DOT Guides, advice & useful links.
Everything we’ve written to help you plan a project the right way — honest guides on cost, planning permission, structural work and choosing between your options. No sales pitch, just the information homeowners actually ask us for.
Planning building work raises a lot of questions — how much it costs, whether you need planning permission, which option is right for your home. Rather than keep answering the same questions one at a time, we’ve written them all down.
Below you’ll find our most popular guides, then everything organised by topic. All the figures are current for 2026 and specific to the Midlands, where building costs sit below the national average. If you can’t find what you’re after, just get in touch — we’re always happy to talk a project through.
Start here
The three guides homeowners read most before getting in touch.
Extension Cost Guide (Midlands 2026)
Real 2026 price ranges for every type of extension, what’s included in a quote, and how to budget properly.
Read Guide →Cost · LoftsLoft Conversion Cost Guide (Midlands 2026)
What a Velux, dormer, hip-to-gable or mansard conversion really costs — and the factors that move the price.
Read Guide →ValueHow Much Value Does an Extension or Loft Add?
Extensions, lofts and conversions ranked by the value they typically add to your home in 2026.
Read Guide →Extension guides
Everything you need before planning an extension.
Extension Cost Guide (Midlands 2026)
Real price ranges by extension type, what’s included, and how to budget.
Read Guide →ChoosingSingle-Storey vs Double-Storey
Which adds more value, costs less per m², and suits your property.
Read Guide →PlanningDo I Need Planning Permission?
Permitted Development limits and the application process, explained.
Read Guide →DesignKitchen Extensions
Eight decisions that shape the room: light, drains, steels, extraction and more.
Read Guide →RulesWrap-Around & Side Return
The Permitted Development rules explained in one diagram.
Read Guide →Loft conversion guides
From choosing a type to what it’ll cost and whether you need permission.
Loft Conversion Cost Guide (Midlands 2026)
What each conversion type costs, what’s included, and the cost drivers.
Read Guide →ExplainedTypes of Loft Conversion Explained
Velux, dormer, hip-to-gable and mansard, compared with pros and cons.
Read Guide →PlanningLoft Planning Permission
An interactive checklist plus the full Permitted Development rules.
Read Guide →ExplainedDormer Loft Conversions
Four dormer styles compared, plus the no-planning checklist.
Read Guide →ExplainedHip-to-Gable Loft Conversions
Is your roof hipped? What changes, and the rules on a semi.
Read Guide →Structural guides
Knowing when to worry, when you need an engineer, and what’s involved.
Do I Need a Structural Engineer?
When you legally need one, when you don’t, and typical 2026 costs.
Read Guide →DiagnosisSigns You Have a Structural Problem
Cracks, sagging floors and sticking doors — what’s serious and what isn’t.
Read Guide →ProcessWhat Happens During a Wall Removal?
A step-by-step look at knocking through, from survey to sign-off.
Read Guide →AdviceUnderpinning
How to tell if you actually need it, what causes movement, and who pays.
Read Guide →Deciding what’s right
Weighing up your options and what they’re worth.
Extension vs Loft Conversion
Which one actually suits your property, budget and the space you need — with a full side-by-side comparison.
Read Guide →ValueHow Much Value Does an Extension or Loft Add?
Projects ranked by the value they typically add, based on published industry research.
Read Guide →Local building advice
Councils, conservation areas and local planning rules for the towns we work in.
Uttoxeter
Which council covers which village, the Neighbourhood Plan and the Picknall Brook.
See all areas →Derbyshire DalesDoveridge
Two miles from Uttoxeter, but a Derbyshire council and its own Neighbourhood Plan.
See all areas →Staffordshire MoorlandsCheadle
Conservation area rules on doors and windows, and the old coalfield.
See all areas →Cannock ChaseRugeley
Inside or outside the Cannock Chase National Landscape, and five conservation areas.
See all areas →East StaffordshireBurton upon Trent
The new Trent flood defences and seven conservation areas in town.
See all areas →Derbyshire DalesAshbourne
Where the Peak District National Park planning rules begin.
See all areas →Stafford BoroughStone
Extra local rules in town, and the canal conservation area.
See all areas →All areasEvery area we cover
Plus Derby, Nottingham, Leicester and Stoke-on-Trent.
See all areas →No guides match that search — try another word, or give us a call.
All guides, A–Z
Still got a question?
If our guides haven’t covered it, just ask — we’re glad to help with no obligation.