Lynch Brother Homes carried out a renovation at my home, from start to finish I felt in safe hands. The tradesmen were polite, courteous and helpful. The end product was what we imagined and more! We would not hesitate to recommend Lynch Brother Homes to anyone searching for a trustworthy building company.
01865 420063
Building work across Banbury and north Oxfordshire
Builders in Banbury
Lynch Brother Homes are builders in Banbury and the surrounding north Oxfordshire villages, working on extensions, loft and garage conversions, renovations and new builds. We’re a family firm based in Cumnor, and every job has a Lynch in charge: Henry, our managing director, or John, who runs operations.
Most of the trades on site are ours, too. Our sister company J & H Lynch plasters and renders, and Noble Painting & Decorating (also Lynch Group) finishes the rooms. So there’s one contract, one programme and one firm answerable for the result.
Ironstone cottages and newer estates
Banbury’s older buildings are built from the local marlstone, known as Hornton Stone or Banbury Ironstone, which weathers to that golden orange-brown you see across north Oxfordshire. The same stone gives Bloxham, Adderbury, Deddington, Hook Norton, Wroxton and Great Tew their colour.
Extending an ironstone house is mostly a matter of matching. New stone has to match the old in colour and in course height, and the pointing has to match as well, or the join shows for decades. On older walls we use lime mortar rather than cement, because cement traps moisture in soft stone and the stone ends up paying for it.
Beyond the old centre you’ll find Victorian terraces, inter-war and post-war semis, and newer estates such as Longford Park on the Bodicote side. Houses like these tend to suit a rear or side-return extension, a loft conversion or a garage conversion. One thing to check early on a newer estate: some estate planning permissions removed permitted development rights, so even a modest extension can need a householder application.
Planning permission in Banbury
Planning applications in Banbury are decided by Cherwell District Council, which also covers Bicester, Kidlington and the villages in between.
The historic centre sits within the Banbury conservation area, and the council last reviewed its appraisal in September 2018. Grimsbury, across the river, has a conservation area of its own, and the Oxford Canal conservation area runs through the town along the canal. If your house is in any of them, read the appraisal before you settle on a design: it tells you what the council wants to protect.
Bloxham, Adderbury, Bodicote and Deddington are designated neighbourhood planning areas. Where a neighbourhood plan has been made, the council weighs it alongside the Cherwell Local Plan.
As a rough guide:
| Your house | What usually needs an application |
|---|---|
| Not listed, and outside a conservation area | Many single-storey rear extensions and rear dormers can go ahead as permitted development, within the size limits. Our permitted development guide explains them. |
| On an estate where the original permission removed permitted development rights | You’ll need a householder application, even for work that would be permitted development elsewhere. |
| In the Banbury, Grimsbury or Oxford Canal conservation area | Permission is needed for any side extension, a two-storey rear extension, dormers and other roof alterations, and cladding the outside of the house. |
| A listed building | Listed building consent for anything that affects the building’s special interest, inside or out, plus planning permission where it applies. |
| In Flood Zone 2 or 3 | The application needs a flood risk assessment, which can dictate the finished floor level of the extension. |
The council lists every appraisal on its conservation area appraisals page, and the Banbury conservation area record links to the appraisal and the boundary map.
Flood risk near the Cherwell
The River Cherwell and the Oxford Canal run along the east side of the town centre. The Environment Agency’s flood alleviation scheme, finished in 2012, protects around 500 homes and 100 commercial properties, but some houses near the river are still in Flood Zone 2 or 3. We check the flood map for planning on our first visit, since it can change the design before anything is drawn.
What we do as builders in Banbury
House extensions
Single-storey rear and side-return extensions, wrap-arounds and two-storey extensions. As a guide, most single-storey extensions come in between £30,000 and £50,000. A 20 m² kitchen extension is more like £45,000 to £70,000 before you choose the kitchen, and two-storey extensions start at around £55,000 and can go past £90,000. Our extension cost guide breaks this down per square metre, and the house extensions page covers how we run a project.
