So you’ve decided to stay and improve, rather than face the stress of moving. But how do you decide between a loft conversion or a ground floor house extension? You may be surprised to learn that the answer is not necessarily dependent on your budget; your house type is an equally important factor.
With over 25 years of experience across London’s housing stock, featuring everything from Victorian terraces to semi-detached Edwardian homes, we’re pretty well placed to know exactly what we’re talking about.
Building Projects for Victorian & Edwardian Terraced Homes in South London
These are the most common types of projects we work on.
If you have a Victorian or Edwardian terraced home, we find dormer loft conversions (standard or L-shape) and mansard loft conversions to yield the best results in adding space and value. If you are loath to relinquish any of your garden space in any form, this is likely a better choice for you. You can find a good example of an L-shape dormer loft conversion here.
When it comes to the type of extension, you’ll get real bang for your buck on a side return, and maximise using that space outside the back door (that is often just a transit space rather than used as a garden). This project we completed in Balham has stunning photos of the side return extension we did alongside a loft conversion.
Building Projects For London’s 1920s and 1930s Houses
We frequently work on this type of housing stock, usually found a little further out of London.
The most popular option for a loft conversion on a 1930s home is a rear dormer, or a hip to gable when the home is semi-detached or end of terrace. You can see a fabulous hip to gable example here.
As this type of house is a little further out from the city and has more green space, we think an extension likely has the edge in the choice here. Rear and wraparound extensions absolutely transform the ground floor space, and create some of the most stunning kitchens. Have a look at this enviable wraparound extension on a 1930s home.
Projects for End of Terrace & Semi-Detached Houses
End of terrace homes and semis sometimes need to be treated as mid-terrace homes, as it will depend on your roof being gable ended or having a sloping hip end. We can tell you what your options are when we meet with you.
That being said, a hip to gable extension, combined with a rear dormer, can create wonderful amounts of space and value. Have a look at a recent hip to gable project of ours in Herne Hill.
You can also have any kind of ground floor extension, which may be the option to choose if your structure doesn’t allow for the loft style of your preference, but that will depend on the space available for you. Here’s a lovely modern example of a rear extension on an end terrace home.
Larger town houses
You may have more space in the building itself but the space you have outside of it will influence your choices.
If you’re in something like a townhouse, a loft conversion makes sense as your exterior space will be limited. We did a lovely double mansard here.
If you have outside space, then the world really is your oyster. If a wraparound extension is possible in your budget then you may find that is the winning choice. Have a look at this Greenwich wraparound extension we completed.
Options for Flats, Maisonettes and Conservation Areas in London
Please note that more often than not there’ll be more hoops to jump through in terms of planning permission. Not to dissuade you at all – just to be realistic with the administrative side of things!
Conservation areas may have rules (for example, about what is visible from street level), so we’ll need to come and visit you before we can advise appropriately.
What About Loft Conversions With a Low Roof?
A low-rise loft need NOT be an end to your plans. Even if you’ve found that you can’t stand up in your loft, or you have been told by a less experienced loft company that your property isn’t suitable for conversion, we’d still welcome your inquiry and we’ll happily come and see.
We’ve written more on loft height suitability here, and you can also see a previous project successful planning permission granted for a raised ridge here.
South London Lofts: 25 years of experience and counting
Unlike many of our competitors, we’ve got literal decades of experience under our belts, and hundreds of happy customers to prove it – please check out our testimonials! All of our projects come with a 10 year guarantee, to give you maximum peace of mind. For a free appointment please send us a message via our contact form, or call us on 020 8673 4114
