Builders in Croydon you can trust with your home
House extensions, loft conversions, refurbishments and new builds across Croydon and South London. Fixed-price written quotes, a tidy site, and the owner on site for every job.
- Rated 4.8★ on Google
- Fixed-price quotes
- Planning & building control handled
Local builders who still answer the phone
Smiley Building Services is a family-run building company in South Croydon. Bassem El-Sokkary, known to just about everyone as Smiley or Baz, set the business up in 2003, and more than twenty years later he still quotes every job himself and manages every build personally.
We build house extensions, loft and garage conversions, whole-house refurbishments, kitchens and bathrooms and new-build houses for homeowners across Croydon, Bromley, Beckenham, West Wickham and the rest of South London. Most of our work comes from people who’ve seen a job we’ve done for a friend or neighbour, which tells you more about us than anything we could write here.
What you get is simple: a builder who turns up when he says he will, explains things in plain English, keeps the site tidy and finishes the job properly. If something isn’t right, we put it right.
- Free site survey and a fixed-price, itemised written quote
- Baz, the owner, on site and in charge of every job
- Drawings, planning and building control sorted for you
- Fully insured: public liability, employer’s liability and contract works
- TrustMark registered, and members of the NFB, Master Tradesmen and NABC
Building services in Croydon
From a single steel beam to a brand-new house. Every job is quoted, managed and built by the same small team.
House extensions
Single-storey, side-return, wrap-around and two-storey extensions, designed and built around how you live.
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Loft & garage conversions
Dormer, hip-to-gable, mansard and rooflight lofts, plus garage conversions into offices, playrooms and bedrooms.
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House refurbishments
Whole-house refurbs for homeowners, landlords and buy-to-sell projects, managed from strip-out to snagging.
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Kitchens & bathrooms
Kitchens, bathrooms, en-suites and wet rooms, with our own team doing the plumbing, electrics and tiling.
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Structural & steel work
Load-bearing walls and chimney breasts removed safely, with engineer-designed steels and building control sign-off.
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New-build houses
Replacement houses of up to seven bedrooms, from demolition and foundations to the landscaped garden.
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The standard we build to
A nice finish is easy to spot on handover day. What decides whether an extension still looks good in twenty years is everything underneath it, so that’s where we’re fussiest.
- Foundations dug to the depth building control signs off, with deeper footings or anti-heave protection where Croydon’s clay and nearby trees demand it.
- Steel beams designed by a structural engineer and installed with the house properly propped, never “by eye”.
- Weatherproofing done properly: cavity trays, damp-proof courses and lead flashings, all fitted before they’re hidden.
- Insulation to current building regulations, so your new space is warm in winter and cheap to heat.
- Inspections at every stage by building control, and the completion certificate in your hands at the end.
Fixed prices and straight answers
Every quote we send is fixed and itemised, broken down by trade, with fees like scaffolding, skips and building control listed rather than tucked away. If you change your mind about something mid-build, we price the change in writing before we do it.
And if we open a wall and find something nobody could have known about, like rotten joists or an old flue, we stop, show you, explain the options and agree the cost before carrying on. That’s how it should work, and it’s why our customers keep coming back with their next project.
Highly rated by Croydon homeowners
We’re rated 4.8 out of 5 on Google from 24 reviews, and most of our work comes from recommendations. A few words from our customers:
“Superb job from start to finish! Baz and his team constructed a new extention with kitchen for us and couldnt have been more helpful.. nothing was too much trouble.”
Lianne Edwards · Google review “Work was carried out to an extremly high standard we couldnt be more happy!”
Google review “We have no hesitation in recommending Baz and Smiley Building Services.”
Google review “From the very first day we had you on site; we have been absolutely delighted with the work that has been carried out. Your guys have been professional from start to finish. They have been courteous at all times and have been immaculately tidy, trustworthy and have between them made what might otherwise have been quite a stressful time actually a real pleasure - i.e. seeing the progress that was made each day. The whole experience was a real pleasure for us. The end result has likewise exceeded our expectations... in fact, other people who've worked on the extension since (such as the decorators) have spontaneously commented on what an excellent job has been made.”
