Journal257 posts, 2017 to 2026

The design and build journal.

Every job teaches something. This is where it gets written up. Planning, basements, costs, finishes and the people who build them.

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LatestBasements3 min read

Daylight in a London basement

A basement feels like a living floor when daylight is planned with the structure. How lightwells, rooflights and glass work in a London home.

Read it
Looking up through a frameless structural glass roof with glass fins to the brick rear wall of the neighbouring house.

Seen on siteOur own photographs

Three notes, and a room we have built.

Each picture is a finished NU room on the subject the note is about.

  1. Dining room with red walls and two glass chandeliers.

    Home renovation3 min read

    10 costly London renovation mistakes

    Avoid ten costly London renovation mistakes. NU Projects explains how better surveys, design, budgeting, procurement and management protect your home.

    Dining room with red walls and two glass chandeliers.
  2. Living room with tall windows and a bold portrait painting.

    Home renovation6 min read

    High end renovation cost in London, 2026

    Compare realistic 2026 high-end London renovation rates, professional fees, contingency and the factors that drive total project cost.

    Living room with tall windows and a bold portrait painting.
  3. Dining table set beside glazing that opens onto the terrace.

    Architecture4 min read

    Inside a prime London renovation

    Inside the NU Projects prime London renovation process, from first consultation and design through approvals, construction, snagging and handover.

    Dining table set beside glazing that opens onto the terrace.

The writing11 pages

Read the work.

  1. Home renovation3 min read

    Renovating a London apartment: lease first

    A London apartment renovation starts with the lease and the building’s rules. What to check before the layout, the price and the programme.

  2. Home renovation3 min read

    Heating, cooling and ventilation: decide early

    Services are the first thing to take space in a renovation. When to decide heating, cooling, ventilation and controls in a London home.

  3. Home renovation3 min read

    Snagging and handover on a London renovation

    Practical completion is not the day everything is done. What snagging covers, how a defects period differs from a warranty, what a handover pack needs.

  4. Architecture3 min read

    Listed building consent in London

    Listing does not stop at the front door. How listed building consent differs from planning, why a conservation area is separate, and what you can change.

  5. Home renovation3 min read

    Stage payments on a London renovation

    How stage payments and valuations work on a London renovation, what retention holds back, how provisional sums differ from contingency, and what to ask.

  6. Basements3 min read

    Basement waterproofing and pumps in London

    What keeps a London basement dry. Waterproofing as one coordinated design, when pumps are needed, alarms, servicing and costs.

  7. Loft conversion2 min read

    Loft conversion staircase and headroom

    Where the loft staircase goes decides the floor below. Headroom, the measured section, dormer or mansard, and what a London loft conversion costs to build.

  8. Extensions3 min read

    Planning permission for a London extension

    A decision date is not a start date. What sits either side of the council decision, plus pre-application advice and refusals.

  9. Extensions4 min read

    Side return or rear extension: how to choose

    Side return or rear extension for a London terrace? What each one is, what moves the cost of each, and how a design and build contractor chooses.

  10. Architecture6 min read

    What a contractor owes an architect at tender

    Six things a tender return should give an architect. Bill of quantities, method statements, shop drawing sign off and subcontractor detail.

  11. Home renovation3 min read

    The Fulham house from a coffee queue

    A basement, a rear extension and a full renovation in Fulham. One contract and one team. Three years from the first drawing to handover.

  12. Interior design3 min read

    A paint job that became a Chelsea house

    A small decorating job in Chelsea we nearly turned down. It became a whole house. It also taught us what discretion is worth here.

  13. Home renovation2 min read

    Full house renovation cost London

    Why a London full renovation is quoted as a band. What puts a project at each end. How to use the figure before drawings exist.

  14. Extensions3 min read

    Rear extension cost in London, explained

    What a London rear extension costs per square foot. What the build rate covers, what moves it, and how it compares with a side return.

  15. Design and build3 min read

    Open-book estimate for a London renovation

    An open-book estimate shows what each element costs, what is assumed and what is excluded. What to look for in a London renovation quote, and what to ask.

  16. Interior design3 min read

    Bespoke joinery studio, Fulham High Street

    Inside the NU Projects design studio on Fulham High Street: Cochrane Bespoke hand made kitchens, wardrobes, vanity units and furniture. Come and see it.

  17. Loft conversion4 min read

    Loft conversion cost in London

    What a loft conversion costs in London, why it is the cheapest way to add a room, and how to tell a real estimate from a guess before you sign.

  18. Design and build4 min read

    Party wall agreement cost in London

    What a London party wall agreement costs, and who handles the notices and awards. Why it can delay a project but never stop one.

  19. Architecture6 min read

    Architect vs design and build: which to choose

    Compare architect-led and design-and-build routes for a London renovation, including accountability, cost, programme, design quality and risk.

  20. Home renovation3 min read

    16 years building luxury London homes

    Sixteen years of building high end London homes, told by the founder. Trust, planning ahead, the small details and the people who make it work.

  21. Home renovationArea guides9 areas

    North London area guides

    One guide to each area. The houses, the planning position, and the work each place takes.

The full archive257 posts

Every post, by year.

Open a year and read down the list. Nothing here sits behind a pager.

202692 posts
202531 posts
202433 posts
202352 posts
202215 posts
202110 posts
20203 posts
201910 posts
201810 posts
20171 post

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