Basement contractors in London. We design, engineer and build basements under one contract. Basement cost in London, the 2026 figures.
Basement conversions in Fulham, Chelsea and Kensington.
Collectors often ask us the same thing. Can I see the cars from the sofa?
The answer is usually yes. But a garage holds fuel, batteries and tyres. The wall to the house is a fire wall first and a window second.
Here is what the rules ask, and how we design around them. Our sister studio BELOW plans this view in most of its galleries.
A garage must be separated from the house
Building regulations in England treat an integral garage as a fire risk. Approved Document B sets the guidance.
Harrow Council’s guidance puts it plainly. The garage is separated from the house by 30 minute fire-resisting construction.
A glass wall is an opening in that wall. So the glass must give the same fire resistance as the wall around it.
Fire-resisting glass is a tested system
Fire-resisting glazing is not just thick glass. It is a tested assembly of glass, frame, seals and fixings.
Each part is installed exactly as it was tested. A different frame or a site change can void the rating.
We choose the system with the fire engineer and building control first. Then the frame details follow the test.
The door needs a closer
Most layouts add a door from the house into the gallery. It carries the same rule as the wall.
The guidance asks for a self-closing fire door with smoke seals. Camden asks for at least E30 fire resistance.
A self-closing door must close fully on its own. We test it at handover, and again at each service.
The floor stops fuel reaching the house
Fuel vapour is heavier than air and runs along the floor. The guidance deals with that too.
The garage floor should fall away from the door to the house. Or the house floor sits 100mm higher than the garage floor.
In a basement, we often do both. The step also keeps wash water out of the lounge.
Electric cars change the fire plan
Electric cars burn differently. Battery fires can be hard to put out and can give off toxic smoke.
The government has published fire safety guidance for electric cars in covered car parks. We use it to shape detection, charging positions and smoke venting.
Chargers sit on their own protected circuits. Charging can stop if the alarm sounds.
The air must not mix
The gallery and the lounge need separate air systems. Fumes from the garage must never reach the house.
The gallery is held at lower pressure, so air flows in, not out. Its exhaust leaves well away from windows and the garden.
Two kinds of fire rating
Some fire glass only holds back flame and smoke. Other glass also limits the heat that passes through it.
Which one you need depends on the layout. A sofa close to the glass may call for the second kind.
Building control and the fire engineer decide this with us. We then draw the furniture plan around the result.
Sound and smell stay on their side
A car starting below ground is loud. Good glazing and seals keep the noise in the gallery.
Smell is an air problem, not a glass problem. Separate air, with the gallery at lower pressure, keeps fumes out of the lounge.
We test both at handover. Start a car in the gallery and stand in the lounge. You should notice neither.
Keeping the view clear
Glass this size needs safe access for cleaning on both sides. We plan it with the joinery, so nothing is in the way.
Lighting decides the view as much as the glass. A darker lounge and a lit gallery stop reflections at night.
Blinds can close the view when you want privacy. They sit on the lounge side, away from the fire line.
What it means for the build order
Fire glass is heavy and made to order. Its frame must be fixed to structure that can carry it.
So the opening is formed early, with the right supports. It is protected until the glass arrives. The glass goes in late, after the dusty trades have finished.
Each pane carries a label that proves its rating. Building control may ask to see it, so it stays visible.
Lighting both sides of the glass
At night, glass becomes a mirror if the lounge is brighter than the gallery. Balance the two and the cars appear.
We set the lounge scenes and the gallery scenes together. One button gives the view, with each room at the right level.
Questions to ask your designer
Which tested glazing system will you use, and who installs it? Which rating does the layout need?
Where is the second way out of the gallery? How does the air stay separate from the house?
Who signs off the fire strategy with building control? And who looks after the door closers once you move in?
Design it in from the first sketch
The view works only if fire, air and structure are drawn together. That is why one team should design and build it.
Our basement car galleries and building control pages show how we run it.
For more information, head over to nuprojects.co. Fill out the contact form, or call 020 7731 6841.
This is the work we do. Basement contractors in London, or ask for a cost estimate.
Published 23 October 2026. Written by the NU Projects studio, edited since for house style and accuracy.