Frequently asked questions

We’re based at 30 Charlton Road, Andover, and work across South Oxfordshire, Test Valley, Berkshire and Surrey. Our work covers extensions, new builds, shop fit-outs and garden rooms.

If your project is just outside these areas, it’s still worth getting in touch to ask.

Call us on 07846 796056 or email info@watsonanddalton.com. If you’re planning a garden room, you can also use our enquiry form.

It helps to tell us where the project is, what you have in mind and any budget or timescale you’re working to. Photos, sketches or drawings are useful too, if you have them. We’ll then get back to you to talk it through.

No, we don’t. Our work covers garden rooms, extensions, new builds and shop fit-outs.

Yes, and so is your quote. Call us on 07846 796056 or email info@watsonanddalton.com to arrange one.

Yes, both come as standard. Our dedicated electrical team does all the electrics, signed off and connected to your house’s main board, and we fit smart electric heaters sized to suit the space.

Yes. Seeing the site lets us understand the access, ground levels, any existing buildings and services such as drainage and power, and talk through the options with you in person.

We then prepare a clear, detailed, tailored proposal for the work we’ve discussed.

Not always. In England, many house extensions can be built under permitted development rights, which allow certain work without a full planning application, as long as the extension stays within limits on its size, height and position. Some larger rear extensions also need the council’s prior approval before work starts.

The rules are different, and usually stricter, for listed buildings, homes in conservation areas and properties on designated land such as National Parks and National Landscapes (formerly Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty). Flats and maisonettes don’t have the same permitted development rights, and some homes have had those rights removed by the council.

Because the detail depends on your property, check with your local council before you start. If you’re relying on permitted development, you can apply for a Lawful Development Certificate for written confirmation that the work is lawful.

Often not. Outbuildings such as garden gyms, bars and games rooms can often be built under permitted development, provided they stay within limits on size, height and position (for example, how close they are to a boundary, and not sitting in front of the house) and are used for purposes incidental to enjoying the house.

Using an outbuilding as a bedroom, a self-contained annexe or a separate home is a different matter and normally needs planning permission. Listed buildings, conservation areas and designated land have their own, stricter rules.

Your local council’s planning team can confirm what applies to your property, and a Lawful Development Certificate gives you written confirmation if you want certainty. We’ll guide you through planning and building regulations, and wherever possible we can take care of the whole process for you.

Building regulations are separate from planning. Planning is about whether a building is allowed and how it looks; building regulations cover how it’s built, including structure, fire safety, insulation, drainage, ventilation and electrics.

Most extensions and new builds need building regulations approval. Some smaller detached outbuildings are exempt, depending on their size, what they’re built from, how close they are to a boundary and whether anyone sleeps in them. Electrical work has to meet the regulations either way.

If you’re building on or near a boundary you share with a neighbour, the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 may also apply. Your council’s building control team, or a registered building control approver, can advise on your project.

Yes. We’ll guide you through planning and building regulations right from the start, and wherever possible we can take care of the whole process for you.

It depends on the project. The main things that affect the price are the size and design, the materials and finishes you choose, ground conditions and foundations, access to the site, and services such as power, water and drainage.

A garden gym and a two-storey extension are very different jobs, so the most reliable figure is a quotation for your project. If you have a budget in mind, tell us early: it helps us suggest options that fit.

Your quotation sets out what’s included and anything that isn’t, such as council fees for planning or building control, or items you’re supplying yourself, so you know exactly what you’re comparing. If you change the design or specification once work has started, we’ll agree any change to the price with you before that work goes ahead.

Before work starts, we agree a clear payment schedule with you, linked to stages of the build, so you always know what’s due and when.

We confirm the design, specification and any permissions, then agree a start date with you. Before work begins, we talk through access, where materials and skips will go, and what to expect at each stage.

During the build we manage the work on site and keep you updated as it progresses. At the end, we walk you through the finished space before handover.

Every project is different, so there isn’t a standard answer. The timescale depends on the size and complexity of the build, whether planning permission or other approvals are needed first, lead times for materials such as glazing, and the weather during groundworks.

We’ll talk you through the expected timescale for your project before you commit, and keep you updated if anything changes.

Any building project brings some noise, deliveries and trades coming and going, but good planning keeps it to a minimum. Before we start, we agree working hours, access, parking and where materials are stored, and we keep the site safe and tidy as we go.

With an extension, much of the work can usually be done from outside before we open up into the house. With a garden building, most of the work happens away from the house altogether.

We manage the whole build and coordinate every trade, from groundworks and structure through to electrics, plumbing and finishes, so you have one point of contact throughout.

Specialist work, such as electrical installation, is carried out by suitably qualified tradespeople.

Whatever you’d like a dedicated space for at home. We’ve built garden offices, garden bars and a Pilates studio, and we’d love to build our first cinema room, golf simulator room or pool house. Whatever it’s for, we plan each one around how you’ll use it: the equipment, the seating, the screen or the bar.

If you’d like the building to be used as a bedroom or as separate living accommodation, tell us at the start, as different planning and building regulations rules apply.

Yes. Heating and electrics come as standard in every garden room we build. We plan power, lighting and any extras, such as an internet connection or water, at the design stage, so cabling, pipework and equipment positions, such as a simulator screen, a projector or a bar fridge, are built in rather than added later.

Our dedicated electrical team handles all the electrics, fully signed off and connected to the main board in the house, so the space is ready to use the day we finish.

We fit smart electric heaters, sized to suit the space. We also handle the plumbing and fit bars, toilets and bathroom areas, including all mains connections.

All electrical work has to comply with the building regulations.

Yes. Our garden rooms are built using the same timber-frame methods as a new home, made for use all year round. There’s PIR insulation in the floor and Actis Hybrid in the walls and ceiling, with Korniche glazing and smart electric heaters sized to suit the space.

Before handover, we walk through the finished work with you and deal with any snagging points.

You’ll also receive the paperwork for your project. Depending on the work, this can include a building control completion certificate, electrical installation certificates and guidance for any products we’ve installed.

Get in touch on 07846 796056 or at info@watsonanddalton.com and we’ll arrange to take a look.

Some settling in is normal in any new building. Fresh plaster, for example, can show fine hairline cracks as it dries out.