Improve or move
Is It Cheaper to Extend or Move?
The cost of an extension changes with scale, access, specification, ground conditions, planning, professional fees and the local market. A broad range is useful for early planning, but it is not a quote.
An extension price is not the whole comparison
The cost of an extension changes with scale, access, specification, ground conditions, planning, professional fees and the local market. A broad range is useful for early planning, but it is not a quote.
A contingency reserve is sensible because unknowns are common once work begins.
Moving costs can be material
Moving may avoid building disruption, but it can carry selling and purchase costs before the price of the next property is considered. Compare those costs alongside the extra space, location and long-term fit a move might offer.
If a move is mainly about location or lifestyle, an extension may not solve the underlying issue however competitive the estimate looks.
Assess future usefulness
Ask whether the work will create a home that works for the next few years, not simply the next few months. Conversely, a move should be judged against the reality of available homes, not an idealised listing.
Use early figures to decide which conversations to have next: a designer or builder, an agent, a conveyancer, a mortgage adviser or family members.