Two-storey side extensions in Gwynedd and Anglesey

Gwynedd and Anglesey at a glance

Nation: Wales
Price region: Wales
Postcode areas: LL
Towns covered: 10 listed below, plus surrounding villages
Approval route: Can be permitted development in Wales if it is 10.5 m from the side boundary, set back 1 m from the front and doesn't widen the house by more than half; otherwise planning permission.
Site visits: Free, no obligation

What a two-storey side extension involves

A two-storey side extension is a new two-floor addition built into the space beside your house, often over a driveway or side passage. It typically adds one or two bedrooms upstairs and a utility, study or larger kitchen below, without giving up rear garden.

Towns in Gwynedd and Anglesey include Bangor (Gwynedd and Anglesey) (LL57), Holyhead (LL64), Caernarfon (LL54), Llangefni (LL60), Bethesda (LL57) and Pwllheli (LL51). If yours isn't listed, we still cover it.

Guide price in Wales

Our guide for Wales is £1,890–£2,530 per m² including VAT. On a project with a 3 m × 7 m footprint on two floors (42 m² of new floor space), that puts a two-storey side extension in Gwynedd and Anglesey at roughly £79,000–£106,500. Keep a contingency of around 10% for things nobody can see until the ground is opened up.

Spec	Per m²	Typical project
Essential	£1,740–£2,330 per m²	£73,000–£98,000
Standard	£1,890–£2,530 per m²	£79,000–£106,500
Premium	£2,260–£3,040 per m²	£95,000–£127,500

Rules in Wales

In Wales, a two-storey side extension can be permitted development if it is at least 10.5 m from the boundary opposite the side wall, set back at least 1 m from the front of the house and does not increase the house's widest width by more than 50%. If it fails any test, or the house is in a protected area, a householder application costs £585.

Approval in Wales: Householder planning application: £585. Councils normally decide householder applications within 8 weeks.

Building regulations: Building regulations approval under the Welsh Approved Documents, which differ from England's in places (notably energy efficiency).

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

Getting the design right

Set-down and set-back

Councils usually want a two-storey side extension to look subordinate to the house. Setting the front wall back from the main front and dropping the ridge slightly below the main roof helps it read as an addition, and is often expected in local design guidance.

Matching the ridge and roof

A hipped house usually needs a hipped extension roof, and a gabled house a gable. Matching the pitch, tiles, ridge detail and brick bond is what makes a side extension look original rather than added, and councils look closely at it on a front-facing addition.

How we work in Gwynedd and Anglesey

Visit and first ideas
One of our team visits your house in Gwynedd and Anglesey, 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 Gwynedd and Anglesey.
Price it properly
Once the engineer's calculations are in, we fix the build price in writing, with a clear list of what's included.
Finish and certify
Second fix, plastering and making good, then building control's final inspection and the completion paperwork.

Towns we cover in Gwynedd and Anglesey

Two-storey side extensions in Gwynedd and Anglesey: questions

How much does a two-storey side extension cost in Gwynedd and Anglesey?

In Wales our guide is £1,890–£2,530 per m² including VAT, so about £79,000–£106,500 for a 3 m × 7 m footprint on two floors (42 m² of new floor space). Essential and Premium specs move that by roughly 8% down or 20% up.

Can I build a two-storey side extension over my driveway?

Yes, if the drive is wide enough for a useful room and the council accepts the design. You may lose off-road parking, which some councils weigh up, and the foundations need to suit the ground below. We check parking, drains and meter positions at the free site visit before any drawings are prepared.

Will I need planning permission in Gwynedd and Anglesey?

Gwynedd and Anglesey is in Wales. Can be permitted development in Wales if it is 10.5 m from the side boundary, set back 1 m from the front and doesn't widen the house by more than half; otherwise planning permission.

Neighbouring areas

All extension services in Gwynedd and Anglesey · About two-storey side extensions