House extensions in Ealing
House Extensions in Ealing
Most house extensions in Ealing are one of two jobs: a side return or rear extension on a Victorian terrace in Acton, Hanwell or West Ealing, or a rear and side extension on a 1930s semi in Greenford, Perivale or Northolt. This page sets out what Ealing Council allows for each, what the council charges, and what the build typically costs here.
Quick answer
A single-storey rear extension in Ealing can usually go 3m deep on a terrace or semi without planning permission, or up to 6m through prior approval (£249). Mid-specification builds in Ealing typically run £2,200 to £3,200 per m², so a 20m² kitchen extension is roughly £44,000 to £64,000 before the kitchen itself.
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By house type
Which extension suits your Ealing house?
The extension that makes sense depends on the house you start with, and Ealing has four very different kinds.
Victorian and Edwardian terraces
Acton (W3), Hanwell (W7), West Ealing (W13) and South Ealing (W5). The classic job is a side return: filling the narrow alley beside the back addition to turn a galley kitchen into a family room. Terraces share walls on both sides, so expect Party Wall notices to two neighbours and often underpinning of shallow Victorian footings.
1930s semis
Greenford and Perivale (UB6) and Northolt (UB5). A single-storey rear extension is usually permitted development to 3m, or 6m with prior approval. Adding a side extension over the drive to make an L or wrap-around shape needs a planning application, because wrap-arounds fall outside permitted development.
Conservation and Article 4 streets
Bedford Park, Brentham, the two Hanger Hill estates and streets around Ealing Common. In the six Article 4 areas almost any extension needs planning permission; elsewhere in a conservation area only a modest single-storey rear extension can go ahead without it. Ealing’s guidance expects about 3m depth, not across the full width of the house, and no wrap-around. Builds here typically cost about 15% more for matching materials.
Ground-floor flats
Flats have no permitted development rights, so any extension to a ground-floor flat needs full planning permission and the freeholder’s written consent under the lease. Budget extra time for both before drawings are final.
Ealing Council rules
Do you need planning permission for an extension in Ealing?
Often not for a single-storey rear extension on a house. Class A permitted development (General Permitted Development Order 2015, Schedule 2, Part 1) allows:
- a single-storey rear extension up to 3m deep on a terraced or semi-detached house, or 4m on a detached house, no higher than 4m
- eaves no higher than 3m where the extension is within 2m of a boundary
- a single-storey side extension no wider than half the original house and no higher than 4m
- materials similar in appearance to the house, and no more than half the garden covered by extensions and outbuildings
The larger home extension route raises the rear limits to 6m (terrace or semi) and 8m (detached). You apply to Ealing for prior approval, which costs £249 from April 2026; the council notifies your neighbours, who have 21 days to comment, and must decide within 42 days. It judges only the effect on neighbours, not design. Build without that approval and the extension is not lawful.
Planning permission is needed for wrap-around extensions, any extension to a flat and two-storey extensions within 7m of the rear boundary. In a conservation area it is also needed for side extensions, two-storey extensions and anything beyond 3m (4m detached), because the larger home extension route is not available there. Ealing’s six Article 4 areas go further and remove the right to build even a modest rear extension: Bedford Park, Brentham Garden Estate, Churchfields (Half Acre Road), Ealing Town Centre (The Grove), Hanger Hill Garden Estate and Hanger Hill (Haymills) Estate. On 19 November 2025 Ealing extended 14 conservation area boundaries, including Northolt Village Green, Hanwell Clock Tower and Ealing Common, so check your street even if you checked before.
What Ealing looks for in an application
Ealing assesses householder applications against its residential extensions guide, SPD 4, written under the 2004 plan and still published while the new Local Plan 2024 to 2039 was at examination in June 2026:
- Rear extensions: a single-storey extension up to 3m deep and 3m high is normally acceptable if the house has not been extended before and lines up with the neighbour’s; detached houses may go further.
- Two storeys: two-storey rear extensions are treated as contentious and should be set back from shared boundaries; roof terraces and balconies are unacceptable in most cases.
