Mike is based in Deeside — fifteen minutes from the city — and has drawn extensions across Chester and the border villages for 25 years. Cheshire West applications handled end to end.
⚡ Get an instant estimate 📋 Book a £60 site visitChester work runs through Cheshire West and Chester Council — English rules, not Welsh ones — so the householder fee is £548 and the Permitted Development limits differ from over the border. Mike works both sides of the border every week, from Handbridge and Hoole to Saltney, Broughton and the villages, and knows what Cheshire West’s validation team expects to see. Conservation areas across the city need particular care with materials and design — exactly the judgement 25 years buys.
Mike surveys your home himself — no juniors, no outsourcing. The £60 visit fee comes off your fee when you go ahead.
Scaled drawings of your home as it is and as it will be — the documents your planning application stands on.
Prepared, submitted and handled for you — or confirmation you don't need one under Permitted Development, which saves you the council fee entirely.
The technical pack — structure, insulation, fire safety, drainage — that building control approves and your builder prices from.
Mike works to a fixed written fee, agreed before any work begins. Council fees are separate and paid directly — never through Mike.
| Item | Typical cost | Paid to |
|---|---|---|
| Mike’s fee — single storey extension | £750 – £1,400 | Mike (fixed, written) |
| Mike’s fee — two storey extension | £950 – £1,800 | Mike (fixed, written) |
| Planning application (if required) | £585 Wales / £548 Cheshire | Your council |
| Planning Portal service charge | £91 | Planning Portal |
| Building control (approx.) | £600 – £1,000 | Council / inspector |
Or just use it right here ↓
Mike's fee plus the council fees for planning and building control — the full professional stage, before a builder is involved. No forms, no email, no obligation.
Mike's fee covers the complete professional package:
Why the range? Every home is different. The lower end covers a straightforward project — a simple survey, standard drawings, no planning application needed. The higher end covers larger or more complex work — a full planning application, more detailed drawings, or structural design to coordinate.
Before any work begins, Mike gives you a detailed written fee proposal — so you know exactly what you're paying and what it covers. The number you agree is the number you pay.
The visit. Mike comes to your home, assesses your space and your plans, tells you whether you need planning permission, and gives you honest advice on what's possible and what it's likely to cost. The visit fee is £60.
Commission the work and it's free. If you go ahead, the full £60 is deducted from your agreed fee — so the visit effectively costs you nothing.
Work beyond the agreed scope. Anything over and above the written fee proposal — amendments after approval, planning appeals, project management — is charged separately at £60 per hour, always agreed with you first.
What it is. The fee your council charges to process a householder planning application — their planners assess your proposed extension against local and national planning policy before granting permission.
Why it's needed. Larger extensions, or ones outside the Permitted Development rules, legally need planning permission before work starts. Many smaller extensions don't need it at all — Mike will tell you which side you're on at your site visit.
How you pay. Paid directly to your council when the application is submitted — it never passes through Mike. The fee is set nationally: £585 in Wales (Flintshire, Denbighshire and Wrexham) and £548 in Cheshire West & Chester. Mike prepares, submits and handles the whole application as part of his fee. Applications go in online via the Planning Portal, which adds a £91 service charge on top of the council fee.
What it is. The Planning Portal is the official national website where planning applications are submitted online to councils across England and Wales — it's how applications reach your council's planning department.
Why the charge. The Portal charges a flat £91 service fee for processing each application and passing it (and your council fee) on to the council. It applies across the board, whichever council you're in.
How you pay. Paid online at the point of submission, together with the council's planning fee. Mike prepares and submits the application through the Portal on your behalf — this charge just doesn't apply at all if your project is Permitted Development, because there's no application to submit.
What it is. Completely separate from planning — building control checks that the construction itself meets the Building Regulations: structure, insulation, fire safety, drainage. An inspector approves the technical drawings and visits the build at key stages.
Why it's needed. It's a legal requirement for extensions and conversions, even when no planning permission is needed. At the end you receive a completion certificate — which you'll need when you come to sell the house.
How you pay. Paid directly to the council's building control team or a private approved inspector — typically a plan charge when the drawings go in and an inspection charge when work starts. Charges vary by council and project size, which is why this line is approximate: Mike obtains an exact quote for you once the design is finalised. Not part of Mike's fee.
Guide figures only. The £60 site visit is not added to the total — it comes off Mike's fee when you commission the work. Council fees correct at July 2026; building control charges vary by council and project — full details in the FAQs. Mike confirms everything in a written fee proposal before any work begins — and he'll tell you at your site visit whether your project qualifies as Permitted Development.
Both, genuinely — Deeside to Chester is a fifteen-minute drive, and a good share of Mike’s 25 years of work sits in Chester and its villages: Saltney, Broughton, Handbridge, Hoole, Upton, Vicars Cross and out to the rural fringe.
Yes — England and Wales have different Permitted Development rules and different fees (£548 in Cheshire West vs £585 in Wales). The estimator on this page is already set to Cheshire West so your numbers are right first time.
Usually yes, with the right design — conservation status restricts Permitted Development and raises the bar on materials and detailing, it doesn’t ban extensions. Mike will tell you honestly at the site visit what the conservation officer is likely to accept.
Three taps on the estimator gives you a realistic figure. When you're ready, the £60 site visit comes off your fee if you go ahead.
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