Basement conversion and construction in Highgate.
North London · N2 · North London house, reconfigured and fitted outCompleted work, photograph
Basements under Highgate’s larger houses. Haringey and Camden judge them differently, so we design to the right one.
A Highgate basement under a bigger garden.
- DM18
- Haringey tests harm, not a storey count
- Policy A5
- Camden’s one storey limit
- Burland 1
- Camden’s cap on damage next door
NU Projects is a design and build company in Fulham SW6, founded in 2010. We handle basement conversion and construction in Highgate N6, under one contract. A new basement dig typically runs £500k to £900k. Converting an existing basement runs £180k to £300k. Call 020 7731 6841, and a budget estimate typically follows within seven days.
Highgate’s detached and semi-detached houses often have real gardens. That makes a basement realistic here.
Haringey’s Policy DM18 sets no fixed storey count or garden share. It asks whether the dig harms stability, drainage, trees or neighbours.
Soil must stay deep enough over any part under the lawn. Habitable rooms in flood prone spots need a safe way out.
Camden’s Policy A5 is stricter on size. One storey, under half of each garden, below 1.5 times the footprint.
Camden also caps damage next door at Burland category 1. A Construction Management Plan is generally required.
What the council allows in Highgate.
- Council
- Haringey or Camden, set by the address. Both adopted the 2017 neighbourhood plan.
- DM18 tests
- Stability, flooding, trees, character and amenity are each weighed. Adequate soil stays over garden sections.
- Front light wells
- Under DM18, one may not take more than 50% of the front garden.
- Camden size
- Policy A5. One storey, half of each garden at most, under 1.5 times the footprint.
- Camden neighbours
- Damage next door is capped at Burland category 1, checked by an audited assessment.
Source: Haringey’s Development Management DPD 2017, Policy DM18, and the Highgate Neighbourhood Plan. Read on 25 October 2026. Policies change, so we read them again for your address.
Our basements, and a house nearby.
North London·House
North London house, reconfigured and fitted out
A house in N2, a short way north, reconfigured and fitted out by NU.
See the project
Fulham·Basements
Fulham basements
Basements we dug, waterproofed and finished in Fulham. Not Highgate, but the same team.
See the projectCompleted work, photographs
What a basement costs in Highgate.
£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.
Highgate’s slope can add ground investigation and monitoring time.
Both guide figures are project totals.
Fees, any audit, party wall costs, contingency and VAT sit outside them.
Open the calculatorThe 2026 cost guideBasement costs in fullCan I build it here?
What Highgate owners ask about basements.
In Highgate
- Every service in Islington, Highgate and Primrose Hill
- Design and build in Highgate
- Party wall surveying in Highgate
- Planning consultants in Highgate
- MEP services in Highgate
Basements nearby
- Basement construction across London
- Basement case studies in London
- Basement construction in Fulham
- Basement construction in Chelsea
- Basement construction in Kensington
- Basement construction in St John’s Wood
- Basement construction in South Kensington
- Basement construction in Knightsbridge
- Basement construction in Belgravia
- Basement construction in Mayfair
- Basement construction in Marylebone
- Basement construction in Holland Park
- Basement construction in Hampstead
- Basement construction in Notting Hill
- Basement construction in Clapham
- Basement construction in Weybridge
- Basement construction in Cobham
- Basement construction in Oxshott
- Basement construction in Primrose Hill
- Basement construction in Earl’s Court
- Basement construction in Pimlico
- Basement construction in Westminster
- Hampstead and St John’s Wood
- Camden
- Fitzrovia and Bloomsbury
Further reading, from the blog
Does Haringey limit how deep a Highgate basement can go?
DM18 sets no storey count like Camden’s A5.
Stability, flooding, trees and neighbours set the practical limit instead.
Can a Highgate basement extend under the back garden?
Often, on these plots. Haringey asks for enough soil above it.
In Camden, it may cover no more than half of each garden.
Why does Camden audit a Highgate basement report?
Its Basement Impact Assessment is checked independently, at the applicant’s cost.
The audit tests groundwater, drainage and the effect next door.
What does a Highgate basement cost?
A new dig is £500k to £900k and more, in our 2026 cost guide.
Converting an existing cellar is £180k to £300k. Both are project totals.
Tell us about your home in Highgate.
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