Double Storey Extension Ideas for Your Essex Home: A Practical Guide

Thinking about a double storey extension but not sure where to start? You’re in good company. Across Basildon and the wider Essex area, more homeowners than ever are choosing to extend rather than move, and it’s not hard to see why. With property prices stubbornly high and stamp duty taking a hefty chunk out of any house purchase, adding two floors of new living space to your existing home often makes far more financial and practical sense than relocating.

A well-designed double storey extension can completely transform how your home works for your family. It can give you the kitchen you’ve always dreamed of, the extra bedrooms a growing household needs, and the kind of layout that genuinely improves day-to-day life. In this guide, we’ll walk you through some of the most popular double storey extension ideas, what to think about before you start, and how to make sure your project runs smoothly from first sketch to final handover.

Why Choose a Double Storey Extension?

Before we get into the ideas themselves, it’s worth understanding why double storey extensions are such a popular choice for Essex homeowners. Compared with a single storey rear or side extension, going up as well as out gives you significantly more usable space for a relatively modest increase in cost. The foundations, roof works, scaffolding and groundworks are largely the same whether you’re building one floor or two, so adding that second storey often delivers excellent value per square metre.

A double storey extension is also one of the most reliable ways to add value to your property. Estate agents across Basildon, Billericay, Wickford and the surrounding villages will tell you that homes with an extra bedroom, an additional bathroom or a generous open-plan kitchen tend to sell faster and command higher prices. If you’re planning to stay put long term, you get to enjoy the benefits yourself. If you do eventually sell, you’re likely to recoup a good portion of your investment.

Idea 1: Open-Plan Kitchen-Diner with Bedroom and Ensuite Above

This is the classic double storey rear extension and remains one of the most popular configurations we see across Essex. On the ground floor, you knock through into a large open-plan kitchen, dining and family space, often with bi-fold or sliding doors opening onto the garden. Above, you gain a generous master bedroom, frequently with a walk-in wardrobe and ensuite bathroom.

The beauty of this layout is that it tackles two of the most common pain points in older Essex homes at once: cramped, dated kitchens and a shortage of decent bedrooms. If you’ve ever struggled to fit family and friends around your dining table at Christmas, or wished you didn’t have to share a bathroom with three other people on a school morning, this is the idea for you.

Idea 2: Side Return Extension Over Two Floors

Many semi-detached and terraced homes in Basildon, Pitsea and Vange have an awkward narrow strip of garden running down the side of the house. A side return double storey extension makes brilliant use of this otherwise wasted space. Downstairs, you can widen a galley kitchen into a proper family room. Upstairs, you can square off a small bedroom or create a brand-new third or fourth bedroom where there simply wasn’t room before.

Side return extensions can be particularly clever in 1930s and 1950s housing stock, which is common across south Essex. These homes often have generous plots but inefficient floor plans, and a side return helps you unlock the full potential of the building footprint you already own.

Idea 3: Rear Extension with Home Office or Studio Above

The shift towards hybrid and remote working has changed what people want from their homes, and a dedicated home office is now near the top of many wish lists. A double storey rear extension that combines a larger kitchen-diner downstairs with a proper office, studio or hobby room upstairs is a fantastic way to future-proof your home.

Unlike a converted spare bedroom, a purpose-built office can be designed around how you actually work. Think built-in storage, proper acoustic insulation, good natural light and a layout that lets you close the door at the end of the day. If you ever need it as a bedroom again, it’s easy enough to repurpose — but in the meantime, you get a workspace that feels genuinely professional.

Idea 4: Front Porch and Bedroom Extension

Not every double storey extension has to go at the back. If your home has a generous front garden and an awkward, draughty entrance, a front-facing double storey extension can completely change the look and feel of your property. A welcoming porch and entrance hall on the ground floor, with an extra bedroom, study or ensuite tucked above, can also add real kerb appeal.

Front extensions tend to be more sensitive in planning terms, especially if you’re close to the highway or in an area with strong character, but they are absolutely achievable with the right design. The result can be a property that looks more substantial, more balanced and far more impressive from the street.

Idea 5: Wrap-Around Extension for Maximum Space

If you’ve got the plot for it, a wrap-around double storey extension — combining a rear and a side extension — gives you the most space and the most layout flexibility. On the ground floor, you could end up with a vast kitchen, dining and living area, a utility room, a downstairs WC and even a snug. Upstairs, you might fit two new bedrooms, a family bathroom and a reconfigured landing.

Wrap-around extensions are particularly popular in larger detached homes in Billericay, Wickford and the villages around Basildon. They’re a bigger investment, but for families who want a forever home and are happy to put their roots down, the transformation can be extraordinary.

Idea 6: Adding Bathrooms and Reconfiguring Upstairs

One thing many homeowners forget is that a double storey extension is not just about adding new rooms — it’s a brilliant opportunity to rethink your existing first-floor layout. With an extra bedroom or two on the new side, you can convert an old bedroom into a family bathroom, a Jack-and-Jill ensuite, or a generous dressing room.

In family homes where the morning bathroom queue causes daily chaos, going from one bathroom to two or three can be transformative. It’s also a feature that buyers consistently rate highly, so you’re investing in both lifestyle and long-term value.

Practical Things to Think About

Before you fall in love with a particular extension idea, there are a few practical considerations to factor in.

Planning permission: Some double storey extensions can fall under permitted development rights, but many will require full planning permission, especially if they’re large, close to a boundary, or visible from the road. Basildon Council, like all local authorities, has its own design guidance, and getting an experienced builder and architect involved early will save you time and headaches.

Party wall agreements: If you live in a semi-detached or terraced property, you’ll almost certainly need to serve party wall notices on your neighbours. This is a legal requirement, not an optional courtesy, and it’s much better to handle it properly from the start.

Foundations and structure: A double storey extension puts significantly more load on its foundations than a single storey one, and existing walls may need to be reinforced. Proper structural surveys and engineer-designed foundations are essential.

Budget and timeline: As a very rough guide, double storey extensions in Essex typically cost somewhere between £2,000 and £3,000 per square metre, depending on specification, finishes and site conditions. A typical project might take four to six months on site, plus design and planning time beforehand. Always build in a contingency of at least 10–15% for unexpected costs.

Disruption: Living through a build is rarely glamorous. Discuss with your builder how access, dust, noise and services will be managed, and whether there are stages of the work where you might want to be elsewhere.

Designing for the Long Term

The best double storey extensions are the ones that don’t feel like extensions at all. They flow naturally from the existing house, use materials that complement the original brickwork and roof, and are laid out around how you actually live. Spend time on the design stage. Visit other extensions if you can, look through plenty of inspiration online, and ask your builder about practical details like ceiling heights, window positions, underfloor heating, storage and lighting. These small decisions are the ones you’ll feel every single day once you move back in.

Ready to Start Your Project?

At Basildon Building, we’ve helped families across Basildon, Billericay, Wickford and the wider Essex area turn their double storey extension ideas into beautifully finished, hard-working spaces. From the very first site visit to the final coat of paint, we manage the whole process — design, planning, building control, structural work, trades and finishes — so you don’t have to.

If any of the ideas in this guide have got you thinking about what your own home could become, we’d love to hear from you. Get in touch with the team at Basildon Building today for a friendly, no-obligation chat and a free initial consultation. We’ll come and see your property, talk through your ideas, and help you understand exactly what’s possible — and what it’s likely to cost.

Your dream home might be closer than you think.