Extensions Designed for Norwich Homes
A well-built extension should look and feel like part of the house, not something added to the back of it. We design and build home extensions across Norwich and the surrounding Norfolk area, from single-storey rear and kitchen extensions to open-plan family rooms and conservatory replacements.
What sets an extension apart from a conservatory or orangery is the amount of real building work involved: foundations, brickwork or render, a solid roof, structural openings into the existing house and the internal finishing that turns a shell into a room. Amber manages all of it. One team coordinates the project from design and survey through foundations, structural work, glazing, specialist trades, Building Control, internal completion and handover.
Each extension is planned around the brickwork, rooflines, layout and plot of your home. You can see living-space displays, roof options and door styles at our showroom in Hellesdon.
How Do You Want to Use the Space?
Most extensions start with a question about how the house works day to day. We plan the layout, door positions, roof, heating and lighting around the answer.
Kitchen Extension
Room for a larger kitchen, an island or a family table, with daylight from rooflights or a lantern above.
Open-Plan Kitchen and Dining
Opening up the back of the house into one connected room that leads out to the garden.
Family Room
A lived-in room the whole household can use, with wide doors onto the patio.
Home Office and Extra Living Space
A quiet, separate room for working from home, a snug or a playroom.
Rear, Side or Open-Plan?
- Rear extensions: the most common choice. A single-storey rear extension can widen the kitchen or living area and open the house to the garden, often with bi-fold or sliding doors across the back.
- Side extensions, where suitable: where the plot allows, a side extension can add a utility, a home office or a wider kitchen. Boundaries, access and neighbouring properties all affect what is possible, so we look at this on survey.
- Open-plan extensions: removing some or all of the existing rear wall to join the new and old rooms. This usually involves a structural opening with steelwork and can affect the Building Regulations route.
- Replacing a conservatory: Many homeowners come to us because an older conservatory is difficult to use comfortably throughout the year. We can remove it and build a more substantial extension in its place, often requiring new foundations.
Recent Extension Projects in Norfolk & East Anglia
Real Amber extension projects, from a brick conservatory replacement with structural steel to a kitchen extension on a listed home.
St Olaves
NR31
Brick rear extension
A polycarbonate-roof conservatory replaced with a matching red-brick extension, a steel beam across the wide opening, anthracite sliding doors and two rooflights.
Loddon
Norfolk
Kitchen extension on a listed home
An old timber conservatory on a Grade II listed home became a bright kitchen extension with a solid insulated roof and rooflights.
Woodbridge
IP13
Brick rear extension with tiled roof
A matching red-brick extension on a raft foundation, with a solid tiled hipped roof, a roof light and French doors in a brick loggia.
See more completed work in our case studies and living spaces gallery.
Why Choose Amber for Your Extension?
Amber is an independent home improvement company based in Norwich, trading since 1996, with a showroom you can visit before you decide.
One Team From Design to Handover
We coordinate the survey, design, foundations, building work, structural openings, roof, glazing, specialist trades and the relevant planning and Building Regulations route, giving you one team responsible for the project from start to finish.
Experienced Building Teams
Amber’s employed building team includes tradespeople with more than 20 years’ experience each, with long-standing experience working with Amber. Our Building Manager also has more than 20 years’ experience building for Amber. From foundations and brickwork to structural openings and internal finishing, the quality of the build is just as important as the windows, doors and roof fitted above it.
Norwich Showroom
Walk into living-space displays and compare roofs, doors and finishes at our 5,000 sq ft showroom in Hellesdon, open 7 days a week.
Serving East Anglia Since 1996
Amber has been trading for 30 years, designing and installing home improvements across Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire.
20-Year Product Guarantee
Eligible products supplied as part of your extension are covered by Amber’s 20-Year Product Guarantee. See our living spaces guarantee for full details.
GGF Member & Aftercare
We are a member of the Glass and Glazing Federation, and our aftercare team is here to help after your extension is finished.
Planning Permission & Building Regulations
Whether an extension needs planning permission or Building Regulations approval depends on the design, size, position, how it connects to the house and the status of the property. Some projects may fall within permitted development, while others require planning permission and/or Building Regulations approval.
Listed buildings and homes in conservation areas may need additional consent. Opening up the house, such as removing external doors or walls between the extension and the existing rooms, and larger structural alterations can also affect the Building Regulations route.
Amber will establish the appropriate route for the individual project at design stage.
For more detail, read our planning permission guide.
Independent Building Control Checks
Where Building Regulations approval is required, the project is inspected by the appointed Building Control body at the relevant stages of construction. These independent checks help confirm that important elements of the work meet the approved design and applicable requirements. Once the required inspections and work are satisfactorily completed, the appropriate completion certification can be issued.
For the homeowner, this provides valuable independent oversight of work that may later be hidden, such as foundations, structural alterations and other key construction details, rather than relying solely on the installer’s own assurance.
Built Properly, From the Ground Up
The parts of an extension that matter most are the parts you will not see once it is finished. That is where we focus.
- Foundations: designed for the ground conditions on your site. In Woodbridge, a raft foundation was specified after our building surveyor assessed the soil.
- Brickwork and walls: facing brick matched to the house, or a rendered finish, with an inner blockwork leaf.
- Structural openings and steelwork, where required: wide openings are carried on steel beams designed for the span. In St Olaves, a steel beam was lifted in to take a full run of sliding doors.
- Roof structure: an insulated flat or pitched roof, built to suit the design and the house.
- Specialist trades coordinated: electrics, plastering and heating, where included in your specification, are coordinated as part of the same project.
- Documentation at completion: relevant certification and project documentation are provided at handover where applicable.
Windows, Doors, Rooflights & Finishes
Your extension can be matched to the house or designed to contrast with it. You can compare finishes, frames and doors side by side at our showroom.
