Builders in Paignton — extensions, conversions and renovations
ADB SW is an owner-led building company working across Paignton and Torbay — extensions, loft and garage conversions, renovations, kitchens, carpentry, roofing and structural alterations. Every job is surveyed properly and quoted in writing.
Mon–Fri 08:00–17:00 · Paignton, Torbay & South Devon
Quick Paignton enquiry
Tell us the basics and Anthony will come back to you.
Working from our Paignton base
Paignton is where we are based, so it is the town we know best. Much of it is comparatively flat with generous rear gardens, which usually makes rear-of-plot access and on-site storage straightforward — but the older central streets are a different job to plan.
What we build in Paignton
Every service below is run by Anthony with our own team and the local trades we have worked with for years. Each links through to the full service page.
Single and double storey rear, side and wrap-around extensions, including open-plan kitchen-diners with steels, lanterns and bi-folds.
View serviceBedrooms, en-suites and home offices in the roof space — dormers, rooflights, staircases and building-control sign-off.
View serviceTurning unused garages and awkward internal spaces into usable rooms, with insulation and floor levels done properly.
View serviceWhole-home refurbishments, replastering, rewiring coordination, kitchen and bathroom installation and decoration.
View serviceFirst and second fix carpentry, structural alterations, repairs and the general building works that hold a project together.
View serviceControlled strip-outs and structural demolition ahead of a rebuild, with waste handled and the site left safe.
View serviceGuide prices for South Devon projects
These are indicative guide ranges for the South Devon market, given so you can sanity-check a budget before anyone visits. They are not a quote: ground conditions, access, structural work and specification all move the number, and we price only after a survey.
A typical 20–25m² kitchen-diner extension in the South Devon market usually lands in the £45,000 – £75,000 range once fit-out is included.
Rooflight conversions sit at the lower end; a dormer with an en-suite and a new staircase sits at the upper end.
Depends on whether the floor has to be raised and insulated, and how much new heating, wiring and glazing is needed.
Paignton housing stock, and what it means
Paignton runs from inter-war semis and post-war bungalows through seafront terraces to 1970s and 1980s estate housing. Age and construction drive almost everything on a quote: foundation depth, how cavity or solid walls behave when you open them up, whether a bungalow roof will take a conversion, and how much insulation upgrading a garage floor really needs.
Bungalows and wide-plot semis are why loft and garage conversions are so common here — the space already exists. Seafront and exposed properties need more thought about render, weathering and fixings than an inland equivalent.
Torbay Council planning and building control
- Torbay Council is the planning authority and building-control body for Paignton, Preston, Goodrington and the rest of the bay.
- Plenty of single-storey extensions, loft conversions and garage conversions fall under permitted development — but rights can be removed on some estates and flats never had them.
- Structural work needs building-control approval whether or not planning permission is required, and inspections have to happen before work is covered up.
- Conservation areas and listed buildings in Torbay restrict permitted development and bring materials, windows and detailing under scrutiny; we plan the extra approvals in rather than discovering them mid-build.
- Party wall matters come up on Paignton's terraces and semis and are worth raising early rather than at foundation stage.
Planning building works around the home you have
Paignton is a seaside town on Tor Bay and forms part of Torbay with Torquay and Brixham. Its growth followed the harbour works in 1847 and the railway opening in 1859. That history helps explain why a building enquiry can concern an older altered property as readily as a newer house. A survey looks at your home’s actual wall, floor and roof construction, previous alterations and present condition, so the proposed work responds to the building you have.
At the 2021 Census, across the Torbay local authority rather than Paignton alone, 24.8% of homes were semi-detached and 29.8% were flats, maisonettes or apartments. Those figures underline why the building type matters when considering home extensions, structural alterations or loft work. Shared walls, ownership arrangements and the route for services should be checked for the particular property before deciding what can be changed.
Tourism and holiday accommodation are part of Paignton's economy. If a refurbishment must fit between bookings, set out the handover date and the full room-by-room scope together. Kitchen fitting, bathrooms, replastering and flooring need a joined-up sequence; a deadline should not hide the work needed beneath the final finish.
Torbay Council is the planning authority. Paignton has conservation areas, and the Polsham Article 4 direction restricts some permitted development rights. Check the property's designation before settling external alterations. On exposed coastal plots, roof junctions and render specifications also deserve attention. Review the restrictions, access and condition of your own property alongside the proposed work so these practical details are included in the plan.
For the detailed scope, see our home extensions, loft conversions and carpentry and general building pages. Send the proposed work rather than a generic request for a builder: it makes the first conversation more useful.
How a Paignton job runs
- 1. Free site visit and survey
Anthony comes to the property, walks the space, checks access, levels and construction, and talks through what you actually want the finished space to do.
- 2. Written, itemised quote
You get a clear written quote with the scope broken down and a realistic programme — not a vague lump sum or an instant online figure.
- 3. Drawings, planning and building control
We work with your architect and structural engineer, or introduce trusted local ones, and coordinate the Torbay Council building-control inspections.
- 4. Build stages
Groundworks and foundations, structure and steel, roof and weathertight shell, first fix, plastering, second fix, then decoration and finishes.
- 5. Snagging and handover
We walk the job with you, work through the snag list and do not call it finished until the finish stands up to close inspection.
Typical timescales
- Single-storey extension: typically 10–16 weeks on site
- Loft conversion: typically 6–10 weeks on site
- Garage conversion: typically 3–5 weeks on site
- Kitchen or bathroom refit: typically 2–4 weeks on site
Weather, approvals and material lead times move these, and we would rather tell you that at quote stage than halfway through.
Paignton questions we get asked
Does a Paignton address automatically have permitted development rights?
No. Flats, previous planning conditions and local restrictions can affect the position. Polsham has an Article 4 direction removing some rights, so check the address and proposed work with Torbay Council rather than assuming all homes follow the same rules.
Do you cover the whole of Paignton?
Yes — Paignton town centre, Preston, Goodrington, Blatchcombe, Clifton, Collaton St Mary and Churston, plus neighbouring Brixham and Torquay across TQ3, TQ4, TQ5, TQ1 and TQ2.
Will my project need planning permission?
Many single-storey rear extensions, loft conversions and garage conversions fall under permitted development, but that depends on your property and whether permitted development rights have been removed. Torbay Council is the planning authority for Paignton, and we will tell you honestly at survey stage which route we think applies.
What about conservation areas?
Torbay Council designates conservation areas across the bay, and where a Paignton property sits inside one — or is listed — permitted development is restricted and materials and window details are scrutinised. We plan those jobs around the extra approvals rather than starting and hoping.
Do you handle building control?
Yes. Structural work in Paignton goes through building control regardless of whether planning permission is needed, and we coordinate the inspection stages so nothing is covered up before it has been signed off.
Who is actually on site?
Anthony runs the job and is your single point of contact, working with our own team and the trusted local trades we use for electrics, plumbing and plastering.
How accurate are the guide prices on this page?
They are indicative ranges for the South Devon market to help you budget, not a quote. Ground conditions, access, structural work and specification all move the figure, which is why we survey before pricing.
Getting a price for your Paignton project
Send us the outline of the job — the property, roughly what you want and when you would like to start — and we will arrange a site visit across Paignton, Preston, Goodrington or anywhere else in Torbay. You get a written, itemised quote you can actually compare.