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Dorking · Surrey
Builders in Dorking
Extensions, kitchens, bathrooms and garage conversions across Dorking and the surrounding villages, built by an independent, hands-on team led by carpenter Alan Oakes.
About ADO
Your local builders in Dorking
ADO Builders is an independent, hands-on building company founded by Alan Oakes, a carpenter with more than twenty years in the trade. From structural work and custom staircases to complete kitchen fit-outs, there’s very little we haven’t built.
Most of our work comes through word of mouth and repeat clients across Surrey. Every job is treated on its own terms: we start by understanding what you actually need from the space, then build it properly.
Dorking sits at the foot of the North Downs, with Box Hill and Ranmore close by and the Surrey Hills all around. The town has a historic centre along the High Street and West Street, Victorian and Edwardian streets climbing the slopes, and later family homes towards Goodwyns and North Holmwood, so plots, levels and planning constraints vary a lot.
What we do
Our services in Dorking
House extensions
Single and double storey rear extensions, side returns, infills and wrap-arounds, from groundworks and steels through to roof lanterns, bi-folds and finishes. Victorian and Edwardian homes on Dorking’s slopes often suit a rear or side-return extension, with levels planned in from the start.
Kitchens
From straight refits to knocking through into a new extension for open-plan living: steels, underfloor heating, plastering, worktops and the final fit-out. Knocking through to create a kitchen-diner, with the steels and structural openings handled as part of the job.
Bathrooms
Bathrooms, en-suites and wet rooms, including the pipework, drainage and ventilation work that goes with them. Older town-centre homes often need pipework and ventilation brought up to date during a refit.
Garage conversions
Integral and attached garages turned into home offices, gyms, playrooms or bedrooms, with insulation, damp-proofing, new windows and Building Regulations sign-off. Garage conversions on Dorking’s later estates add space without extending into the garden.
Our work
Recent ADO projects
A selection of recent jobs from across Surrey.
How we work
How a project runs with us
Visit and quote
We come out, look at the house, talk through what you want and give you a clear price.
Drawings and approvals
We check what your project needs, from permitted development and Article 4 rules to Building Regulations, before any work starts.
The build
Groundworks to finishes, with a tidy, well-run site and regular updates as the job progresses.
Handover
Final finishes, Building Regulations sign-off and a walk-through before we hand your home back.
Testimonials
What our clients say
“The work was of outstanding quality in every way… maintained an excellent degree of neatness and tidiness.”
ADO Builders client
“All the work carried out was to the highest standard and was executed in a highly efficient, professional and pleasant manner.”
ADO Builders client
“We have no hesitation recommending him as a builder of high ability.”
ADO Builders client
Local know-how
Planning in Dorking: what we check for you
Before we price a Dorking job, we check the local rules that decide what can be built and how.
- Conservation area and Article 4
Parts of the Dorking conservation area carry an Article 4 direction, adding planning controls over changes that would otherwise be permitted development.
- Green Belt and Surrey Hills
Around three quarters of Mole Valley is Green Belt and the Surrey Hills National Landscape surrounds the town, so extensions outside the built-up area need to be proportionate and well designed.
- Planning authority
Mole Valley District Council, until East Surrey Council takes over on 1 April 2027. If your project runs across that date, we keep track of who’s handling it.
- Building Regulations
We make sure approval is in place before work starts and that the job is signed off at the end.
Areas we cover around Dorking
- Town Centre
- Westcott
- Pixham
- Goodwyns
- North Holmwood
- South Holmwood
- Brockham
- Mickleham
- Westhumble
- Capel
- Beare Green
FAQs
Builders in Dorking: FAQs
Do you work across the whole of Dorking?
Yes. We take on projects throughout Dorking and nearby, including Town Centre, Westcott, Pixham, Goodwyns, as well as across the rest of Surrey.
Does Dorking’s Article 4 direction affect my project?
It can if your home is in the parts of the conservation area it covers. It removes some permitted development rights, so changes such as new windows, doors or extensions visible from the street may need a planning application.
Is it harder to extend a house in the Green Belt around Dorking?
Extensions are still possible, but they’re judged on whether they’re proportionate to the original building, so size and design need more thought. We check this before quoting.
Who handles planning in Dorking after April 2027?
Mole Valley District Council until 31 March 2027; from 1 April 2027 it passes to the new East Surrey Council. Permitted development limits are set nationally and don’t change.
Can you do an extension and a new kitchen as one project?
Yes. Combining a rear or side extension with a new kitchen is one of the most common projects we take on, and running it as one job means one programme from groundworks through to worktops.
How do I get a quote for building work in Dorking?
Call or text 07791 541507, or email alan@adobuilders.co.uk with a few details and photos of the space. We’ll arrange a visit to look at the property and talk through what’s possible.
Free quote
Planning a project in Dorking?
Tell us about your extension, kitchen, bathroom or garage conversion. Call or text 07791 541507, or email alan@adobuilders.co.uk.