Are you looking to add an oak porch extension to your home? Little or large, the first step is assembling some oak porch quotes to help you budget for your exciting new home addition. As your local experts in all-things-oak, today Oak Porches UK takes a closer look at everything you need to get an accurate quote for your work.
How long is a piece of string?
One of the most annoying facets of getting oak porch quotes is often how much they vary. As a homeowner, you can’t help feel that you are being messed around or not taken seriously when this happens. So let’s start by looking at this irritating aspect of planning for your oak porch extension, and why this often happens.
Obviously, as a service provider, you know that the homeowner asking for oak porch quotes wants to see the lowest number possible. It’s human nature, and there’s nothing wrong with that! However, many bad service providers (and a few good ones who should know better) will ‘tweak’ quotes to look favourable to the client at first glance by leaving off many important aspects of the price. Then, once you’re locked-in to using their services, there will be a host of un-quoted-upon ‘extras’ that creep out the woodwork. That’s why Oak Porches UK aims to operate with scrupulous transparency about what is (and isn’t) included in your quotes, so that you can make an informed decision.
Equally, of course, sometimes you don’t need all the bells and whistles. After all, that’s why we designed our DIY oak porch extension kits, so you could use a labourer of your choice or even do it yourself. So let’s take a look at valid things that can lead to you getting different quotes, so you know how to read your oak porch quote like a pro.
Things that affect your oak porch quotes
What can make one porch type more expensive than another? Let’s take a look.
- Material: Obviously if you’re strictly looking for an oak porch extension, a lot of this variety is taken away. Yet, design-dependent, there can be some variables to consider. This includes the flooring for your porch, if you’re adding sidewalls or a full enclosure (and what materials you want to use for this), and whether you’re including glass windows or skylights in the design.
- Size: The more square meterage, the higher the cost. Your available space can also impact the style of porch you intend to use, as some rooflines and some space constrictions could apply. This could also affect the cost, depending on how each style of porch is engineered and attached. Typical front-of-house porches will be around 3m squared (which does not require planning permission). Many people opt for a roomier 6m squared or even 9m squared if the porch is at the rear of the home, giving them extra living and storage space. This will need planning permission, however.
- Labour: DIY is always cheaper than paying for expert installation, but comes with it’s own perils. Installing an oak porch will need more than one person for some of the installation process, so bear that in mind when deciding.
Optional extras you may wish to consider
Often, when you’re undertaking an oak porch extension, you may be looking to upgrade other aspects of your home’s frontage. Especially if you’re looking to boost curb appeal alongside practicality. Some things don’t make sense to pair with your porch renovation- such as painting or plastering, as the installation can adversely affect the results. On the other hand, some things match well with installing an oak porch extension, like:
- Paving: Upgrading the paving, gravel, or other surface treatment at the front of the home makes sense when you’re fitting an oak porch
- Driveways: Again, depending on the location of your oak porch, performing driveway maintenance or upgrades could be a smart move.
- Front door: Why not show your front door some love? Whether you renovate your existing door, or opt to install a whole new one with your porch design, it’s a great time to get the job done.
- Lights/Security: If you’re thinking about installing porch lights or upgrading existing security features, this is also a good time to do it- especially as no one will realise you’re also upgrading your security alongside your oak porch extension, so you can keep it surreptitious.
- Inside upgrades: You may want to plaster your porch, decorate the inside, add storage, or add electrics. It’s best to handle this as you install the porch rather than retrofitting, which can be done but may be more expensive down the road.
What oak porch quotes can I expect?
So, what can you expect from your oak porch quote? As we mentioned above, the style of your porch, whether you opt for a DIY oak porch kit without installation, and how bespoke your design is, will all impact the cost. However, you can expect to pay around the following, and most legitimate and comprehensive oak porch quotes will come into this range:
- Lean-to/Wall-mounted style porches: Our lean-to style oak porch kits start from £700. Installed, you will be looking at around £3000+, start to finish, depending on size.
- Full Height porches: These come in many styles, which will affect pricing. However, our simplest full height oak porch kit starts at £1150, and installed you can get quotes from the £2500 mark, but realistically expect about £3500+
- ‘Effect’ porches: Here we’re referring to porches with balustrades, half-walls, and other aesthetic design choices. Our cheapest DIY oak porch kit in this category starts at £1650. Fully installed, you will be looking around the £4000+ mark. Bespoke design choices will also start here- remember, when opting for bespoke designs, you get something truly unique and special, but do need to factor in the design time and skill to the quote.
As you can see, installation labour costs do account for a chunk of costs. Remember, however, that you are paying for several people, each of whom are experienced and can get the job done with no learning curve, access to all tools, very little intrusion into your life, and a maximum of speed and quality as well as having a guarantee offered, so there is a little more to consider than just cost.
Keen to get your oak porch extension installed today? Get in touch with the helpful team at Oak Porches UK for expert oak porch quotes, guidance, and much more.
