Dundonald · County Down

Kitchen extensions with bedrooms above in Dundonald

Homes in Dundonald with a bit of space to the side or rear can often take a kitchen extension with bedrooms above. We'll tell you honestly whether yours can, and what approvals it needs.

Dundonald: the key facts for this kind of project.

Postcode districts
BT16
County / area
County Down, Northern Ireland
Price region
Northern Ireland
Guide price
£49,500–£66,500 (£1,760–£2,380 per m²), kitchen units and worktops priced separately
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
Holywood (3.4 miles), Comber (3.7 miles), Castlereagh (3.7 miles)
Distance to Bangor (County Down)
about 7 miles
First visit
Free, no obligation

About a kitchen extension with bedrooms above

This service suits you if your kitchen is too small and you also need another bedroom. Building both floors at once costs less than a single-storey kitchen extension now and a first floor later. You get a layout that works for cooking, eating and the garden, a bedroom plan that works upstairs, the approvals your nation needs and the build, carried out by vetted teams working under S&K. Kitchen units are priced separately.

We cover Dundonald (BT16) and the places around it, including Holywood (3.4 miles), Comber (3.7 miles) and Castlereagh.

What it costs in Dundonald

A guide price for Dundonald: around £49,500–£66,500 (kitchen units and worktops priced separately) for a 4 m × 3.5 m footprint on two floors (28 m² of new floor space). That works out at £1,760–£2,380 per m² of new floor space, including VAT at 20%. Steelwork for wide openings is the item most likely to move the figure; we'll know once the engineer has designed it.

SpecPer m²A 4 m × 3.5 m footprint on two floors (28 m² of new floor space)
Essential£1,620–£2,190 per m²£45,500–£61,000
Standard£1,760–£2,380 per m²£49,500–£66,500
Premium£2,110–£2,850 per m²£59,000–£80,000

Planning and building control in Dundonald

In Northern Ireland, a kitchen extension with bedrooms above can be permitted development if it goes no more than 3 m beyond the original rear wall and stays 7 m from the rear boundary, with height, materials and roof pitch conditions. Otherwise a planning application costs £347 per dwelling, and building control approval from the council is needed.

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 Dundonald homes

Bedrooms over a kitchen

Bedrooms above need an escape window or a protected route to the stairs, plus good sound insulation from the kitchen below. We position the stairs, landing and bedroom doors so the new rooms connect naturally to the existing first floor.

Services and drainage

Sinks, dishwashers and an upstairs bathroom all need waste routes to the drains, often near where the extension goes. We check the drains early and plan soil stacks, gas and electrical supplies so the kitchen layout is not limited later.

How we'd run your project

  1. Start at your house

    We come to your home in Dundonald, measure up, check the ground floor walls and roof structure, and note anything near the boundaries.

  2. Plans, then approval

    Measured survey, design, then the right approval route for your house. We explain each step before we take it.

  3. Technical design

    We prepare the building regulations drawings, structural calculations and specification so the build price can be fixed.

  4. Build it

    The new structure goes up first, then we open into the house, finish inside and get the completion certificate.

Questions about kitchen extensions with bedrooms above in Dundonald

How long does a kitchen extension with bedrooms above 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.

Who handles building control for a project in Dundonald?

We handle it as part of the project. What's needed in Northern Ireland: building control approval from the local council under the Building Regulations (Northern Ireland), using the Technical Booklets. 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 kitchen extension with bedrooms above cost in Dundonald?

Our guide for Northern Ireland, which covers Dundonald, is £1,760–£2,380 per m² including VAT. A typical project with a 4 m × 3.5 m footprint on two floors (28 m² of new floor space) comes to about £49,500–£66,500 (kitchen units and worktops priced separately). Design and approval fees are extra, and we fix the build price in writing once the design is agreed.

Is it cheaper to build a kitchen extension and bedrooms at the same time?

Yes, in most cases. Building both floors at once means one set of foundations, one roof, one scaffold and one set of approvals. Adding a first floor later means removing the original roof, possibly strengthening the foundations and disrupting the kitchen again. If you think you will need the bedroom, build it now.

Can I keep using my kitchen during the build?

For part of it. The new structure can be built while your existing kitchen stays in use, but when the rear wall is opened and the new kitchen is fitted there will be several weeks without one. We plan when this happens and help you set up a temporary kitchen elsewhere in the house.

Nearby

Close to Dundonald? We work across the area, including:

Other extensions in Dundonald

All two-storey extension services in Dundonald · Kitchen extensions with bedrooms above across County Down

Book a free site visit in Dundonald and we'll tell you what's possible, what approvals you need and what the design stage would cost.

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