Two-storey front extensions in County Antrim

County Antrim at a glance

Nation: Northern Ireland
Price region: Northern Ireland
Postcode areas: BT
Towns covered: 15 listed below, plus surrounding villages
Approval route: Planning permission is needed for anything built forward of the front wall.
Site visits: Free, no obligation

What a two-storey front extension involves

A two-storey front extension suits a house with a deep front garden or drive, where the back or side is not practical to extend. You get a design that respects the street, a planning application with drawings that show the extension in context, structural design, building regulations approval and the build, carried out by vetted teams working under S&K. At the free site visit we give you a frank view of whether the council is likely to accept it.

Across County Antrim we cover Belfast (BT1), Lisburn (BT10), Newtownabbey (BT36), Castlereagh (BT4), Carrickfergus (BT38) and Ballymena (BT42), plus the smaller places around them.

Guide price in Northern Ireland

Our guide for Northern Ireland is £1,940–£2,640 per m² including VAT. On a project with a 3 m × 2 m footprint on two floors (12 m² of new floor space), that puts a two-storey front extension in County Antrim at roughly £23,000–£31,500. We'll give you a written design-stage price first, then a fixed build price once the drawings are agreed.

Spec	Per m²	Typical project
Essential	£1,780–£2,430 per m²	£21,500–£29,000
Standard	£1,940–£2,640 per m²	£23,000–£31,500
Premium	£2,320–£3,170 per m²	£28,000–£38,000

Rules in Northern Ireland

In Northern Ireland, the permitted development allowance for two-storey extensions is written for rear extensions, so a two-storey front extension needs a planning application. The fee is £347 per dwelling, and councils aim for an average of 15 weeks for local applications. Building control approval from the council under the Technical Booklets is also 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.

There is no Party Wall Act in Northern Ireland. Shared walls and boundaries are a matter of title and common law, so we agree access and record conditions with neighbours before work starts.

Getting the design right

Parking and access

Building forward can reduce off-road parking and the space for bins and meters. Councils may weigh up parking, so we check the drive will still work, along with the routes for gas, electricity and water supplies that often enter at the front.

Daylight to existing rooms

A front extension can make the hall and front rooms darker, especially if it covers an existing window. We position new windows to keep the house bright, and check that the new front bedroom gets good daylight without overlooking houses opposite.

How we work in County Antrim

Free site visit
We visit your home in County Antrim, look at the structure, access and boundaries, and talk through what you want the new rooms to do.
Drawings, then consent
We draw the scheme, check it against the rules in Northern Ireland, and take it through the right consent with the council.
Structure and building control
A structural engineer sizes the foundations and steels, and we get building regulations approval before work starts.
Build
Foundations, walls, floor, roof, windows, then first and second fix. We break through into the house as late as we can.

Towns we cover in County Antrim

Two-storey front extensions in County Antrim: questions

How much does a two-storey front extension cost in County Antrim?

In Northern Ireland our guide is £1,940–£2,640 per m² including VAT, so about £23,000–£31,500 for a 3 m × 2 m footprint on two floors (12 m² of new floor space). Essential and Premium specs move that by roughly 8% down or 20% up.

How far forward can a front extension go?

There is no fixed figure, because a two-storey front extension needs planning permission and the council decides case by case. Many councils' design guides favour a shallow projection that keeps a clear front garden. Our guide prices assume a modest example with a 3 m × 2 m footprint on two floors (12 m² of new floor space).

Will the council approve a two-storey front extension?

It depends on the street. Councils are more cautious about front extensions than rear ones because they change the street scene. Approval is more likely where the house is set back, the projection is modest, the design echoes the original house and similar additions already exist nearby. We give you a frank view at the free site visit.

Does a front extension affect my parking?

It can. If it is built over part of the drive you may lose a parking space, and some councils consider whether enough off-road parking remains. We measure the drive at the survey and show on the drawings how cars, bins and meters will fit after the work.

Will I need planning permission in County Antrim?

County Antrim is in Northern Ireland. Planning permission is needed for anything built forward of the front wall.

Neighbouring areas

All extension services in County Antrim · About two-storey front extensions