- Side extensions: single-storey side extensions no higher than 3m; at first floor, set back at least 1m from the front wall and 1m in from the side boundary, with the roof ridge at least 0.5m below the main ridge.
- Conservation areas: about 3m deep, not across the full width, no wrap-around, with a pitched roof or a parapeted flat roof that matches the house.
- Garden left over: at least 50m² of private garden for a house with fewer than five habitable rooms, 75m² for larger houses.
Even where no application is needed, a Lawful Development Certificate (£274, about 8 weeks) proves the extension is lawful, and your buyer’s solicitor will ask for it when you sell.
Costs
How much does a house extension cost in Ealing?
Ealing builds sit at outer-London rates. A mid-specification single-storey extension typically costs £2,200 to £3,200 per m² here, against £2,800 to £3,800 for the London mid-range.
Typical London market ranges, not fixed Soraiz Builders prices
| Extension type | London range | Build time | Ealing notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single-storey rear (15 to 30m²) | £45,000 to £150,000 | 10 to 14 weeks | Usually permitted development on Greenford, Perivale and Northolt semis |
| Side return (10 to 20m²) | £45,000 to £130,000 | 10 to 16 weeks | The standard job on Acton, Hanwell and West Ealing terraces |
| Wrap-around, rear and side (25 to 45m²) | £90,000 to £250,000 | 12 to 18 weeks | Always a planning application; usually refused in conservation areas |
| Double-storey rear (30 to 60m²) | £110,000 to £280,000 | 14 to 22 weeks | Contentious under SPD 4; set back from boundaries |
| Specification | London per m² | Typical in Ealing per m² |
|---|---|---|
| Budget or standard | £1,900 to £2,800 | Lower half of the London range |
| Mid-range (steel opening, bi-folds, rooflights) | £2,800 to £3,800 | £2,200 to £3,200 |
| High specification | £3,800 to £4,800+ | Add about 15% in Article 4 areas |
Sources: London ranges from our house extensions in London page and extension cost guide (2026 sources named there); Ealing per m² rate and the Article 4 uplift as on our Ealing borough page. The 20m² example is 20 × £2,200 and 20 × £3,200, build only.
Ealing Council and statutory fees
| Item | Fee | When it applies |
|---|---|---|
| Building Control, extension under 40m² | £1,208 | Every extension (40% on submission, 60% on starting) |
| Building Control, extension 40m² to 60m² | £1,410 | Larger extensions; each further 40m² adds £201 |
| Building Control, steel beams for an open-plan knock-through | £403 with the extension (£604 on its own) | Opening the old back wall into the new room |
| Prior approval, larger home extension | £249 | Rear extensions of 3m to 6m (terrace, semi) or 4m to 8m (detached) |
| Householder planning application | £548 | Wrap-arounds, side and two-storey extensions in conservation areas, Article 4 areas, flats |
| Lawful Development Certificate | £274 | Optional proof that permitted development applies |
| Skip licence | £50 for 14 days (£100 in a parking bay) | Skip on the road |
Sources: Ealing Council Domestic Building Control Charges (schedule dated 1 April 2026, prices include VAT); planning fees for England from 1 April 2026 (householder £548, larger home extension prior approval £249); skip licence as on our Ealing borough page. Also budget for a structural engineer, a drain survey, and Party Wall surveyors if a neighbour dissents (£1,000 to £3,500 per neighbour). Building within 3m of a public sewer, common behind Ealing terraces, needs a build-over agreement from Thames Water.
Local work
A builder based in the borough
Our base is in Northolt, minutes from Greenford, Perivale and Hanwell, so Ealing’s planning team, parking zones and skip licences are part of a normal week for us. We have no extension photographed in Ealing yet; the jobs below are other Soraiz work in the borough.
13 photosWalpole, West Ealing (Ealing)
Full refurbishment with three shower rooms in West Ealing
A finished West Ealing refurbishment with herringbone flooring throughout, three new shower rooms and two new kitchens, photographed finished in February 2023.
