Rear extensions in London
The rear extension is the most frequent residential brief in London, and the decisions made at the outset shape everything that follows.
The rear extension is the most frequent residential brief in London, and the decisions made at the outset shape everything that follows.
A rear extension reorganises the ground floor of a house around the garden. On a London terrace it typically replaces a narrow rear return with a single room for cooking, dining and living, drawing daylight into the centre of the plan.
The studio begins with the relationship between old and new: the proportion of the opening to the garden, the meeting of roof lines, the orientation of glazing and the way the new room is entered. These decisions are made in the first weeks of the project, and they determine whether the extension reads as part of the house or as an addition to it. Three options are tested before a direction is chosen.
Many single-storey rear extensions fall within permitted development; others, including most in conservation areas or under Article 4 directions, require a householder application. The planning position of each property is established at the outset, together with party wall obligations to neighbouring owners.
The work proceeds through feasibility, concept design, planning, technical design and construction. A complete technical package reduces uncertainty at tender, and the studio administers the building contract through to practical completion.
Fees are fixed for each stage and confirmed in writing once the scope is agreed. Construction cost depends on the site, the specification and the procurement route, and is established through an indicative cost plan at feasibility stage.
Fees are fixed at each stage and confirmed in writing, so that cost is known before design begins.
A director leads each project from the first conversation to completion, giving continuity at every stage.
Every enquiry is answered by a director within one working day, and progress is reported at every stage.
Advice follows the evidence, including where it departs from the initial brief.
Design is resolved in detail before it reaches site, so that the quality of the idea is carried into the built work.
Services that usually sit alongside this appointment. Fixed fees, staged, with a director leading the work.
Provide the site address and a summary of the requirement. A director will respond within one working day.