Builders in Hastings

Hastings building services

Hastings has some of the most characterful houses in East Sussex, from the timber-framed and Georgian buildings of the Old Town to the Victorian terraces and villas of St Leonards. The town is built on steep hills, and many streets are narrow, so access, parking for skips and deliveries, and the slope of the site can all shape how a job is planned. It pays to ask each builder early on how they would get materials in and spoil out.

Renovating period houses in the Old Town and St Leonards usually means working with older construction and choosing materials that suit it, and parts of both areas are conservation areas. Check with Hastings Borough Council about what applies to your property before you finalise a design. Away from the historic centre, the housing in Hollington and Ore is more typical twentieth century stock, where rear extensions, loft conversions and garage conversions are the most common ways of adding family space.

Whatever you have in mind, you fill in one short form or call 01273 115520, and up to 3 checked local builders will be in touch to arrange a visit and a quote. Seeing three builders on site is especially useful on sloping or awkward plots, because each may suggest a different way of tackling the groundworks. The service is free and there is no obligation.

What building work costs in Hastings

No published cost guide gives prices for Hastings itself, so these are national figures from named sources. The FMB puts the average single storey extension at £1,800 to £3,000 per square metre and says London and the South East cost 30 to 50% more per square metre than the national average. On its house renovation page, the FMB gives around £50,000 for a dormer loft conversion, £60,000 for a hip-to-gable conversion and £13,000 for a garage conversion, and says the average homeowner has spent around £52,000 on renovation over the past five years.

Sloping and tight sites can add to the bill. Less.co.uk says difficult ground adds £2,000 to £8,000 to an extension and restricted access adds 5 to 10%, which is relevant on many Hastings streets. Every house is different, so treat these as a starting point and compare detailed quotes. Our extension cost per m² guide and house renovation cost guide set out more figures.

Planning and building control in Hastings

Permitted development rights let many houses add a single storey rear extension or a loft conversion without a full planning application, but they do not apply to flats or maisonettes, and they are more limited in conservation areas and on listed buildings. Where a householder planning application is needed, GOV.UK sets the fee in England at £548 from 1 April 2026. Permission is never guaranteed, so speak to the council before committing to a design.

Building control charges vary by council, and homes in Battle and Bexhill fall under a different council from Hastings. Check your own council's building control page, or ask a private registered building control approver, who sets their own fee. Our extension planning permission guide covers the main limits.