Loft conversions
Rooflight conversions start at about £25,000 and run to £45,000. A dormer is typically £45,000 to £75,000, and a hip-to-gable conversion on a semi £50,000 to £80,000. The first thing we check is the head height under the ridge, because that decides which of these is realistic. There’s more in the loft conversion cost guide and on our loft conversions page.
Renovations, garage conversions and new builds
We take on whole-house renovations, from ironstone cottages to 1970s semis. Converting an integral garage usually costs £10,000 to £25,000. And if you have a plot, we build new homes too.
Kitchens, bathrooms and the outside of the house
We fit new kitchens and bathrooms, along with the building work that usually comes with them: taking out a wall, moving the plumbing, rewiring. Outside, J & H Lynch handles exterior rendering, including spray render systems, and we can reclad in timber or fibre-cement where it suits the house.
The Nook: a stone cottage in Cherwell
The Nook is an 18th-century cottage in the Islip conservation area, also in Cherwell District. Working to a detailed design by Nine Ten Architects, we took out load-bearing walls and fitted steel beams within the old stone walls to open up the ground floor. The cottage now has a central kitchen by deVol with a snug alongside, a proper entrance with a boot room, and a much better link through to the garden. J & H Lynch did the plastering and clay work, and Noble handled the decorating.
It’s a good example of what Banbury’s older houses often need: real structural change, done carefully enough that the character survives. Read the full Nook project, or browse all our projects.
Villages around Banbury
We work across the villages too, Bodicote, Bloxham, Adderbury, Deddington, Wardington and the Sibfords among them. Many have ironstone cottages and conservation areas of their own. Bodicote and Bloxham have their own pages (builders in Bodicote and builders in Bloxham), and further south we cover Bicester and Kidlington.
A family firm
Lynch Brother Homes is run by Henry Lynch, managing director, and John Lynch, operations director. We’re registered with TrustMark and belong to the Federation of Master Builders, and Henry won Young Business Person of the Year at the 2025 Oxfordshire Business Awards. Here’s why those accreditations matter when you’re choosing a builder.
Banbury FAQs
Do I need planning permission for an extension in Banbury?
Not always. If your house isn’t listed and isn’t in a conservation area, a single-storey rear extension can often go ahead as permitted development, as long as it stays within the size limits. In the Banbury, Grimsbury or Oxford Canal conservation areas you’ll need permission for side extensions, two-storey extensions and dormers. It’s also worth checking your estate’s original permission, as some removed permitted development rights. Applications go to Cherwell District Council.
What is the 50% rule for house extensions?
Under permitted development, extensions and other buildings (sheds, garages and outbuildings) can’t cover more than half the land around the original house. “Original” means the house as it was first built, or, for older houses, as it was on 1 July 1948, so extensions added by previous owners count towards the limit. Go over 50% and you’ll need planning permission.
What does an extension cost in Banbury?
Most single-storey extensions cost £30,000 to £50,000, a 20 m² kitchen extension around £45,000 to £70,000 plus the kitchen, and two-storey extensions from about £55,000. Ironstone, listed building consent and flood-resistant design all push the figure up.
Can I extend an ironstone house?
Yes, and done well it should look as if it’s always been there. That means matching the stone’s colour and course heights, matching the pointing, and using lime mortar rather than cement on the old walls. If the house is listed or in a conservation area, expect the council to look closely at the materials.
Is my house in Banbury at risk of flooding?
Put your postcode into the Environment Agency’s flood map for planning. The 2012 scheme protects around 500 homes near the Cherwell, but if your house is in Flood Zone 2 or 3, any planning application will need a flood risk assessment.
Which villages near Banbury do you cover?
All the villages around the town, including Bodicote, Bloxham, Adderbury, Deddington, Wardington, Sibford Gower and Sibford Ferris. They’re all in Cherwell District, so the same council handles planning.
Talk to us about your project
Ring us on 01865 420063 or get in touch through the contact form. Send the address with your message and we’ll check the conservation area, any estate restrictions and the flood zone before we come out.
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