 m²), that puts a first-floor extension in Shropshire at roughly £25,000–£36,500. Professional fees for drawings and the structural engineer are listed separately on our prices page.

Spec	Per m²	Typical project
Essential	£1,660–£2,390 per m²	£23,000–£33,500
Standard	£1,800–£2,600 per m²	£25,000–£36,500
Premium	£2,160–£3,120 per m²	£30,000–£43,500

Rules in England

In England, adding a first floor turns a single-storey extension into one of more than one storey. To be permitted development, the extension as a whole must go no more than 3 m beyond the rear wall of the original house and stay at least 7 m from the rear boundary, with matching materials and roof pitch. Over a side extension it always needs planning permission, costing £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.

The Party Wall etc. Act 1996 applies, so notices may be needed for work on or near a shared wall or boundary.

Getting the design right

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.

Matching the roofline

A first-floor extension often changes how the back or side of the house looks more than the original single storey did. Matching the main roof pitch and materials, and keeping the ridge below the main ridge, usually gives the best result and is expected for permitted development in England.

How we work in Shropshire

Visit and first ideas
One of our team visits your house in Shropshire, checks the walls, roof and drains, and sketches out options with you.
Drawings and permission
Our designers produce plans and elevations, then we take care of planning or permitted development checks with the council covering Shropshire.
Detail and price
Construction drawings, engineer's calculations and building control sign-off, 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.

Towns we cover in Shropshire

First-floor extensions in Shropshire: questions

How much does a first-floor extension cost in Shropshire?

In the West Midlands our guide is £1,800–£2,600 per m² including VAT, so about £25,000–£36,500 for 4 m × 3.5 m of new first-floor space (14 m²). Essential and Premium specs move that by roughly 8% down or 20% up.

Will the first-floor extension match my house?

It should, and in England matching materials and roof pitch is a condition of permitted development. We match brick, tile, mortar colour and window style where we can, and tell you at the design stage if an exact brick match is not available, so you can choose between the closest match and render or cladding.

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.

Will I need planning permission in Shropshire?

Shropshire is in England. It may be permitted development if it goes no more than 3 m beyond the original rear wall (counting any single-storey part) and stays 7 m from the rear boundary; otherwise it needs planning permission.

Neighbouring areas

All extension services in Shropshire · About first-floor extensions