House extensions in Balsall Common, with the Green Belt rules understood before you draw anything
Balsall Common sits in the Meriden Gap, the belt of open countryside between Coventry and Solihull, and almost the whole village lies within the Green Belt. That single fact changes how an extension is assessed and catches a lot of homeowners out. Parker Grears builds extensions across the village, Berkswell and Balsall Street with that understood from the first conversation.
- FMB Approved
- 5 year workmanship guarantee
- Rated 5.0 on Google
Open plan living and kitchen extension by Parker Grears
- FMB Approved
- £5m public liability insurance
- 5 year guarantee, optional 10 year insurance backed
- Free, no obligation consultation
What suits Balsall Common housing
The village is predominantly post war, with substantial 1960s to 1980s estate development and a good deal of newer housing, plus older property around Balsall Street and Berkswell.
1960s to 1980s detached and link detached housing
The mainstay here. Generous plots and attached or integral garages make both rear extensions and garage conversions efficient. A garage conversion adds no volume at all, which makes it particularly useful under Green Belt policy.
Single storey rear extensions
Creating an open plan kitchen diner is usually the best balance of space gained against volume added, which is the trade off that matters in the Green Belt.
Older property around Berkswell and Balsall Street
Solid walls, shallow foundations and the Berkswell conservation area. Rear extensions detailed to match are the usual answer, priced with the structural unknowns in mind.
Planning permission for an extension in Balsall Common
Your planning authority is Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council. In the Green Belt an extension is not judged simply on whether it looks acceptable: it is tested against whether it amounts to a disproportionate addition over and above the size of the original dwelling.
Two points are routinely misunderstood. “Original dwelling” does not mean the house as you bought it; it means the property as first built, or as it stood on 1 July 1948 if older, and every previous extension counts against your allowance, including ones built by earlier owners decades ago. And the test is about volume, not just footprint, so a modest looking two storey addition can fail where a larger single storey one would pass.
Green Belt designation does not by itself remove permitted development rights. Those are reduced or removed by an Article 4 direction, by listing, or inside the Berkswell conservation area, so the answer depends on your specific address. Establishing the original dwelling baseline before any design work is worth doing: it sets the budget and the brief.
Outside any designated area the standard permitted development allowances apply in England: a single storey rear extension of up to 4 metres on a detached house or 3 metres on a semi detached or terraced house, extendable to 8 metres and 6 metres under the larger home extension prior approval route, subject to height, eaves and boundary limits. Building regulations approval is always needed, and on a semi or terrace the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 usually applies, with two months’ notice for party wall works and one month for excavation within three metres of a neighbour’s structure. We check the constraints on your address before any design work starts.
What a house extension costs in Balsall Common in 2026
We quote every town on the same 2026 rates. Cost is driven by size, ground conditions, structural work in the existing house, glazing and finish level, not by postcode. Expectations here tend toward a higher specification, which affects finish cost more than structure, and we show it as its own lines.
Single storey extension
A 15 to 25 m² rear or side extension, including VAT. Most kitchen diners sit here.
Find out more →Larger single storey or wraparound
25 to 40 m² of new ground floor space, often with bifolds, roof lanterns and a knock through into the existing house.
Find out more →Double storey extension
Two floors, 40 to 60 m² in total, typically a kitchen diner below and a bedroom with en suite above.
Find out more →Figures include VAT and cover the building work finished to a good standard. Kitchens, bathrooms, bespoke glazing and landscaping are priced separately as provisional sums so you can see them. They are a realistic planning range, not a quote: your number comes from your own drawings and an itemised breakdown. See our project investment guide for the full picture.
Featured project
Open plan kitchen extension with a vaulted ceiling
A single storey kitchen extension in Nailstone: vaulted ceiling with roof lights, bifold doors to the garden and an island at the centre of the new room, with the kitchen, dining and living space planned as one.
How a project runs with us
Nobody signs anything until the price is real. Every stage is a small step, so you are never asked for a big commitment on a vague number.
