Renovating a house in Fulham

Fulham homeowners, you may be thinking about renovating. This is what the job usually involves here. It is also where it usually goes wrong. It is a short guide rather than a sales pitch.

Understanding Fulham’s architectural style. Most of Fulham is Victorian and Edwardian terraced housing. It is two rooms deep, with a rear closet wing and a side return. It has a loft under a butterfly or a pitched roof. That stock is the reason the same three projects keep coming up here. They are a side return or rear extension and a loft conversion. The third is a basement under the footprint. The house dictates which of the three is worth doing before your taste does.

Navigating local regulations. Fulham sits in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. Much of it falls inside a conservation area. That changes what you can do to the front elevation, roof and windows. It can remove permitted development rights. Check the conservation area first. Then check whether the house is listed. Then check whether a previous owner has already used up the permitted development allowance. Party wall notices are needed on almost every terrace job here.

Setting a realistic budget. Build the budget from the drawings, not from a rate you read somewhere. Add the structural engineer, party wall surveyors, building control and planning fees. Add the kitchen, the flooring, the decoration and VAT. Then hold a contingency. It should reflect how much of the house you have actually opened up. Our published rates for this kind of work are on the cost calculator.

Choosing contractors. Ask for two Fulham clients whose jobs finished in the last year. Telephone them. Ask what changed, what it cost, and how long the answer took. Ask to stand on a live site. Ask for the insurance certificates. That is four questions, and most of the field falls away on them.

Eco-friendly renovations. A renovation is the only cheap chance to improve a Victorian terrace’s fabric. Insulate the roof properly while the loft is open. Insulate the solid walls where you are replastering anyway. Settle glazing and airtightness at design stage. Heating and controls come after the fabric, not before it.

Interior design. The plan matters more than the palette. In a terrace, the decisions that change the feel include where the stairs land. They also cover where the kitchen sits in relation to the garden. They include how much daylight reaches the middle of the plan. Get those right and almost any finish works.

Making the most of the space. Space is short in London, so the wins are usually underneath and above. They are a basement under the footprint and a loft with proper head height. They are also a side return that widens the ground floor. Multifunctional rooms only work if the storage is drawn rather than bought later.

Renovating in Fulham is a long endeavour, and it is worth doing properly. With careful planning, the right team and a clear brief, it adds value. It will add to how you live in it.

If you would like to talk one through, tell us about the house. Or call NU Projects on 020 7731 6841. Our studio is on Fulham High Street.