Basement swimming pools in St John’s Wood.
Knightsbridge · SW1 · Knightsbridge townhouse, pool and wine roomCompleted work, photograph
St John’s Wood has big villas with big gardens. That gives a pool hall room to spread.
What a St John’s Wood pool can spread into.
- NW8
- Detached and semi detached villas with deep gardens.
- 1.5 metres
- Soil cover that some trees may need.
- Westminster
- Hampstead, to the north, is Camden, with different rules.
NU Projects is a design and build company in Fulham SW6, founded in 2010. We handle basement swimming pools 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.
NW8 is detached and semi detached villas, with deep gardens and mature trees. Many have a garage or lower floor at one side. A pool hall can be planned as a wing under the house. Daylight can reach it through a lightwell.
City Plan Policy 50 gives one storey below the lowest original floor. A large site with good access may be allowed more. The garden limit is half, with an undeveloped margin kept around the boundary. For a pool, the large plot matters most.
Soil and trees set the cover. One metre of soil goes over the basement, plus a drainage layer. Trees may need up to 1.5 metres. The pool roof must carry that soil and its own waterproofing.
In Fulham our own team dug, waterproofed and finished basements. In Knightsbridge we built a townhouse with a pool and a wine room. A St John’s Wood pool draws on both. NU designs, prices and builds it.
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.
- The application
- A structural methodology statement goes in with it. So does the Code of Construction Practice pro forma.
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.
Basements in Westminster.
Knightsbridge·Townhouse
Knightsbridge townhouse, pool and wine room
A Knightsbridge townhouse with a marble lined pool and a wine room.
See the project
Fulham·Basements
Fulham basements
Basements dug, waterproofed and finished by our own team, under Fulham houses.
See the projectCompleted work, photographs
What a basement pool 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 pools.
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 gyms in St John’s Wood
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Pools nearby
- Basement swimming pools across London
- Basement swimming pools in Chelsea
- Basement swimming pools in Kensington
- Basement swimming pools in South Kensington
- Basement swimming pools in Holland Park
- Basement swimming pools in Notting Hill
- Basement swimming pools in Knightsbridge
- Basement swimming pools in Belgravia
- Basement swimming pools in Mayfair
- Basement swimming pools in Hampstead
- Basement swimming pools in Fulham
- Marylebone, Bayswater and Maida Vale
- Islington, Highgate and Primrose Hill
Further reading, from the journal
Can a St John’s Wood villa fit a full length swimming pool?
Large plots often allow it. The tank runs under the garden side of the house.
We lay out the length with the engineer before anything else.
Why might a St John’s Wood pool hall be allowed more depth?
Policy 50 says a large site with good access may be allowed more.
Each case is judged on its plot.
What goes on the roof of a St John’s Wood pool under the lawn?
One metre of soil and a drainage layer, at least.
The structure is designed to carry that weight with the lawn on top.
Do St John’s Wood trees limit a pool hall?
They can. Roots set where the tank may go. Soil cover may rise to 1.5 metres.
We survey the trees first.
What paperwork does a St John’s Wood pool need?
A structural methodology statement and the Code of Construction Practice pro forma.
Our team prepares both with your architect.
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