Front elevation
Sevenoaks · Since 1986
Home extension &
renovation specialists.
Premium homes across Sevenoaks, built properly — by the same trusted team for nearly forty years.
1986
Established
200+
Homes transformed
£5m
Public liability cover
35yrs
Longest-serving tradesman
Our Work
Substantial extensions, whole-home transformations.
Most of our work is for families moving out of London who’ve found a detached family home on a great Sevenoaks road — Kippington Road, Blackhall Lane, Burntwood Road, St Botolph’s Road — and want a substantial home extension, loft conversion or whole-home renovation done properly. Many of the projects sit inside the Kent Downs AONB or a Conservation Area; we know Sevenoaks District Council’s planning constraints intimately. Every project below was built by the same in-house crew you’ll meet further down the page.
Before & After
Drag the slider — same house, our hands.
Kippington Road, Sevenoaks · 2014. Substantial extension, loft conversion and full re-modelling of a tired detached family home.
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Kippington Road
Substantial extension, loft conversion and full re-modelling of a tired detached family home.
Rear elevation & terrace
Kitchen
Entrance hall & oak staircase
Galleried landing
Master bedroom
Family bathroom
Shower room
Walk-in pantry
Blackhall Lane area
Whole-home renovation with extensive landscaping for a young family.
Front elevation
We are not site builders. We work in people’s homes — and respect them as such, working in a calm, methodical manner.
Simon King · Founder
Why Simon King
Four things almost no other builder can claim.
Same team, every job
The crew in the photos will be the crew in your home.
Mick the Brick has been with us 35 years. Chris and Leon — our plasterers — over thirty. Sam, our masonry foreman, came to us at seventeen and is now a father of three. We don’t rotate trades from job to job, and we don’t use agency labour.
Honest pricing
Fixed price within ten days. Extras logged by hand.
You’ll have a fixed-price quote, timescale, payment schedule and start date within ten days of our first site visit. Through the build, every extra is logged by the foreman by hand, to the hour — and you can question any line at any time.
On the WhatsApp group
From day one, you’re in the loop.
The moment your build starts, we set up a WhatsApp group with you, Simon, both foremen and the relevant trades. Anyone can update it any time — Sunday afternoon included. You’re never chasing, and you’re never surprised.
Beyond handover
The job doesn’t end at handover.
Every past client has Simon’s number, and most still use it. A recent example: a flat roof we built ten years ago split — we replaced it free of charge within a week. That’s not the contract talking. That’s how we work.
Meet the Team
The same faces, year after year.
Most builders rotate trades from project to project. We don’t. The team you see here is the team that will be in your home — and some of them have been with Simon for over thirty years.
Every one of them has renovated their own home. Which means every one of them understands what it’s like to live through a build.
Simon King
Founder & Director
Founded the company, 1986
Simon started working at twelve — gardens, tree work, washing cars — and took a carpentry apprenticeship at sixteen. At twenty-two he placed an advert in the local paper, won three weeks of work, and founded Simon King Construction. Nearly forty years and around two hundred projects later, he is still on site every morning. Outside work he brews real ale, makes sourdough pizza in his wood-fired oven, and free-flies his parrot Sid. Clients are welcome to come and try the ale, the pizza and the sourdough.
Jules King
Mrs King
The bricks and mortar of the business
Jules keeps the family business running — every drawing printed, every detail chased, everyone looked after. If she can’t sort it, no one can.
Sam Tomlin
Masonry Foreman
15 years — since age 17
In charge of all masonry work. Sam has been with Simon since he was seventeen — now a father of three, and one of Simon’s proudest hires. He started as an apprentice bricklayer and has learned every skill of the trade, plus several others. An absolute asset to the company.
Dave Curtis
Finishing Foreman
10 years with the firm
In charge of all finishing works. Dave is a first-class carpenter whose skill quickly became clear, and he was promoted to finishing foreman. He is the expert at liaising with clients and their other contractors — sorting timing, sequencing and quality control across every trade on site. Invaluable. Family man.
Mick the Brick
Bricklayer & Steel Installer
35 years with Simon
Mick has been with Simon for thirty-five years — since Simon was twenty-seven. Expert bricklayer and steel installer. Great fun to be around. Family man.
Chris Cuff & Leon
Plasterers
30+ years working together
Simon has used Chris and Leon for over thirty years. The plastering on every project in our gallery is their work.
Gary
Head of Labouring
15 years with the firm
In charge of all labouring and manhandling. The role sounds simple — Gary is an expert at it, and an expert labourer is the difference between a chaotic site and a clean one. Family man.
Kev
Labourer
14 years with the firm
Works closely with Gary, keeping every site running and spotless. Fourteen years with Simon.
Ian Bailey
Electrician
10 years with the firm
Ian has handled the electrical work on Simon’s projects for ten years.
Daren Smith
Plumbing
10 years with the firm
Daren has handled the plumbing on Simon’s projects for ten years.
Neil
Second Fix Carpenter
7 years — trained in cabinet making
Originally trained in cabinet making, Neil has been with Simon for seven years. He specialises in high-end second fix carpentry — the detailed finishing work where craftsmanship really shows. His cabinet-making background brings a level of precision and finish that sets the final result apart.
J Paint & Marc
Painters
13 & 7 years with the firm
J Paint has been with Simon for thirteen years — extremely neat. Marc, seven years with the firm, is a quality painter. Between them they put the final finish on every project.
How We Work
From first message to handover — and beyond.
Big building projects are stressful. We’ve spent forty years figuring out how to take that stress off our clients’ shoulders.
Get in touch
Send Simon a WhatsApp message — the preferred way to start. He picks it up personally and replies the same day.
