FAQs

Your Questions About Extensions, Renovations and New Builds

A large building project is one of the biggest investments you'll make in your home, and most of our clients come to us with the same handful of questions before they commit. Below you'll find honest answers on how we work, what we need from you, what drives the cost, and what to expect once we're on site. If your question isn't covered here, just ask us directly.

We're based in Earley, just outside Reading, and work throughout Berkshire and South Buckinghamshire. That includes Reading, Earley, Wokingham, Wargrave, Hurst, Sonning Common, Twyford and Maidenhead, as well as Marlow, Beaconsfield, Gerrards Cross and Uxbridge. If your project sits slightly outside that area but is the right fit, it's always worth asking. We've travelled further for the right build.
No, and that's deliberate. We're builders, and we're at our best bringing an architect's vision to life with precision. If you haven't appointed an architect yet, we can recommend trusted practices we've worked alongside on similar projects across Berkshire. We also work happily with interior designers and kitchen suppliers you've already chosen.
Earlier than most people think. Once your designs are finalised, your options narrow and any change costs money. Bringing us in while the drawings are still developing means we can advise on buildability, flag specification choices that quietly inflate the budget, and give you a realistic sense of cost before you're committed to a scheme you can't afford to build.
Many single storey rear extensions fall under permitted development, so full planning permission may not be needed. Two storey extensions, side extensions and anything in a conservation area almost always require a formal application. Your architect will advise on this. Building regulations approval is required either way, and we manage the building control process on your behalf from start to finish.
We specialise in large scale work: substantial single and two storey extensions, whole house refurbishments, bespoke new builds, outbuildings and pool houses. Our projects typically run for several months rather than several weeks. We don't take on general maintenance, small repairs or single-room jobs, simply because it isn't where we add value.

There's no single figure that applies to every project, and any builder quoting one before seeing your drawings is guessing. Cost is driven by floor area, structural requirements, specification level, site access and the complexity of the mechanical and electrical work. We've set out how each of those factors affects the number on our house extensions page, and we're happy to give early-stage budget guidance before your designs are finalised.
Approved architectural drawings and any relevant planning permissions. Without them, a quotation is built on assumptions, and assumptions are where budgets come undone. Once we have your drawings we'll arrange a site visit, and from there we can produce a full quotation for your project.
Everything, itemised. Materials, labour, structural works and finishes are priced individually so you can see exactly where your money goes. We don't bundle costs together or hide margin behind round figures. Once you have it, we'll sit down and go through it line by line, discuss alternatives where they make sense, and adjust the specification until scope and budget line up.
Almost certainly not, and we'd be cautious of anyone who is. We aim to deliver premium quality at a genuinely competitive price, which means our quotes are usually somewhere in the middle of the range and rarely at the bottom of it. What we won't do is win the job on a low number and claw it back through variations later. The figure we quote is the figure we've worked out properly.
Payments are staged against agreed milestones in the build programme, so you're paying for work that has been completed rather than work that's been promised. The full schedule is set out and agreed before we start on site, and it won't change without your sign-off.

It depends entirely on scope. A large single storey extension is a different proposition to a two storey extension with a full internal refurbishment behind it. What matters more than the headline figure is that you get a realistic programme before we start, and honest reporting against it once we're underway. We'd rather give you a timeline we can hold to than one that sounds better and slips.
You'll have a named project manager who owns your build from day one, not a shared inbox or a call centre. We set up a dedicated WhatsApp group for real-time updates, progress photos and quick decisions, and you'll get regular reporting against the programme with any changes flagged before they affect the schedule or the budget. You should never have to chase us for an update.
A core team we know and trust. Westview is a genuine family business, and several members of the family work in it alongside long-standing colleagues and specialist trades we've used for years. You won't get a rotating cast of unfamiliar subcontractors, and the people who quoted your job are the people who deliver it.
Yes. We carry full public liability and contractors' all risks insurance covering every project we take on, and we're happy to provide certificates on request before any work begins. All works are carried out to current building regulations and signed off by an approved building control inspector.
We walk through the whole project with you in detail. Anything that needs attention is logged as a snagging item and resolved promptly, and nothing is left half-finished. After handover we stay available for questions and support once you've settled in. Most of our work comes through personal recommendation, and a lot of clients come back to us for their next project, which tells us the aftercare matters.