Extensions in Hillfields
Most extensions are decided long before anyone digs: how deep you can go without a planning application, what is in the ground, and where the daylight will come from once the back wall moves.
- Local to Hillfields
- Fully insured
- Free fixed quotes
Property Maintenance Coventry builds home extensions in Hillfields: single-storey rear, side return, wrap-around and two-storey. Groundworks and foundations, structural steel to engineer calculations, roof, glazing and full fit-out, with Building Control involved throughout. Survey first, then a fixed written quote and a programme.
Working in Hillfields
Hillfields lies 0.6 miles north-east of Coventry city centre, in the CV1 postcode district.
Within walking distance you will find St. Peter's Church and The Quaran School, and we work on properties throughout the streets around them.
The nearest areas we also cover are Bishopsgate Green (0.4 miles) and Ball Hill (0.7 miles), so work in Hillfields sits inside the same run of the city.
- St. Peter's Church
- The Quaran School
- Sidney Stringer Academy
- Cornerstone Methodist Church
- Swanswell Park
- Lal And Sons Cash And Carry
- The kitchen layout has to be settled before first fix, because it sets every socket and waste position.
- Rooflights over the junction are what stop the original back room going dark.
- New brick will not match eighty-year-old brick, so the junction is a design decision.
- A lawful development certificate is the document that answers a buyer's solicitor years later.
- Trees on clay near the build change the foundation depth and sometimes the design.
The work itself, in plain terms
The extension work we take on across Hillfields (CV1), from a single-storey rear to a full two-storey build.
Single storey rear extensions
The most common project we build: a rear extension, sized where possible to stay within permitted development.
Two storey extensions
Adding space on both floors — more efficient per metre, and more involved on approvals and party wall notices.
Side returns & side extensions
Filling the side alley to turn a narrow kitchen into a usable room, with rooflights to keep the middle of the house bright.
Planning & Building Control
Planning and Building Control handled as part of the job, with inspections scheduled rather than chased.
Groundworks & structure
Foundations sized to the actual ground conditions, and structural steel to engineer calculations.
Full fit-out
Complete fit-out including electrics, plumbing, heating, plastering and decoration.
Built around how you own the property
Growing families
The space you need without moving, with a programme you can plan family life around.
Open-plan projects
Rear builds combined with removing the original back wall, which is where the transformation actually comes from.
Investors
Full paperwork at the end, because the certificates are what protect the value.
The jobs that start with a phone call
- 01
A design drawn to the permitted development limit without checking what a previous owner already added.
- 02
Wiring, an outside light and the alarm sensor all cut off with the wall that came down.
- 03
A large tree close to the build on clay soil, which changes the foundation depth and sometimes the design.
- 04
New brickwork that reads as obviously new, because the mortar was never matched to the original.
- 05
A flat roof with inadequate fall, ponding within a year of being finished.
- 06
A kitchen-diner planned with no structural allowance for taking the existing rear wall out.
What we check on a property in Hillfields
Every quote starts with a survey. These are the things we look at on extension work in Hillfields, and why each one changes the recommendation.
Permitted development status
We check the measurements against the limits and ask about conservation area or Article 4 status. Knowing which route the project takes shapes the whole programme.
Light to the existing rooms
Extending across the back of a house can leave the middle dark. We flag it at survey so rooflights or an internal opening can be designed in rather than regretted.
Roof junction with the existing house
How the new roof meets the old is where extensions most often leak. We look at the abutment detail, the flashing and the height relationship at survey.
Existing foundations
Where the new structure ties into the old, we need to know what the existing foundations are. Trial holes are sometimes the only honest way to find out.
Ground conditions and trees
Soil type and nearby trees drive foundation depth more than anything else. We look at what is growing within influencing distance before anyone commits to a groundworks figure.
Scaffold and working space
Where scaffold can stand, and whether it needs to go on a neighbour's land, is both a practical and a legal question. Better settled before a start date is agreed.
Simple, transparent, no pressure
Free inspection & advice
We visit, assess the job properly and explain your options in plain English — no pressure.
Transparent fixed quote
A clear, line-by-line quote with no hidden costs. You decide in your own time.
Expert workmanship
Our qualified, insured team completes the work on time, on budget and to a high standard.
Walkthrough & tidy finish
We clean up fully and don't leave until you're 100% happy.
Trusted across Coventry
Extensions in Hillfields — your questions answered
Still have a question? Our local team is happy to help — no pressure, no jargon.
Speak to us today0786 5778332Do you work on properties near St. Peter's Church?
Yes. St. Peter's Church is one of the landmarks we use to describe where we work in Hillfields, and we take on extension jobs throughout the surrounding streets. Access and parking get checked at survey, so the quote fits the property.
Do you only work in Hillfields, or the surrounding streets too?
Both. Work in Hillfields usually takes us into Bishopsgate Green (about 0.4 miles away), Ball Hill (about 0.7 miles away), Stoke Heath (about 0.8 miles away) and Lower Stoke (about 0.8 miles away) as well, and we quote for all of them on the same terms. There is no boundary line that changes the price.
Do I need planning permission for an extension?
Often not. Many single-storey rear extensions fall under permitted development, which in England allows up to 3m beyond the original rear wall on an attached house and 4m on a detached one, with 6m and 8m possible under the prior approval process. But permitted development does not apply to flats or maisonettes, and it is restricted or removed on listed buildings, in conservation areas and where an Article 4 direction is in force. Confirm your property status before relying on it.
What is the difference between planning permission and Building Regulations?
They are separate and you can need one, both or neither. Planning is about whether you may build it: size, siting, appearance and impact on neighbours. Building Regulations are about whether it is built safely and properly: structure, insulation, fire, ventilation, drainage. An extension under permitted development still needs Building Regulations approval. People regularly assume planning approval covers both, and it does not.
Can you work from our architect's drawings?
Yes, and it is how most of our extension work comes to us. We price from the drawings and structural calculations, flag anything that looks buildable only in theory, and liaise with the designer during the build. Where there are no drawings yet we can advise on what level of detail you need before anyone can give you a price worth comparing.
What about insulation and energy efficiency?
New extensions have to meet current Building Regulations for thermal performance, which is considerably better than most existing housing. The practical consequence is worth knowing: a well-insulated extension attached to a poorly insulated house can make the older rooms feel colder by comparison, and heating systems sized for the original house may need reassessing. Worth thinking about at design stage rather than discovering in the first winter.
What is a lawful development certificate and should I get one?
It is a formal confirmation from the council that your project is permitted development and did not need planning permission. It is optional, but it is cheap relative to the build and it is the document a buyer's solicitor will ask for years later. Without it you are relying on your own reading of the rules to satisfy a future conveyancer, which is an awkward position to be in at the point of sale.
Get your free extensions quote in Hillfields
Tell us what you are hoping to add and roughly where on the house. We will come and look at the plot, the drains and the access, and tell you what is realistic before anyone pays for drawings.
- No obligation, no pressure, no hidden costs
- Qualified, insured Coventry tradespeople
- Fast response — within 24 hours on urgent jobs