Miss Charlotte, CR5 · Customer testimonial “Smiley (Bassem) was very professional from the beginning when he came over to do the initial quote right until he completed the job. The workmanship was excellent , quick, reliable hard worker. and very good value for money. The work was of a high standard very pleasant to deal with. Highly recommend, would definitely use again.”
Sarah, SE25 · Customer testimonial “I felt I must thank you for the fantastic job your lads have done on my loft conversion. It is absolutely beautiful. I cannot praise each and every one of them enough. Nothing was too much trouble for any of them, they were all so helpful, and at times very patient with my indecision of things! I will have no hesitation in recommending Smiley Building Services to anyone. They have done us proud and themselves proud.”
Mr Rogger, SW19 · Customer testimonial
From first call to final snag list
The same simple process on every job, whether it’s a bathroom or a five-bedroom house.
Free site survey
Baz visits, measures up, looks at the structure and talks through what’s possible and what isn’t.
Fixed-price quote
A written, itemised quote and a programme, so you know the cost and the timings before you commit.
Design & approvals
Drawings, structural calculations, planning, party wall and building control, all handled for you.
Build & handover
Managed personally by Baz, with regular updates, a tidy site and a snag list worked through until you’re happy.
- 2003building in Croydon since
- 4.8★Google rating from 24 reviews
- 100%fixed-price, written quotes
- 1owner on site for every job
Recent projects in Croydon and South London
Real jobs for real customers. Click any project for the full story and photos.
New build · Croydon CR0Seven-bedroom new build on Dowen Hill Avenue, Croydon
Our biggest house to date: a 1950s four-bed replaced with a seven-bedroom home, built on clay that had been heaving after mature trees were felled.
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Extension · Shirley, Croydon CR0Rear kitchen extension on Chaffinch Avenue, Shirley
A Croydon family swapped their conservatory for a proper kitchen-diner, and had it finished in eight weeks.
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Extension · Lee SE12Rear extension and ground-floor refit on Horn Park Lane, SE12
Swapping a tired conservatory for a 40m² kitchen extension, on clay soil that was already lifting the house.
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Refurbishment · West WickhamFull house refurbishment on West Wickham Road
An interior designer who knew exactly what she wanted, and needed a builder who would build it exactly that way.
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New build · Wallington SM6Five-bedroom new build at Woodcote Green
A two-bed bungalow from the 1940s came down, and a modern five-bedroom family house went up in its place.
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Extension · Chislehurst BR7Rear extension and ground-floor refurbishment on Oakdene Avenue
A small extension that changed the whole ground floor, finished in 12 weeks.
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Building across every corner of Croydon
Croydon’s houses vary street by street, and so do the challenges. Knowing them is half the job.
South Norwood, Thornton Heath & Selhurst
Victorian and Edwardian terraces where a side-return or wrap-around kitchen extension, a rear dormer loft and party wall notices are the norm. SE25, CR7.
Shirley, Addiscombe & Woodside
1930s semis that suit a full-width rear extension or a hip-to-gable loft. Our Chaffinch Avenue kitchen extension is a good example. CR0.
South Croydon, Sanderstead & Selsdon
Larger detached houses and generous plots: two-storey extensions, full remodels and replacement new builds. CR2.
Purley, Kenley & Coulsdon
Hillside plots and clay soils, where foundations and drainage need careful thought before any design is fixed. CR5, CR8.
Central Croydon & Waddon
Refurbishments, conversions and landlord work, often to a tight programme between tenancies. CR0.
Bromley, Beckenham & beyond
We work right across South London, including Bromley, Beckenham, West Wickham, Streatham and Sutton. See all areas.
