Basement cinema rooms in St John’s Wood.
Chelsea · SW3 · Chelsea townhouse, full refurbishmentCompleted work, photograph
St John’s Wood villas have wide plots and wide floors. A cinema can be a full room, with a lobby and rack room.
A St John’s Wood cinema, under the villa.
- Wide villa floors
- The room can be large and well proportioned.
- Half the garden
- The basement may run under no more than half.
- One team
- NU designs, prices and builds.
NU Projects is a design and build company in Fulham SW6, founded in 2010. We handle basement cinema rooms in St John’s Wood NW8, under one contract. A basement runs £450 to £780 a sq ft, construction only. Call 020 7731 6841, and a budget estimate typically follows within seven days.
St John’s Wood is detached and semi detached villas in large gardens. Plots are wide and quiet. A cinema can be a full room with a proper lobby. Families often want one space for films and for sport.
Westminster allows one storey below the lowest original floor. A large site with good access may be allowed more. The basement may run under no more than half the garden. An undeveloped margin stays around the boundary.
A wide villa floor suits raked seating, with a step behind the front row. The ceiling can rise over the back. A big screen needs a clear throw from the projector. We design the sight lines before we fix the structure.
Under Fulham houses we have dug, waterproofed and finished whole lower floors. In Chelsea, a townhouse of ours holds a cinema with copper shelving. A single contract covers the structure, the sound and the screen.
What the council allows in St John’s Wood.
- Council
- City of Westminster. Hampstead, to the north, is Camden, with different rules.
- Depth
- City Plan Policy 50. One storey below the lowest original floor. A large site with good access may be allowed more.
- The garden
- It may run under no more than half the garden. An undeveloped margin is kept around the boundary.
- Soil and trees
- A metre of soil and a drainage layer go over it. Trees may need 1.5 metres.
Source: Westminster’s City Plan, January 2026 edition, Policy 50. Read on 2 October 2026. Policies change, so we read them again for your address.
Rooms we have built.
Chelsea·Townhouse
Chelsea townhouse, full refurbishment
A cinema room with a deep corner sofa and copper shelving, in Chelsea.
See the project
Fulham·Basements
Fulham basements
A tall basement sitting room with a chandelier under a rooflight, in Fulham.
See the projectCompleted work, photographs
What a basement cinema costs in St John’s Wood.
£450 to £780a sq ft, construction only. Our basement band.
£180k to £300kConverting an existing basement. A project total, from our 2026 cost guide.
£500k to £900k+Digging a new basement. A project total, from our 2026 cost guide.
These are two kinds of figure. The band is a rate per square foot, construction only.
The cost guide figures are whole project totals.
Fees, party wall costs, contingency and VAT sit outside them.
What St John’s Wood owners ask about cinemas.
In St John’s Wood
- Every service in Hampstead and St John’s Wood
- Basement construction in St John’s Wood
- Luxury refurbishment in St John’s Wood
- Loft conversion in St John’s Wood
- Basement swimming pools in St John’s Wood
- Basement gyms in St John’s Wood
- Basement golf simulator rooms in St John’s Wood
Cinemas nearby
- Basement cinema rooms across London
- Basement cinema rooms in Chelsea
- Basement cinema rooms in Kensington
- Basement cinema rooms in South Kensington
- Basement cinema rooms in Holland Park
- Basement cinema rooms in Notting Hill
- Basement cinema rooms in Knightsbridge
- Basement cinema rooms in Belgravia
- Basement cinema rooms in Mayfair
- Basement cinema rooms in Hampstead
- Basement cinema rooms in Fulham
- Marylebone, Bayswater and Maida Vale
- Islington, Highgate and Primrose Hill
Further reading, from the journal
How large can a St John’s Wood villa cinema be?
The half garden limit sets the outer edge.
Inside it, a villa floor can hold a full room and a lobby.
Can a St John’s Wood cinema room have two rows of raked seats?
Yes, where the ceiling allows a step behind the front row.
We test sight lines on the drawings first.
What does a St John’s Wood basement cinema cost?
Our basement band is £450 to £780 a sq ft, construction only.
A wide villa floor means a larger area, so a larger total.
Do trees limit a St John’s Wood basement cinema?
They can. Trees may need up to 1.5 metres of soil above.
That cover affects how deep the slab sits.
Why have a separate rack room in a St John’s Wood cinema?
Equipment makes heat and fan noise.
A rack room keeps both away from the seats.
Tell us about your home in St John’s Wood.
Your name and one way to reply are enough. It goes straight to the studio.
- Already have an architect or designer? We build to their design. Working with your designer
- An NDA on request, and your home is never published without your consent. How we work in confidence