Check who can authorise the work. A landlord, utility, council or emergency service may be the right first contact. This enquiry form is not an emergency dispatch service. Local reporting contacts are below; this enquiry service does not provide emergency dispatch.
Start with the space you need
Quick answer
Define how the new room will be used, its relationship to the existing house and the priorities for access, daylight and storage. A floor-area target alone does not describe a useful extension. Share the budget range and any fixed constraints with the designer and builder before materials are chosen. The brief should distinguish essential outcomes from optional finishes. A preliminary estimate is useful for planning, but it is not a fully specified construction price or confirmation that the proposal is feasible.
Approvals for the actual extension
Ask the designer to identify the planning, building-control and other requirements for the specific proposal. Existing approvals, conditions and property constraints matter; a similar neighbouring extension is not proof your design is authorised. Set out who obtains decisions and how the quote depends on them.
Ipswich’s mapping, listed-building guidance and flood-risk planning material provide local starting points. They do not settle a design from the postcode alone. Where a public sewer may be affected, ask Anglian Water about the relevant build-over or proximity process before excavation. A camera survey is information, not permission.
Sources: Online Mapping · Listed buildings advice · Development and flood risk SPD · Build-over assessment
Connect new work to retained fabric
Describe the proposed use, existing building and the areas affected by new openings or connections. Ask how the designer and builder will assess the existing construction and specify weathering, junctions and making good. Distinguish unknown concealed conditions from agreed work.
Ipswich’s Central appraisal documents historic timber and later finishes, while other residential areas have different character. Use that context to ask about your actual building rather than presume a standard wall construction. Listed fabric and appearance need proposal-specific advice before the design and price are treated as settled.
Sources: Central Conservation Area appraisal · Ipswich urban character SPDs · Listed buildings advice
Ground, drains and adjoining property
The foundation design, existing utilities and drainage route need assessment. Anglian Water publishes requirements for proposals near its sewer assets; a pipe on private land is not automatically private. Relevant party-wall procedures may also apply and are separate from planning permission. Identify these issues before excavation. Ask who obtains records, carries out necessary assessment and handles permissions. No standard footing depth or generic sewer distance on this site replaces a design for the actual location.
Useful next steps
Sources: Anglian Water: building near sewer assets · GOV.UK: party walls and building work
Living through the build
Agree access, deliveries, protected routes, welfare, working arrangements and temporary loss of services. Decide when the existing house is opened to the extension and who coordinates other trades. HSE explains domestic construction role arrangements under CDM; clarify the relevant responsibilities for the project. A programme needs assumptions about approvals, weather and discoveries. If you remain at home, agree which areas are safe and usable rather than rely on a broad promise of minimal disruption.
Sources: HSE: domestic construction clients
Compare complete extension quotes
Ask whether the quote includes…
Give businesses the same drawings and specification. Compare preparation, groundworks, structure, roof, openings, services, insulation, finishes, waste, VAT and exclusions. Define professional fees, approvals and provisional sums separately. A shell price and a fully finished room are different scopes. Agree stage payments, variation approval and documentation in writing. If the scope changes, ask for a revised proposal before relying on the earlier total.
- The same design, specification and finish scope.
- Services, drainage, making good and excluded fees.
- Programme assumptions, variations and completion records.
Completion and the enquiry
Plan inspections, relevant compliance documents, product care information and a snagging process. A visual handover is not a substitute for required records. Keep the agreed changes and final specification with the house documents. For an enquiry, provide postcode, intended room/use, current design stage and known restrictions. We review requests for suitable local help; sending details does not book a builder, approve the extension or guarantee feasibility without assessment.
Useful next steps