Basement construction in St John’s Wood.
Fulham · SW6 · Fulham basementsCompleted work, photograph
Basements under St John’s Wood villas, within Westminster’s one storey rule. Engineered, monitored and built by one team.
A basement under a villa.
- Westminster
- City Plan Policy 50, not CD11
- One storey
- Under half the garden at most
- NW8
- Villas, set back on wide plots
NU Projects is a design and build company in Fulham SW6, founded in 2010. We handle basement conversion and construction 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 villas more than terraces. Many are detached or semi-detached, in stucco or stock brick, with real gardens.
So a basement here can often go wide. The garden, not the party wall, sets the limit.
St John’s Wood sits in the City of Westminster, not Camden. Westminster’s City Plan sets the rules for every basement here.
We design, engineer and build the basement under one contract. Our own quantity surveyor prices it open book.
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 we have built.
Fulham·Basements
Fulham basements
Basements dug, waterproofed and finished by our own team, under Fulham houses.
See the project
Knightsbridge·Townhouse
Knightsbridge townhouse, pool and wine room
A Knightsbridge townhouse with a pool and a wine room, built by NU.
See the projectCompleted work, photographs
What a basement 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.
The band is a rate per square foot, construction only.
The cost guide figures are project totals. Fees, party wall costs, contingency and VAT sit outside.
A wide villa garden often allows a bigger single storey. The total rises with the area.
Open the calculatorThe 2026 cost guideBasement costs in full
What St John’s Wood owners ask about basements.
In St John’s Wood
- Every service in Hampstead and 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 cinema rooms in St John’s Wood
- Basement golf simulator rooms in St John’s Wood
Basements nearby
- Basement construction across London
- Basement construction in Fulham
- Basement construction in Chelsea
- Basement construction in Kensington
- Basement construction in South Kensington
- Basement construction in Knightsbridge
- Basement construction in Belgravia
- 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
- Marylebone, Bayswater and Maida Vale
- Islington, Highgate and Primrose Hill
Further reading, from the journal
Is St John’s Wood in Camden or Westminster?
Westminster. Its basements follow Westminster’s City Plan, Policy 50.
Hampstead, to the north, is Camden, with its own rules.
How big can a basement be under a St John’s Wood house?
One storey below the lowest original floor.
It may run under no more than half the garden. A margin is kept at the boundary.
A large site with good access may be allowed more.
Does a St John’s Wood basement need a structural report?
Yes. A structural methodology statement goes in with the application.
A suitably qualified engineer signs it off.
What does a basement in St John’s Wood cost?
Our basement band is £450 to £780 a sq ft, construction only.
A new dig runs £500k to £900k and more, as a project total.
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