Refurbishment & building in Wandsworth.

We know
Wandsworth.

Wandsworth, and the 'between the commons' streets in particular, is prime Victorian terraced family territory and one of south-west London's busiest renovation markets.

Demand for family space keeps side-return and loft work constant. Some streets are conservation areas, which we plan around, but much of SW18 allows straightforward extension projects.

Typical SW18 jobs are side-return kitchen extensions, loft conversions and whole-house refurbishments.

Victorian streets
around the common.

Wandsworth is mainly late Victorian and Edwardian terraces: the streets between the commons, the long terraces of Earlsfield and the regular grid of Southfields. Along the river and around the town centre there are newer apartment blocks. For houses the projects are remarkably consistent, because the house types are.

Many SW18 houses were last renovated in the 1980s or 1990s, and the work from then is now reaching the end of its life: flat-roofed back extensions, old double glazing, combination boilers and consumer units without modern protection. A planned refurbishment can deal with all of it in one programme rather than in a string of separate repairs.

Parking and access around the commons and in Earlsfield can be tight, and the council requires licences for skips and scaffolding on the highway. We arrange those and plan deliveries so the street is not blocked for longer than it needs to be.

We also take on smaller jobs across SW18: replacing a tired bathroom, fitting new flooring through a ground floor, repointing a front bay, or rewiring before a sale. Every job, large or small, gets a written fixed quote before it starts.

If you are selling, a pre-sale list of repairs dealt with in advance can make the buyer's survey much less eventful.

Side-return kitchens

Extending into the side return and opening up the back of the house is the defining Wandsworth project, usually with steel beams and new drainage.

Loft conversions

Rear and L-shaped dormers add a bedroom and bathroom. On some streets near the commons the council controls roof alterations more tightly.

Full refurbishment

Many buyers take on a house that has not been touched for decades and redo it in one go: rewiring, plumbing, heating, plaster, kitchen, bathrooms and floors.

The Wandsworth
shortlist.

In SW18 we are mostly asked for lofts, side-return extensions, refurbishments, steel beams for knock-throughs, replastering and flooring.

Wandsworth Council
rules.

Wandsworth has a number of conservation areas, including streets around Wandsworth Common, where roof extensions and front alterations may need permission. Elsewhere many lofts and single storey rear extensions are permitted development, subject to the limits and to party wall notices for terraced houses. We confirm your route before pricing.

Know the cost
before you offer.

Wandsworth houses change hands often, and survey reports on them tend to list the same items: roof coverings near the end of their life, cracked lintels, damp at the back addition and wiring that needs testing. If you are buying, we inspect and give you an estimate to use in your negotiations. If you buy, we re-inspect and issue a fixed quotation. See survey repair quotes for how it works.

Roofs and chimneys

Victorian roofs in SW18 are often on their second or third covering. We repair or re-roof and rebuild chimneys where needed.

Electrics

An EICR shows whether the wiring can stay or needs replacing before the new kitchen and plaster go in.

Streets we
know well.

In Earlsfield the terraces are narrower and the side returns tighter, so extensions need careful design. In the Southfields grid the Edwardian houses are larger and many have already had a first loft or extension, so projects are often about improving what is there. Near the commons the houses are bigger again, with more period detail to protect.

Riverside and
town centre flats.

Newer flats along the river and around Wandsworth town centre mostly need fit-out, repairs and landlord certificates. For these we work within the building's rules and the managing agent's requirements, and send certificates on the day of inspection.

The rooms that
sell SW18 houses.

Most Wandsworth projects end with a new kitchen and at least one new bathroom. We plan these with the structural work, so drainage, extraction and power are in the right place before the plaster goes on.

Utility space

Side-return extensions often make room for a utility or downstairs WC, which needs its own drainage and ventilation.

Working with
the neighbours.

Almost every loft and extension on a Wandsworth terrace affects the walls shared with the neighbours. Notices under the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 must be served before work starts, and if a neighbour does not consent, a party wall surveyor is appointed. We make sure the timing of notices fits the programme so the job is not held up.

What happens
after you call.

1. Your brief

   What you want from the house, with photos and any drawings.

2. Survey

   We check walls, roof, drainage and access at a visit.

3. Written fixed quote

   A staged price agreed before work starts.

4. Managed build

   Scaffold to snagging, run by one contact.

Common questions
about Wandsworth.