Regions we cover
LINX Design & Build takes on architecture, planning, extensions, loft conversions, renovations and new builds across Greater Manchester. One in-house team designs each project, secures approval from the relevant city or borough council and builds it, starting with a free survey and a fixed-price quote.
Tell us about your project — we'll come back with next steps and a time for a free survey.
Design & build
Greater Manchester is made up of ten local planning authorities, from Manchester City Council and Salford City Council to Trafford, Stockport, Bolton and Wigan. Nine of them share the Places for Everyone joint development plan, adopted in 2024, while Stockport prepares its own local plan, and each council still decides its own householder applications.
Much of the land between the towns is Greater Manchester Green Belt, and on the eastern edge the Peak District National Park reaches into the Saddleworth moors. Most homes, though, are in established suburbs of red-brick Victorian and Edwardian terraces and interwar semis, which suit rear dormer lofts, kitchen extensions and hip-to-gable conversions.
Greater Manchester's housing is dominated by red-brick Victorian and Edwardian terraces, from compact two-up two-downs in Salford, Bolton and Bury to larger bay-fronted terraces in Chorlton, Levenshulme and Heaton Moor. Didsbury, Whalley Range and Altrincham have substantial Victorian villas, and suburbs such as Sale, Bramhall and Cheadle have interwar and post-war semis. In Saddleworth and the Pennine fringe, gritstone cottages and former weavers' houses need extensions designed with stone and roof form in mind.
Our services
Our architects design for Greater Manchester's red-brick terraces, Victorian villas, interwar semis and Pennine stone cottages, to each council's design guidance.
Find out more 02We prepare applications to all ten Greater Manchester councils, and Lawful Development Certificates where a loft or extension is permitted development.
Find out more 03Kitchen and side-return extensions suit terraces in Chorlton, Didsbury and Levenshulme, while semis in Sale, Bramhall and Prestwich suit wrap-around and two-storey extensions.
Find out more 04Rear dormer loft conversions suit Greater Manchester's terraces and are often permitted development, while hip-to-gable conversions suit interwar semis.
Find out more 05We renovate Victorian terraces and villas, from rewiring and structural alterations to opening up layouts, with listed building consent where it applies.
Find out more 06We design and build new homes on infill and replacement plots, checking Green Belt policy and the relevant local plan before a design is fixed.
Find out morePlanning
How it works
We visit, measure up and talk through what you want to build and what the site allows.
Our in-house team draws the scheme and handles planning or a Lawful Development Certificate, plus Building Regulations.
You get an itemised, fixed price in writing before any work starts.
One team builds it, keeps you updated weekly and hands over with a 10-year structural guarantee.
800+ projects completed since 2017 · 4.9★ from 500+ reviews · See our starting prices
Questions
It depends on whether the house is in a conservation area. Didsbury, Victoria Park and parts of Altrincham include conservation areas, which are Article 2(3) land, so loft conversions, side extensions and cladding there need planning permission, and Article 4 directions may restrict other changes. Outside conservation areas, many extensions and loft conversions are permitted development. We check your address with Manchester City Council or Trafford Council before design.
Often, yes, though the space is tighter. A small terraced house can usually take a rear dormer under permitted development, up to 40 m³ of extra roof volume, which can be enough for a bedroom and shower room. The main challenges are fitting a compliant staircase and achieving enough head height, which depends on the roof pitch. Conservation areas and flats need planning permission. We assess the roof and the stair position at the free survey.
A single-storey side-return or rear kitchen extension is the usual way to enlarge a bay-fronted Victorian terrace, sometimes combined with a rear dormer loft. A rear extension up to 3 m deep is usually permitted development, or up to 6 m with prior approval, while side-return infills must meet separate width and height limits. Neighbours' light matters on narrow terraces, so we design for it from the start.
We price each Greater Manchester project individually and give a fixed-price quote after a free survey of the property. The cost depends on the design, the condition of the existing structure, access to the rear of the house, drainage and the specification. Common local factors, such as narrow back alleys limiting access to a terrace or matching red brick, are included in the quote from the start.
Householder planning applications to Greater Manchester councils have an 8-week statutory determination period from validation. Prior approval for a larger single-storey rear extension is decided within 42 days, and a Lawful Development Certificate gives certainty where a loft or extension is permitted development. Conservation-area and Green Belt applications can take longer if amendments are requested. We confirm the build programme once the approvals are in place.
We take on projects across Greater Manchester, including Manchester, Didsbury, Chorlton, Salford, Worsley, Altrincham, Sale, Hale, Stockport, Bramhall, Cheadle, Prestwich, Bury, Bolton, Wigan and Saddleworth. Our in-house team handles the design, the planning approvals and the build, and every project starts with a free survey and a fixed-price quote.