Basement construction and remodelling in London

Basement construction and remodelling have become the way homeowners add space in prime London areas such as Fulham, Chelsea, South Kensington, Mayfair and Belgravia, where there is nothing left to build on above ground. NU Projects builds single, double and triple basements, using underpinning or piling depending on the ground and the building, with a monitoring regime that keeps the neighbours’ properties out of trouble.

In a city with as little spare land as London, going down is often the only way to add floor area at all. NU Projects has been building in London since 2010, and basements are a large part of that. Knowing the local ground, the borough and the Building Regulations is most of the job before anybody digs.

A basement can be anything the house is short of: bedrooms, a utility room, a cinema, a wine room, a pool, a gym, a sauna, or a self contained flat. What it should be depends on the plan above it and on how much natural light can be brought down.

Local planning is where basements are won and lost. Every London borough sets its own requirements, and they commonly include a traffic management plan, a construction management plan, soil testing and detailed structural engineering calculations. Eco home assessments, flood risk assessments and other documents have to be prepared by specialist consultants.

Assembling the documents for a basement planning application can cost several thousand pounds before a spade goes in the ground, which is why it is worth having people who have done it before. NU Projects has a record of getting basement approvals through, and we can tell you early whether a basement is realistic at your address.

If you are thinking about expanding downwards, we can walk you through what it involves. Our published rates for basement work are on the cost calculator.

If you would like to speak to us about a basement, tell us about the house, call the studio on 020 7731 6841, or message us on WhatsApp. We answer within a few hours, weekends included.