Read the case study
North Greenford (Ealing)
Front garden planter wall in North Greenford
A brick planter wall built along a front garden and finished with stone coping.
★★★★★
“Hard working and punctual. Both Hussain and his colleague completed the paint job to a good standard within the time promised.”
MyBuilder user, Greenford · April 2025 · a hallway and landing painting job, not an extension
The process
How an Ealing extension runs
Site visit and route check
We measure the house and garden, check earlier extensions against your allowance, look for public sewers and trees near the build, and check your address against Ealing’s conservation area and Article 4 maps to pick the route: permitted development, prior approval or a planning application.
Drawings, approvals and notices
Drawings and a structural engineer’s steel and foundation calculations, then the Lawful Development Certificate, prior approval or planning application. Party Wall notices and any Thames Water build-over application run at the same time.
Groundworks and shell
Foundations, drainage, walls, steels and roof, with Building Control inspecting the foundations and structure before they are covered. We arrange the skip licence and any parking suspension in Ealing’s controlled parking zones before day one.
Knock-through and fit-out
The old back wall comes out late, so your kitchen works for most of the build. Plumbing, heating, plastering and flooring follow. Notifiable electrical work is carried out and certified by a registered electrician.
Completion certificate
Building Control’s final inspection and completion certificate, the document your solicitor needs when you sell.
Areas we cover
House extensions across Ealing
- Acton W3
- Hanwell W7
- West Ealing W13
- South Ealing W5
- Ealing Broadway W5
- Northfields W5
- Greenford UB6
- Perivale UB6
- Northolt UB5
- Southall UB1 and UB2
- Hanger Hill W5
FAQ
House extensions in Ealing: common questions
How much does a house extension cost in Ealing?
A mid-specification single-storey extension in Ealing typically costs £2,200 to £3,200 per m², so a 20m² kitchen extension is roughly £44,000 to £64,000 for the build. London-wide, single-storey rear extensions run £45,000 to £150,000 and wrap-arounds £90,000 to £250,000. Kitchens, fees and VAT are extra.
Do I need planning permission for a rear extension in Ealing?
Not usually for a single-storey rear extension up to 3m deep on a terrace or semi, or 4m on a detached house, even in most conservation areas. Going to 6m or 8m needs prior approval from Ealing Council (£249), which is not available in conservation areas. Article 4 areas, flats and wrap-arounds need a £548 planning application.
How far can I extend at the back without planning permission?
Under permitted development, 3m beyond the original rear wall on a terraced or semi-detached house and 4m on a detached house, single storey and no higher than 4m. The larger home extension scheme allows 6m and 8m if Ealing grants prior approval after a 21-day neighbour consultation, decided within 42 days.
Can I build a wrap-around extension on my semi in Greenford or Perivale?
Only with planning permission, because a wrap-around joins rear and side extensions and falls outside permitted development. Outside conservation areas Ealing judges it on design and the effect on neighbours. Inside a conservation area, its SPD 4 guidance says wrap-around extensions will usually be refused.
How much does Ealing Building Control charge for an extension?
Ealing’s 2026 schedule charges £1,208 for an extension under 40m² and £1,410 for 40m² to 60m², including VAT, with £201 for each further 40m². Steel beams for an open-plan knock-through add £403 when done with the extension. Full plans applications pay 40% on submission and 60% on starting.
Do I need a Thames Water build-over agreement for my extension?
You do if the extension or its foundations sit over a public sewer or within 3m of one, which is common behind Ealing terraces where drains are shared. Thames Water may allow it for an extension to an existing house. A CCTV drain survey early on shows where the pipes run.
How long does a house extension take in Ealing?
On site, a single-storey rear extension takes 10 to 14 weeks and a side return 10 to 16 weeks. Before that, allow about 8 weeks for a planning decision or Lawful Development Certificate, or 42 days for prior approval, plus one to two months of Party Wall notice running alongside.
Get a free extension quote in Ealing
Tell us your postcode and the extension you have in mind. We check your allowance, conservation status and drains, then send a written, itemised quote within 2 hours of the visit.
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