House extensions in Dover

Choosing the right extension in Dover

Homes across the South East range from Victorian terraces in the older town centres to large detached houses on the edges, so the right extension type varies street by street.

The types we would usually look at first for a home in Dover are single-storey rear extensions, double-storey extensions and orangery extensions, depending on the garden and how the house is laid out.

Areas we cover around Dover

Site visits are available across Dover (CT16, CT17). Neighbouring towns we cover include Folkestone (7 miles), Deal (8 miles), Canterbury (15 miles), Ramsgate (15 miles), Broadstairs (17 miles). Just over the East Sussex border, Hastings is about 37 miles away.

• Folkestone
• Deal
• Canterbury
• Ramsgate
• Broadstairs

Do extensions in Dover need planning permission?

In England a single-storey rear extension can usually go up to 3 m beyond the original rear wall of a semi-detached or terraced house, or 4 m on a detached house, without a planning application, provided it is no more than 4 m high, keeps eaves to 3 m within 2 m of a boundary and, with other buildings, covers no more than half the land around the original house. The larger home extension prior approval scheme raises those depths to 6 m and 8 m, with neighbours notified and a 42-day decision.

In England a two-storey rear extension is permitted development only if it projects no more than 3 m from the original rear wall, sits at least 7 m from the rear boundary, matches the roof pitch and uses obscure, non-opening side windows upstairs. Most two-storey extensions therefore go through a householder planning application, which costs £548 from 1 April 2026 and normally takes about 8 weeks.

In a conservation area, national park, National Landscape, the Broads or a World Heritage Site the permitted development limits are tighter (no side or two-storey extensions without an application). Listed homes need listed building consent, and if permitted development rights have been removed, any extension needs an application.

If the work involves a shared wall, building on the boundary, or digging foundations within 3 m (sometimes 6 m) of a neighbour's building, the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 applies and notice must be served before work starts: two months for work to a party wall, one month for new walls on the boundary and for excavations.

Applications are decided by the local planning authority (your district, borough or unitary council).

Popular extension prices in Dover

Every figure below is a guide for Dover, adjusted for South East England build costs (×1.12) and including VAT. Design and council fees are shown separately on each page.