Planning, building control and party walls, handled
The paperwork puts a lot of people off before they start. It doesn’t need to. We deal with Croydon Council’s planning and building control teams all the time, and we know what they’re looking for.
Plenty of extensions and loft conversions in Croydon don’t need a full planning application at all, thanks to permitted development rights. We’ll check whether your house still has those rights (some don’t, because of conservation areas, Article 4 Directions or conditions on earlier permissions) and, where they apply, we recommend a Lawful Development Certificate so you have proof when you sell.
Whether or not planning is needed, almost every structural job needs building regulations approval. We submit it, book the inspections and hand you the completion certificate. If you share a wall with a neighbour, we’ll make sure the party wall notices are served in good time so they don’t hold up the start.
Want to read up first? Start with our guides on planning permission, building control and party wall agreements.
Questions people ask Croydon builders
Straight answers to the things we’re asked most. Anything else, just ring.
How much do builders in Croydon charge?
It depends entirely on the job, the house and the finish you want, which is why we don’t quote over the phone. We visit for free, measure up and then send a fixed-price written quote broken down by trade, so you can see exactly where the money goes and there are no surprise extras later.
Do you do the drawings and planning application?
Yes. We offer a full design-and-build service, so we can arrange the drawings, structural calculations, planning application or Lawful Development Certificate, party wall notices and building control. If you already have an architect and approved drawings, we’re just as happy to build from those.
Do I need planning permission for an extension in Croydon?
Not always. Many single-storey rear extensions and loft conversions fall under permitted development, but there are size limits, and the rights can be removed in conservation areas or by an Article 4 Direction. We check your property’s planning position before anything is designed. Our planning guide explains more.
How long does a house extension take?
As a rough guide, a single-storey extension takes 8 to 12 weeks on site and a two-storey extension 12 to 16 weeks, plus time beforehand for design and approvals. You’ll get a written programme before we start, and Baz will keep you updated as the job goes on.
Who will actually be on site?
Our own core team, with Baz, the owner, managing every job personally. The person who quotes your project is the person checking the work, which is a big part of why customers recommend us.
Are you insured and accredited?
Yes. We carry public liability, employer’s liability and contract works insurance. We’re TrustMark registered, the government-endorsed quality scheme, and members of the National Federation of Builders, the Association of Master Tradesmen and the National Association of Building Contractors.
Which areas of Croydon do you cover?
All of it, from Thornton Heath and South Norwood to Shirley, Addiscombe, South Croydon, Sanderstead, Selsdon, Purley and Coulsdon, plus Bromley, Beckenham, West Wickham and the rest of South London. See all the areas we cover.
Can we stay in the house while the work is done?
Usually, yes. For extensions we keep the existing house sealed off from the works for as long as possible and only break through at the end. For whole-house refurbishments we’ll talk honestly about whether a few weeks elsewhere would make life easier and the job quicker.
Latest from the team
Get the Order of Trades Wrong and a Croydon Extension Costs You Twice
Why the order trades arrive on site matters so much on a Croydon extension or loft conversion, and how we sequence the work so nobody pays for it twice.
Read the article →
Builders in Croydon: What the 2026 Loft Conversion Planning Rules Mean for You
Most Croydon loft conversions still fall under permitted development in 2026. Here are the volume limits, the dormer rules and the Article 4 trap to watch for.
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Thinking About a Loft Conversion in Croydon? Here's What's Changed for 2026
Planning a loft conversion in Croydon this year? What permitted development allows, the proposed ridge-height change and why building regs approval matters.
Read the article →
Book your free site survey in Croydon
Tell us a bit about the job and Baz will give you a ring to arrange a visit. There’s no charge for the survey and no pressure afterwards. You’ll get a fixed-price, itemised written quote, so you know exactly where you stand.
- Call or text07786 254637
- Emailinfo@smileybuildingservices.co.uk
- Opening hoursMon–Fri 8am–6pm, Sat 9am–1pm