Share your drawings & wish list
Email across your working drawings (Simon’s wife prints them for him) plus what we call a “wish list” — as much detail as you can give us on what you want from the project.
The site visit
Simon comes to your home in person to walk through the project, see the house, and understand exactly what you’re trying to achieve.
Fixed price within ten days
You’ll have a fully detailed fixed-price quote within ten days — with timescale, payment schedule and proposed start date. No vague estimates. No padding.
Contract & start date
If we’re aligned, we sign a JCT contract from the RICS, lock in the start date, and agree your fortnightly payment schedule. No money upfront.
Build begins — the WhatsApp group goes live
Day one: WhatsApp group set up with you, Simon, both foremen and the relevant trades. Working hours 7:30am to 4:00pm. Updates flow daily.
Throughout — no surprises
Unforeseen issues (rotten timbers, old structures) and client-requested extras are handled immediately. The foreman logs everything by hand, to the hour. Nothing is sprung on you at the end.
Handover — and beyond
When the job is finished, that’s not the end. You keep Simon’s number. We come back when needed.
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Planning & Building Regs
Planning permission & Building Regs in Sevenoaks.
After forty years building in the Sevenoaks district, we know Sevenoaks District Council's planning department, Conservation Area rules, and the Kent Downs AONB constraints inside out. The summary below isn't legal advice — it's the practical lay of the land before you commit.
Permitted development for extensions in Sevenoaks
Most single-storey rear extensions on detached houses outside conservation areas fall under permitted development if they stay within set limits — typically up to 8 metres deep (6 metres for semi-detached) under the Larger Home Extension scheme, with prior notification to Sevenoaks District Council. Side and two-storey extensions are tighter; we will tell you on the first visit whether you need full planning.
Conservation areas & the Kent Downs AONB
A large portion of the Sevenoaks district sits inside the Kent Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and villages like Otford, Shoreham, Westerham and parts of central Sevenoaks have designated Conservation Area status. Permitted development rights are reduced inside these designations — even minor changes (cladding, roof lights, render colour) often need planning consent.
Loft conversions — when planning is needed
Most loft conversions in Sevenoaks are permitted development if they stay under 40 m³ (semi-detached) or 50 m³ (detached) of added volume and don't exceed the existing ridge line. Hip-to-gable conversions and dormers facing a highway usually need planning. Building Regulations always apply — fire escape, insulation (Part L), structural calculations.
Building Regulations sign-off
Whether or not planning permission is needed, all structural work must be signed off by a Building Control Body. We work directly with Sevenoaks DC building control and approved private inspectors on every job. Sign-off covers structural integrity (Part A), fire safety (Part B), thermal performance (Part L), ventilation (Part F), and accessibility (Part M).
Honestly, overruns happen for two reasons: clients ask for extra work mid-build (which we welcome — but it can affect timing, and we’ll always tell you if it does), or genuine unforeseen issues come to light — rotten timbers, hidden structural problems. Outside of those two, we hit our timescales. Simon is on site every morning. The team lives locally. They turn up.
We’re competitive with other builders in the area. More importantly: every extra is logged by hand by the foreman to the hour. You can question any item, any time. We supply merchant invoices for materials. There’s no hidden margin, no padding, no surprises at handover.
Simon has been building in Sevenoaks since 1986. Our reputation goes before us — we’ve worked on Kippington Road, Blackhall Lane, Burntwood Road, St Botolph’s Road and many of the best-known roads in Sevenoaks. Our challenge to you: drive past one of our sign boards, knock on the door, and ask the client about us.
Extras are dealt with immediately, every day — never stored up for the end. The foreman keeps a handwritten log, to the hour. The moment something extra is needed, you’re told, given options, and shown the cost. There are no nasty surprises at handover.
It depends on the project. For most major works with significant structural alterations, we’d advise against young children being in the house — no matter how well we protect areas, dust and disruption are unavoidable. For smaller-scope work, it’s often fine. We’ll be honest with you about this before you sign anything.
The active warranty period is agreed in your contract (typically six months). Plumbing and electrical materials carry manufacturers’ warranties. A recent example: a flat roof we built ten years ago split, and we replaced it free of charge within a week.
No money upfront. Payments are fortnightly, agreed in your contract before work begins.
£5 million of public liability cover. We’re a VAT-registered limited company — you can verify Simon King Construction Ltd (Co. № 2866939) on Companies House. Copies of certificates available on request.
Absolutely — and we encourage it. We’ll provide a list of references on request, or drive past one of our sign boards in Sevenoaks and ask the client directly.
Your architect manages planning; we build to the approved drawings. If you don’t have an architect, Simon can recommend local ones he’s worked with for years who know Sevenoaks District Council planning intimately. Building control sign-off is handled by the inspector throughout the project — work must satisfy the UK Building Regulations Approved Documents covering structure, fire safety, thermal performance and accessibility.
Where We Work
Sevenoaks and every surrounding village.
Across central Sevenoaks (TN13), the wider TN14 / TN15 postcode area, and into West Kent — including villages inside the Kent Downs AONB and Sevenoaks District Council conservation areas. If you’re unsure whether we cover your area, just ask — we’ll always say.
Sevenoaks Sevenoaks Weald Otford Kemsing Seal Shoreham Chipstead Chevening Riverhead Bessels Green Sundridge Brasted Ide Hill Toys Hill Eynsford Badgers Mount Knockholt Ivy Hatch Plaxtol Ightham Stone Street Shipbourne Dunks Green Wrotham West Peckham Underriver Hildenborough Leigh Tonbridge
Get in touch
If yours is one of this year’s projects,
let’s talk.
We take on three to five projects a year. The earlier in your planning we can talk, the better — even before drawings are finalised. Simon picks up WhatsApp personally and usually replies the same day.