Free consultation and budget
We visit, look at the property and talk through what you want. You get a written budget range built from your ideas or early drawings, at no charge.
Design and approvals
If you need drawings we introduce architects we trust, then handle planning, building regulations and the structural engineer with them.
Independent QS takeoff
Before the price is fixed we recommend an independent quantity surveyor measures the final drawings line by line. It costs £240 plus VAT, refunded in full if you appoint us, and you keep the document either way.
Fixed quotation and contract
The agreed takeoff becomes the project budget. You get a fixed quotation built from it, a written contract and stage payments tied to progress, never paid ahead of the work.
The build
One point of contact, a schedule at the start of every week, both directors’ numbers, and any change agreed in writing before it happens. Sites are kept clean for you and your neighbours.
Handover and guarantee
Building control sign off, certificates and a 5 year workmanship guarantee as standard, with an optional 10 year insurance backed guarantee available.
What homeowners say
Every review below is a real, named Google review. Rated 5.0 on Google. Read them all on Google.
“Had Parker Grears to convert our garage into bedroom bathroom and utility, we can highly recommend this company for their punctuality and quality of workmanship was excellent. Any problems that arose were quickly resolved. We are pleased with the finished project.”
“Sean and Paul took control of every minor detail so that we could sit back and relax. Even with the roof being lifted off the house, minimal disruption occurred. Further structural work was uncovered during the build and dealt with accordingly without impacting the final budget.”
“At the start of each week we were given a schedule and that’s what happened, no false promises made. Their attention to detail, costs, and timing was just right, it felt like they were doing the work on their own properties they took so much care.”
Common questions about extending in Balsall Common
Can I extend a house in the Green Belt at Balsall Common?
Usually yes. The extension must not be a disproportionate addition over and above the size of the original dwelling, measured on volume as well as footprint, with previous extensions counting against your allowance. Solihull MBC assesses each case on its facts, and well judged, proportionate schemes are routinely approved.
Does Green Belt mean I cannot use permitted development?
No. Green Belt designation does not by itself remove permitted development rights. They are reduced or removed by an Article 4 direction, by listing, or inside a conservation area such as Berkswell, so the answer depends on your specific address.
Will a garage conversion be easier to get through than an extension?
Often, yes. Converting an integral or attached garage adds no volume to the building, so the Green Belt disproportionate additions test does not bite in the same way, and it is frequently permitted development. Building regulations approval is always required.
How much does an extension cost in Balsall Common?
Most 15 to 25 m² single storey extensions come out between £50,000 and £80,000 including VAT, larger single storey or wraparound extensions between £80,000 and £130,000, double storey extensions between £110,000 and £175,000, and garage conversions from £14,000 to £55,000.
How long does an extension take?
Roughly 10 to 14 weeks on site for a single storey rear extension, 16 to 22 weeks for a double storey extension and 4 to 6 weeks for a standard garage conversion. Planning determination, where needed, is separate and normally takes around eight weeks from validation. You get a written programme with the quotation and a schedule at the start of every week.
What guarantee do you give?
A 5 year company workmanship guarantee as standard, with an optional 10 year insurance backed guarantee available. Every extension is signed off by building control and you receive the completion certificate.
Areas we cover around Balsall Common
Balsall Common, Berkswell, Balsall Street, Temple Balsall, Meriden, Hampton in Arden, Kenilworth, Solihull and Coventry, alongside our core Nuneaton and North Warwickshire area.
What else we build in Balsall Common
Parker Grears is the principal contractor on every job: our own people alongside established specialist trades, with one point of responsibility for the site, the programme and the finish.
Book a free consultation for your Balsall Common extension
We will come out, look at the property, talk through what is realistic and give you a written budget range at no charge. Call, WhatsApp or send the form and Sean or Paul will come back to you within one working day.
024 7518 5349- Message us on WhatsApp
- info@parkergrears.com
- 47 Northumberland Avenue, Nuneaton CV10 8ER
- Monday to Saturday, 9am to 5pm
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