The most effective way to gain space without leaving the home you chose. We build single storey rears creating open-plan kitchen-diners, double storey additions providing bedrooms above and living space below, side returns that widen narrow ground floors on St Albans’ terraced properties, and wrap-around designs that combine both approaches. Every extension is coordinated from foundation to finishing by one team managing groundwork, masonry, steelwork, roofing, insulation, electrics, plumbing, plastering, and decoration. We handle planning applications through St Albans City and District Council where needed and coordinate all building control inspections.
The unused roof space above your ceiling could be a master bedroom, ensuite bathroom, home office, or children’s playroom. We convert lofts across St Albans using Velux, rear dormer, and hip-to-gable approaches — each suited to different roof shapes and space requirements. Structural steelwork, floor reinforcement, staircase construction, insulation, electrics, plumbing, and finishing are all coordinated within one programme. The inter-war housing across Marshalswick and New Greens features hipped roofs ideally suited to gable conversions that maximise the available area. Conservation area properties may need specific planning consideration for dormers.
A kitchen project is not simply fitting new units — it is rethinking how the room works and then building the answer properly. We deliver kitchen renovations from straightforward replacements to structural transformations that remove walls and create open-plan living. Plumbing repositioned for optimal workflow. Electrics designed with dedicated circuits, worktop sockets, and layered lighting. Quality tiling, flooring, and finishing completing a room that functions as well as it looks. We fit kitchens from Howdens, Wren, IKEA, independent suppliers, or wherever you choose — your preference, fitted to our standard.
What sits behind the tiles matters more than what sits in front of them. Every bathroom we install begins with the plumbing infrastructure, the waterproofing system, and the electrical first fix — the elements you will never see but that determine whether the room performs for ten years or develops problems within two. We then tile, fit sanitaryware, install heated towel rails, commission ventilation, and finish every surface to the standard the room deserves. Suite replacements, complete redesigns, wet room conversions, and ensuites created from bedroom space — we handle every configuration.
Your garage already has walls, a floor, and a roof — it simply needs finishing as a proper room. We close the front opening with matching brickwork and a window, insulate throughout to habitable standards, install damp proofing, electrics, heating, plastering, and flooring, and deliver a completed bedroom, office, playroom, gym, or annexe. The cost sits substantially below an extension because the structure already exists. Three to four weeks from underused storage to a room your family uses every day. Most proceed under permitted development without a planning application.
A room apart from the house, designed around one purpose, and built to work every day of the year. We construct bespoke insulated garden rooms across St Albans with timber frames, rigid foam insulation, quality cladding, generous glazing, heating, and full electrical installations. Home offices for St Albans’ commuter population — twenty minutes to London St Pancras and a twenty-second commute to the garden. Studios, gyms, therapy rooms, and multi-purpose retreats specified around the function they need to serve rather than built generically and hoped for the best.
Some homes need a coordinated programme rather than a single improvement. We manage renovations across St Albans that work through properties systematically — structural changes first, then rewiring and replumbing, then plastering, then kitchens and bathrooms, then flooring and decoration. Each trade completes properly before the next begins. The Victorian and Edwardian properties around the city centre and through Fleetville commonly benefit from comprehensive renovation that addresses decades of accumulated wear while respecting the character and construction of the original building. One team managing every stage from strip-out to completion.
Removing the wall between kitchen and dining room. Widening a doorway that restricts light and movement. Creating an opening that connects two rooms that should always have been one. Structural alterations change how your ground floor works and feels more dramatically than any surface treatment. We coordinate engineering calculations, steel beam installation, temporary support, building control approval, and all making good — delivering a transformed layout with clean lines and no visible evidence of the structural work that made it possible.
Costs reflect the project scope and specification. A garage conversion runs between £8,000 and £18,000. A single storey extension between £24,000 and £58,000. A loft conversion between £22,000 and £60,000. Kitchen renovations range from £8,000 for a basic replacement to £50,000 for a structural open-plan transformation. Property values in St Albans support and reward higher specification work, so budgets tend to sit at the upper end of typical ranges. A free site visit gives you an accurate figure for your specific project.
Most single storey rear extensions, loft conversions, garage conversions, and garden rooms proceed under permitted development. Double storey extensions need planning permission. St Albans has extensive conservation area coverage across the city centre and surrounding streets — properties within these areas face additional restrictions, particularly for dormers and extensions visible from the highway. We check the planning position before any design work begins and tell you clearly whether an application is needed.
Garage conversions take three to four weeks. Garden rooms take two to four weeks. Loft conversions take six to eight weeks. Single storey extensions take eight to twelve weeks. Double storey extensions take twelve to sixteen weeks. Whole-house renovations take three to six months. Planning applications add eight to twelve weeks if required. We set out a clear programme before starting so you know what to expect at each stage.
Every quote breaks down materials, labour, associated costs, and any provisional allowances by individual line item. Each trade is specified separately. You can see exactly what the brickwork costs, what the electrics cost, what the kitchen fitting costs — nothing is bundled into vague lump sums. This level of detail lets you make informed decisions about where to invest and where to economise, and it makes comparing our quote with others straightforward.
Completely. We prepare or commission drawings, submit planning applications to St Albans City and District Council, handle all correspondence, and manage the process through to determination. For Building Regulations, we arrange the appropriate approval route and coordinate every inspection during construction. You receive all certificates and documentation at handover including the completion certificate from building control.
For the vast majority of projects, yes. Extensions, conversions, and garden rooms are all built around you. Kitchen renovations involve temporary loss of cooking facilities — most families manage with a microwave and kettle setup for a couple of weeks. The noisiest phases are predictable and we give you advance warning so you can plan around them. Only the most extensive whole-house renovations occasionally justify temporary relocation.
They are part of building work, particularly in older St Albans properties. When we encounter something unexpected — corroded pipework, structural movement, previous alterations that were never done properly — we stop, show you what we have found, explain the options, and provide a clear cost for any additional work. Nothing proceeds without your agreement. Our experience with the local housing stock means we anticipate many common issues and account for them in the original programme.
Comprehensive public liability insurance covering all work we carry out. Every trade on your project holds appropriate qualifications and insurance — Gas Safe for gas work, competent person scheme registration for electrical installations. We provide copies of all certificates before work begins if requested and include all relevant documentation at project handover.
Every project starts with a conversation. Get in touch with our St Albans team and tell us what you have in mind.