One of the most frequent questions I get asked by customers looking for a price to build their extension is “Do you have a rough guide price?”. Normally the email is accompanied by a planning drawing with no details or structural calculations. I’m not against this method of calculation for a quick affordability check prior to an actual proper quote where all Labour, plant an material costs are taken into account. However there are so many different variable to take into consideration and this method should not be used for final pricing.
In London and the South East, the square metre pricing for a single storey extension (in 2024) would range from £2500 to £3000 for a standard to mid range specification to plaster finish with no decoration. This wouldn’t include items such as kitchens, large bifold door, roof lights etc, but might include as small WC, some plumbing and electrics. For a two storey extension it’s normally a bit cheaper for the 2nd floor. As previously mentioned this method would be only be used for rough ball park pricing. Here at Constructek, we great take great pains to get our pricing as realistic from the start and try to avoid nasty surprises mid way into the build. I would advise anyone to be wary of a builder using square metre pricing for the final price. Yes it may work sometimes, or even most of time, but it is guesstimating and has the potential to be very wrong.
To get a realistic price we need as much details as possible, and would certainly need building regulations approved plans and all structural calculation. Then we would need to break down all the components of the build down to materials, plant and labour and apply live up to date prices on all of these. Thankfully here at Constructek, we have software to assist us which is linked into recent local prices. This takes the guesswork out of pricing. If you would like to see an example of our quotes please drop us an email.
I would always advise clients to get three quotes and compare like for like, making sure that they all contains the same items. I often get told by customers that there was great differences between the quotes they have received. This can often be explained by some builders using rough sq metre pricing, or by inexperienced builders quoting too low or even by extremely busy builders quoting a bit higher due to the laws of supply and demand. Whatever the price, it’s very important that the clients look through all quotes carefully checking that the scope of works are the same.
I would advise to not always go for the cheapest quote, especially if there is a big disparity between the other two. You need to take all things into consideration and ask yourself how they can be so cheap. In Building, cheap is not always good. Some unscrupulous builders may even quote cheaply to get their foot in the door and then hope to make the money up with expensive extras. Here at Constructek we will always try to make sure the price is as realistic as possible.
We often get asked if we can go lower on pricing and quite often we can, by Value Engineering. (altering the specification or using different materials.) However we can’t just arbitrarily knock off money as the price is determined by the resources mentioned previously. We want to do a great professional job and also be sustainable as a company, so we won’t even try to compete with the fly by night Del Boy type character who does the job in a car and wants to be paid by cash. If price is the only determining factor when tendering for your project then perhaps we are not the company for you. However if you want a competitive price for a highly professional job then give us a call or email. We are members of the Federation of Master Builders and the government approved Trustmark scheme and have a comprehensive contractors insurance policy.
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