HOUSE EXTENSIONS IN SURREY
More space is only part of the answer. It's what you do with it that matters.
A good extension should do more than simply make your home bigger. It should solve the things that aren’t quite working, like the cramped kitchen, the dark middle room, the lack of connection to the garden, the nowhere-to-put-anything problem, and make the whole house feel better to live in.
At KLB Homes, we design thoughtful house extensions and reconfigurations across Surrey, helping families make more of the homes they already love. From the first ideas and 3D design through to planning permission and the technical stages beyond, we’ll help you work out not simply how much space you can add, but where it will make the biggest difference.
Start with the house, not the extension
It’s very easy to begin an extension project with a size in mind. We’d like to go out three metres. We want a big kitchen-diner. Could we extend over the garage? But before drawing the extension, we look at the house as a whole.
Where does the light come from? Which rooms do you actually use? Where does everyone arrive with coats, bags and muddy shoes? Could moving a doorway make as much difference as adding another metre? And will the new space still work when your family changes five or ten years from now?
Sometimes the answer is a larger extension. Sometimes it’s a smaller extension combined with a much better internal layout. The aim is the same: to make your home work harder for the way you really live.
What type of extension could work for your home?
There isn't one right way to extend a house. The right solution depends on the existing building, the plot, neighbouring properties, planning constraints and, most importantly, what you need your home to do.
Single-storey rear extensions
One of the most effective ways to transform a family home, particularly where the existing kitchen or dining space feels disconnected from the garden. A rear extension can create room for a larger kitchen, dining and family space, but the layout, glazing and position of the extension need careful thought. Simply extending straight across the back can sometimes leave the original middle of the house darker rather than improving it.
See our Surrey extension projects.
Side and side-return extensions
That awkward strip of space alongside a house can be surprisingly valuable. Side and side-return extensions can unlock better kitchens, utility rooms, boot rooms, studies and more generous circulation without necessarily taking a large amount of garden. They can be particularly effective when combined with internal reconfiguration rather than treated as an isolated addition.
Wraparound extensions
Combining rear and side extensions can completely change the ground floor of a home. They offer enormous flexibility, but bigger isn't automatically better. We use the design stage to balance floor area with natural light, garden space, circulation and the proportions of the original house.
Two-storey extensions
Where the site and planning context allow, extending at first-floor level can provide the additional bedroom, bathroom or principal suite that makes staying in your existing home viable long-term. Because these extensions have a greater impact on the appearance of the house and neighbouring properties, scale, roof form, overlooking and materials become particularly important.
Extensions to character homes
Surrey has no shortage of period cottages, Victorian and Edwardian houses and homes that have already evolved through several generations of alteration. With these properties, our approach isn't to make the old and new compete. Instead, we look for a design that respects the character and proportions of the original home while allowing the new space to feel light, practical and relevant to the way you live today.
Do I need planning permission for a house extension in Surrey?
Not always. Some house extensions can be built under permitted development rights, provided they meet the relevant limitations and conditions. Other proposals will require a householder planning application, and additional restrictions can apply to properties in Conservation Areas, designated landscapes or where permitted development rights have been removed.
That distinction is important in Surrey, where the planning context can vary considerably from one property to another.
As part of the design process, we consider the planning route from the outset, looking at the property, its planning history, the surrounding context and what you would like to achieve before deciding how best to proceed, and where planning permission is required, we prepare the drawings and information needed for the application and manage the submission on your behalf.
From first ideas to planning and beyond
1. Understanding your home
We start with you: what isn't working, what you would love to change and how you want your home to feel.
2. Survey & Design
We survey the existing property and begin exploring layouts, scale, flow and the opportunities within the house.
3. See it in 3D
Our 3D model helps you understand the proposed space before committing to it. From proportions to roof forms to how the extension relates to the existing home.
4. Refine the details
We work through the design together until the layout and appearance feel right.
5. Planning
Where an application is needed, we prepare and submit the planning drawings and supporting information, and manage the process on your behalf.
6. Moving towards the build
Once planning is secured, we can coordinate the appropriate technical specialists for the next stage, including structural engineering and Building Control drawings.
You keep KLB as your point of contact. We bring the right technical specialists into the project and coordinate the process for you.
REAL FAMILY LIFE
Where are the school bags dropped? Where does the washing go? Where will you hide the toaster?
Making room for life
A home can look beautiful on a drawing and still be frustrating to live in. We think about the less glamorous things too such as whether you can get from the utility room to the garden with muddy shoes, where the hoover goes, whether the dining table blocks the doors when everyone comes for Christmas, and whether that enormous island you've saved on Pinterest actually leaves enough room to walk around it.
Those details matter because they're the difference between adding square metres and creating a home that genuinely works. That’s what we mean by making room for life.
A Surrey Hills remodel
A complete family home remodel in the Surrey Hills, rethinking the existing layout to create lighter, more connected spaces throughout.
A light-filled rear & side extension
Rear and side extensions transformed the ground floor, creating a generous, light-filled kitchen and dining space designed around family life.
How much does a house extension cost in Surrey?
There isn't a useful one-size-fits-all answer. The size of the extension matters, of course, but so do the structure, glazing, finishes, existing house, site access and the amount of internal remodelling involved. Two extensions with the same floor area can have very different overall budgets.
Before becoming too attached to a particular design, it is worth understanding what your overall project budget needs to cover, not only the construction itself, but professional fees, structural work, Building Control, kitchens, finishes and contingency.
Do I need Building Regulations approval?
Planning permission and Building Regulations are separate things.
Even where an extension can be built under permitted development, most extensions will still require Building Regulations approval. These regulations cover areas including structure, insulation, drainage, fire safety, glazing and electrical work.
Once your design and planning stages are complete, we can help coordinate the technical information and specialists needed to move the project towards construction.
WHERE WE WORK
KLB Homes is a small architectural design practice based in the heart of the Surrey Hills, working with homeowners across Surrey and the surrounding villages.
Surrey Hills - Guildford - Dorking - Leatherhead - Fetcham - Bookham - Brockham - Betchworth - Cobham - Weybridge - Walton-on-Thames - East & West Horsley - Cranleigh - Ewhurst and surrounding areas.
Not sure whether we cover your area? Get in touch - if you're reasonably close to us, there's a good chance we do.