Just because you’re looking for extension builders in Oxford it doesn’t mean you need to pay over the odds. Here are a few strategies that you can use to keep your extension costs as low as possible.

No matter whether your new extension does or doesn’t need planning permission, it is going to require Building Regulations Approval. An extension will provide you with the chance to increase the value of your home, and providing you get the work done at a reasonable rate, the extension can therefore be looked upon as an investment rather than a cost.

A house extension differs from a simple renovation due to the fact that fact with a renovation you do do not normally need to obtain planning permission unless you are re purposing the property. When you make any kind of extension to your home you will need to obtain planning permission before building work begins unless the extension falls under permitted development, or you run the risk of your new extension being deemed unlawful.

Some people are willing to take the risk of building without submitting a planning permission application, and simply go ahead and extend their property without prior approval. After four years of continued occupancy, they then seek a certificate of lawfulness under the four year rule, which makes the extension legal. This approach is mainly used by buy to let landlords, and is not without risk since there is always a chance that your application for a certificate of lawfulness could be denied, and the extension would need to be torn down.

Milestone Payments

Your builder will usually set milestone payments for each individual stage of the building process. This is a good approach, since it means you do not have to pay the full cost up front and gives you more protection as a customer. You also have the ability to ensure you are happy with the quality of work done before you release the funds for the next stage.

Is the Quotation Inclusive of Materials?

A builders quote will usually include the cost of all materials, but this is not always the case. It’s imperative you that check whether or not the quote is inclusive of materials before signing a contract. A quote that looks cheap on the surface may only be so affordable because you have to pay for the materials on top of the builders labour costs.

Try to obtain several quotes from different builders before deciding who to use, and make sure the quotations provide are full itemised. This will not only give you the opportunity to figure out which builder is the cheapest, but because of the itemisation you should be able to determine where those savings are being made. Are the saving due to cheaper labour fees, or is the builder using cheaper materials to keep costs down? If the latter you may want to consider whether or not the final quality of your extension is going to suffer due to this compromise.