- External finish: brick to match the existing house, or a rendered finish
- Windows: windows in aluminium or uPVC framing, where appropriate for the design
- Doors: bi-fold, patio and sliding or French doors onto the garden; see all doors
- Roof: flat or pitched roof options, where appropriate
- Daylight: rooflights or roof lanterns, where suitable
- Internal finish: plastering, electrics and heating, where included in your specification
Thinking about a lighter, more glazed room? Compare orangeries in Norwich, conservatories in Norwich and all our living spaces.
How Much Does a Home Extension Cost in Norwich?
Brick rear extension, St Olaves NR31
£68,020 inc VAT
Conservatory replaced with a brick rear extension, including steelwork across the wide rear opening, a solid tiled roof with two rooflights, anthracite aluminium triple-track sliding doors, plastering and electrics. Building Regulations approval was required. See the St Olaves project.
Brick rear extension, Woodbridge IP13
£46,500 inc VAT
Brick rear extension on a raft foundation, with a solid tiled hipped roof and roof light, a brick loggia with white French doors and sidelights, and two white uPVC windows. Plastering and electrics were also included. Building Regulations approval was required. See the Woodbridge project.
Each price reflects that project’s size and complexity. Every extension is individually priced after a home visit and survey.
From Design to Finished Extension
1. Discuss Your Ideas
Visit our Norwich showroom or talk to our team about how you want to use the space, the look you like and your budget.
2. Home Visit & Quotation
We visit your home to look at the space, talk through designs and options, and prepare a clear written quotation.
3. Survey & Design
Once you go ahead, we carry out a detailed survey and finalise the design, structure, roof, glazing and doors.
4. Planning & Building Regulations
Where required, we establish the planning and Building Regulations route before work starts and coordinate the required Building Control inspections during the project.
5. Groundworks & Structural Work
Our experienced building team prepares the foundations and brickwork and carries out structural openings and steelwork required by the design, with inspections arranged at the relevant stages where Building Control applies.
6. Roof, Windows & Doors
The roof, rooflights or lantern, windows and doors are installed and the structure is made weathertight.
7. Internal Completion
Internal finishing, including plastering, electrics and heating where included in your specification, is completed and coordinated as part of the project.
8. Handover, Certification, Guarantee & Aftercare
At completion we take you through the finished extension and provide the relevant project documentation and certification where applicable, alongside Amber’s 20-Year Product Guarantee and aftercare support.
Timings depend on the size and design of your extension and any planning steps, and we confirm them for your project. Find out more about what happens next, our installation process and aftercare.
Home Extensions in Norwich: Your Questions Answered
Do I need planning permission for a home extension in Norwich?
It depends on the size, height, position and design of the extension and on the status of the property. Some extensions may fall within permitted development, while others require planning permission. Listed buildings and homes in conservation areas may need additional consent. Amber will establish the appropriate route for the individual project at design stage.
Does a home extension need Building Regulations approval?
Most new habitable extensions are built under Building Regulations, but the route depends on the project, including the size, the structure, how the extension connects to the house and any walls being opened up. Where approval is required, the work is inspected by the appointed Building Control body at the relevant stages, and Amber coordinates the process with you.
Who carries out the building work on an Amber extension?
Our own in-house surveyors, fitters and building teams carry out the survey, groundworks, brickwork, structural work and installation, and we coordinate the relevant specialist trades, such as electrics, plastering and heating where they are included in your specification. One Amber team is responsible for the project from design to handover.
Can you build a kitchen extension or open-plan kitchen and dining room?
Yes. Many of the extensions we build are kitchen or open-plan kitchen and dining spaces. Opening up the back of the house usually needs a structural opening with steelwork, which we plan into the design. Our Loddon project replaced an old conservatory with a kitchen extension on a Grade II listed home.
Can you replace my conservatory with a brick extension?
Yes. We regularly take down existing conservatories and build a solid extension in their place. In St Olaves we replaced a polycarbonate-roof conservatory with a brick rear extension, steelwork across the opening, triple-track sliding doors and two rooflights.
How much does a home extension cost in Norwich?
Every extension is priced to its own specification after a home visit. Size, foundations, structural work, roof design, glazing, doors and internal finish all affect the final cost. Quotations are free and include VAT.
How long does a home extension take to build?
It depends on the size and design, the groundworks and structural work needed, and any planning or Building Regulations steps. We give you an expected timescale with your quotation and confirm it at survey.
What guarantee comes with an Amber extension?
Amber extensions come with our 20-Year Product Guarantee. See our living spaces guarantee page for details.
More questions? See our living spaces FAQs or call us on 01603 672638.
Get a Free Extension Quote
Tell us a little about your project and our team will contact you to arrange the next step. Quotations are free and there is no obligation to proceed.
REQUEST YOUR FREE QUOTE
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See Living Spaces at Our Norwich Showroom
An extension is easier to plan when you can see the options in person.
At our 5,000 sq ft showroom in Hellesdon you can walk into living-space displays, see how roofs are constructed, compare doors, frame colours and glazing, and talk through your plans with an adviser.
Walk-ins are welcome, or you can book an appointment if you would prefer a set time with an adviser.
Amber Home Improvements
Unit 52, Hellesdon Park Road
Hellesdon Park Industrial Estate
Norwich, Norfolk NR6 5DR
Call: 01603 672638
Open 7 days a week
Free parking for up to 8 cars
All on the ground floor, with wheelchair access
Opening times
Monday: 8:30am – 5:00pm
Tuesday: 8:30am – 5:00pm
Wednesday: 8:30am – 5:00pm
Thursday: 8:30am – 5:00pm
Friday: 8:30am – 4:00pm
Saturday: 9:00am – 5:00pm
Sunday: 10:00am – 4:00pm