Builders in Luton and Dunstable, from design to completion

What our building work includes

• House extensions: foundations, brickwork, roof, plastering and finishing
• Brickwork and blockwork: new walls, gable ends, garden walls and rebuilds
• Plastering: skim coats, replastering and external render
• Repointing and external wall repairs, with mortar matched to the brick
• Block paved driveways, paths and patios, laid on a compacted sub-base
• Renovations and structural repairs, including replacement joists and rafters
• Surveyors, architects, plumbers and electricians we recommend and trust, coordinated by us
• A detailed quote and timetable, a risk assessment and a clean site throughout

Builders in Luton who are roofers first

Most building projects end at the roof, and that is where plenty of builders hand the job to someone else. Doyle Homes does the roof ourselves, with over 25 years' experience on roofs. Our building work covers the walls, the floors and the finish as well, so one team is accountable from the first brick to the last tile.

Our builders in Luton and Dunstable take on general construction projects large or small: brickwork such as walls, plastering, drives and extensions. We are a family business, run by Hugh O'Shea, and every job starts with a free, no obligation assessment.

House extensions from groundwork to roof

An extension has to be designed, approved, built and roofed in the right order. We run all four stages from the initial design to final completion, through a network of surveyors, architects, plumbers and electricians we fully recommend and trust.

Planning and building regulations

A single-storey rear extension up to 3 metres on a semi or terrace, or 4 metres on a detached house, falls under permitted development. Larger extensions follow the prior approval route. Every extension needs building regulations approval for the foundations, structure, insulation and drainage. We price the fees for planning, surveyors and architects into your quote, so there are no surprises.

Foundations, walls and lintels

We dig and pour the foundations, build the cavity walls in blockwork and facing brick, and fit lintels over every opening. Brick is matched to the house wherever it can be, and the bonding follows the existing walls so the extension sits flush.

The roof

This is our home ground. Flat roofs with a lantern, pitched roofs tied into the existing slope, and the lead and flashings between them are all built by our roofers. See flat roofing and garage and extension roofs.

Plastering and finishing

Inside, the walls are boarded and skimmed, ready for decoration. Plastering is part of the build, finished smooth so it takes paint properly.

Brickwork, repointing and external walls

We build new walls and rebuild damaged ones, including garden walls, gable ends and boundary walls. Where a wall has cracked, we find out why before rebuilding it, because brickwork cracks for a reason and rebuilding without fixing the cause means doing it twice.

Repointing restores the weather skin of an old wall. We rake out the failing mortar, and repoint in a mix matched to the brick and the age of the house. One reviewer had a broken downpipe causing damage to their brickwork: our team moved the pipe, replaced the guttering and some bricks, and repointed where needed. Their report after heavy rain: all is well.

Plastering inside and out

Good plastering is flat, hard and dry. We skim walls and ceilings over plasterboard for new work, replaster after damp or a leak, and render exterior walls. Before we replaster anything that has been wet, we trace the cause of the moisture, because new plaster over an active leak fails in a season.

If your walls are damp from a defect in the roof, gutter or wall, our damp proofing work deals with the source first, and the plastering follows.

Driveways, paths and patios

A drive lasts when what is under the paving is right. We dig out to depth, lay and compact a stone sub-base, spread a sharp sand laying course, set the blocks to a fall that sheds water, and lock the edges with a kerb restraint. Kiln-dried sand is swept into the joints and compacted for a firm, level finish. One reviewer wrote that their new brick paved driveway looked lovely and that the lads were hard working and polite.

Front gardens need drainage planned in. A new impermeable surface of more than 5 square metres in a front garden has to drain to a border or lawn, or be laid in permeable paving. A dropped kerb also needs the council's permission: in Luton that is Luton Borough Council, and in Dunstable it is Central Bedfordshire Council. We build the drive to suit both.

One team from design to completion

Running a project with five tradespeople means five phone numbers, five timetables and nobody responsible when one lets you down. We hold the project together. You get one detailed quote, one timetable and a named site manager you can call.

Our roofing sits alongside: the new roofs team can renew the roof at the same time, and our roofers fit the lead around a new chimney or abutment. Our flat roof cost guide explains what an extension roof costs.

Builders in Dunstable and across Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire

Luton and Dunstable have streets of Victorian terraces, 1930s semis and post-war estates where extensions, loft work and drives are the usual projects. Our office is at 59 Union Street, Dunstable, so we are on the doorstep for builders in Dunstable and Houghton Regis, and our builders in Luton work across Luton, Bedford, Hitchin and Harpenden.

Ask for your free quote and we will visit, talk through the project and put the full cost in writing.

Signs you need us

• You want an extension and need one team to take it from drawing to roof
• Brickwork is cracked, bowed or crumbling, or the pointing has washed out
• A drive that has sunk, cracked or holds water at the front door
• Plaster that is blown, damp or flaking after a leak
• A roof, a wall and a floor all needing work at the same property
• A previous builder who stopped answering the phone