Builder in Prestwich

Prestwich is largely a nineteen twenties and thirties suburb: bay windowed semis and short detached runs, built with a driveway, a garage or a side path, and a garden with proper depth. After the tight plots of Chorlton and Salford that changes what is sensible. Here a side extension is often better value than a rear one, because the ground is already there and the roof can be tied in without a flat roof junction.

The building itself is usually straightforward: cavity walls, concrete tiled or slated roofs, and foundations that are shallow by modern standards but consistent. The variable is what has already been done. A lot of these houses have had a garage converted, a conservatory added or a porch built at some point, and those are exactly where a new extension has to tie in.

Almost nobody puts a car in a nineteen thirties garage any more. They are too narrow for a modern car and too useful as floor space. Converting one properly is one of the cheapest ways to get a room, as long as the floor is brought up, the walls are insulated and the front is closed in properly rather than boarded.

The ones that go wrong are the ones done quickly. A converted garage with a cold floor, a damp outside wall and a flat roof nobody insulated is a room people stop using, and putting it right costs more than doing it once.