Extension
Erection of first floor side and single storey rear extension, installation of dormer window to rear with rooflights to front and rear.
B74, Birmingham
Typical value £40k–£105k (typical for an extension)
Quoting and job software for builders in Birmingham
Builders and trades working in Birmingham and the wider West Midlands can use EstiMate to price a job properly, send it as a quote the client accepts online, and turn it into a contract, a programme and invoices without retyping anything.
Below are the latest planning approvals from Birmingham, Coventry, Dudley, Sandwell, Solihull, Walsall and Wolverhampton councils, plus how EstiMate's AI prices labour for a site in a B, CV, DY, WS or WV postcode.
- 7 councils
- Postcodes B, CV, DY, WS, WV
- Labour index 0.98
Live from the planning registers
What's being approved in the West Midlands
Applications for building work that the seven West Midlands councils approved between 29 September 2026 and 30 October 2026.
489
applications for building work approved
778
approvals in all, including trees, signs and condition discharges
7 of 7
councils' registers answered
By kind of work
- Extension373
- Commercial fit-out / change of use31
- Garage / outbuilding19
- Loft conversion14
- Conversion / change of use9
- Refurbishment8
- Landscaping / external7
- New build7
- Annexe5
- Demolition5
- Structural work4
- Conservatory / orangery2
- Commercial refurbishment2
- Commercial new build2
- Basement1
By council
- Birmingham194
- Solihull69
- Sandwell68
- Dudley61
- Wolverhampton52
- Walsall45
- Coventry0
Coventry showsno recent decisions on the register. That usually means the council's feed is behind rather than that nothing was approved, so check its own planning portal.
Recent examples
Conversion / change of use
Proposed change of use from residential dwelling to 5 No. bedroom (5 No person) HMO (Lawful Development Certificate)
B67, Sandwell
Typical value £80k–£200k (typical for a conversion)
Annexe
Retrospective Planning Application for the Continued Ancillary Residential Use of Existing Detached Garden Annex
WV6, Wolverhampton
Typical value £60k–£120k (typical for an annexe)
Conversion / change of use
Application for lawful development certificate for proposed change of use from 2 flats into a single residential dwelling
B75, Birmingham
Typical value £80k–£200k (typical for a conversion)
Extension
Proposed front porch, two storey rear and single storey side/rear extensions, and retention of front gates.
B71, Sandwell
Typical value £50k–£110k (typical for an extension)
Garage / outbuilding
Replacement of timber garage doors.
B91, Solihull
Typical value £20k–£60k (typical for a garage/outbuilding)
Commercial fit-out / change of use
Change of use from a vacant commercial/industrial building (Use Class B2/B8/E) to a single dwelling (Use Class C3) including associated and external alterations.
Dudley
Typical value £60k–£345k (typical for a commercial fit-out)
Garage / outbuilding
Garage conversion and raising the roof to accommodate the new area
B62, Dudley
Typical value £20k–£60k (typical for a garage/outbuilding)
Source: the councils' public planning registers, collected by PlanIt and searched by TenderPilot. Checked 30 October 2026 at 07:55 and refreshed about twice a day. Building work leaves out trees, signs and paperwork on existing consents. Locations are shown to postcode district only, no applicant details are shown, and value bands are typical ranges for that kind of work rather than quotes.
See them all on TenderPilot, free to searchEstiMate is made in Manchester by a working contractor. Questions from Birmingham: support@esti-mate.app. EstiMate, Piccadilly Business Centre, Unit C, Aldo Enterprise Park, Blackett Street, Manchester M12 6AE.
Labour rates
How labour is priced for a site in Birmingham
×0.98
Midlands
Postcode areas B, CV, DY, WS, WV: 2% below the national guide
When EstiMate Pro's AI take-off prices a job whose site postcode starts B, CV, DY, WS or WV, it multiplies its national labour day-rate guide by 0.98, the Midlands index, so labour comes out 2% below the national guide. If you set your own day rates in Settings, the AI prices labour from those instead and the index no longer applies.
What you get
What EstiMate does for a builder in Birmingham
Quotes clients accept online
Materials and labour itemised with your markup and margin, sent as a link the client can accept, decline or query on their phone, with optional extras they can tick.
Contracts with e-signature
A build contract generated from the accepted quote, with your payment terms, signed online. Variations are added as signed addenda.
Variations and extras
Price additional works from site and send a one-tap approval link. The contract total and invoices update, with a full audit trail.
Invoicing and getting paid
Invoices with card payment links, payment milestones from the quote, and automatic chasing when an invoice falls overdue.
P&L, VAT and CIS
Receipts, supplier invoices and bank imports land in one ledger: profit and loss for any period, a VAT return helper, the CIS register and aged debtors.
Finding the work
TenderPilot, the sister product, searches live tenders and every council's planning register. Searching is free on any plan.
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Councils and postcodes covered
- Birmingham
- Coventry
- Dudley
- Sandwell
- Solihull
- Walsall
- Wolverhampton
Main postcode areas: B, CV, DY, WS, WV.
TenderPilot can search any of these councils' planning registers, or all of them at once, free. Search local applications or browse live tenders.
Questions builders in Birmingham ask
Where do the Birmingham planning figures come from?
From the public planning registers of the seven West Midlands councils, collected by PlanIt, which gathers UK council registers into one search, and read by TenderPilot about twice a day. Councils publish at different speeds, so one that shows few decisions may simply be behind; its own planning portal has the full record.
How does EstiMate price labour for a job in Birmingham?
When EstiMate Pro's AI take-off prices a job whose site postcode starts B, CV, DY, WS or WV, it multiplies its national labour day-rate guide by 0.98, the Midlands index, so labour comes out 2% below the national guide. If you set your own day rates in Settings, the AI prices labour from those instead and the index no longer applies. Once you know your rates, entering them is the better option.
Do I need to be based in Birmingham to use EstiMate?
No. EstiMate is an online app for builders and trades anywhere in the UK, on the web and on iPhone. This page adds what is local: the councils, their recent approvals and the labour index for the area's postcodes.
What does EstiMate cost?
Free for up to 3 jobs a month. EstiMate is £15.99 a month for unlimited jobs with quotes, contracts, invoicing and the accounts, and EstiMate Pro is £39.99 a month with the AI quote writer, take-off and Construction Copilot. Prices are per business, not per user, and there is no contract.
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