First-floor extensions in Sion Mills
For a first-floor extension in Sion Mills, the first questions are always the same: how big, which approvals, and what it will cost. This page answers all three for County Tyrone.
Useful details for planning a first-floor extension in Sion Mills.
- Postcode districts
- BT82
- County / area
- County Tyrone, 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
- Strabane (2.5 miles), Castlederg (7.4 miles), New Buildings (12.8 miles)
- Distance to Omagh
- about 14.7 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.
We cover postcode district BT82 in and around Sion Mills, along with neighbouring Strabane, Castlederg and New Buildings.
What it costs in Sion Mills
Our guide for Northern Ireland is £1,580–£2,290 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 Sion Mills at roughly £22,000–£32,000. Keep a contingency of around 10% for things nobody can see until the ground is opened up.
| 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 Sion Mills
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 Sion Mills homes
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.
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
Visit and first ideas
One of our team visits your house in Sion Mills, 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 Sion Mills.
Detail and price
Construction drawings, engineer's calculations and building control sign-off, then a written fixed price for the build.
Build
Foundations, walls, floor, roof, windows, then first and second fix. We break through into the house as late as we can.
Questions about first-floor extensions in Sion Mills
Which postcodes do you cover around Sion Mills?
We cover Sion Mills (BT82) and nearby places including Strabane, Castlederg and New Buildings, plus the rest of County Tyrone. The first site visit is free.
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.
Do I need planning permission for a first-floor extension in Sion Mills?
Sion Mills 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.
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.
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.
Nearby
Nearby towns we cover for first-floor extensions:
Other extensions in Sion Mills
- 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 Sion Mills · First-floor extensions across County Tyrone
Book a free site visit in Sion Mills and we'll tell you what's possible, what approvals you need and what the design stage would cost.