How to pick a basement contractor in Fulham

Digging under a Fulham house

A basement is the most involved thing you can do to a London terrace. It touches the structure, the ground, the drainage and the neighbours. Picking the contractor matters more here than on any other kind of job. This is what to look at, and how NU Projects runs the work.

1. Local ground, not general experience

Fulham sits on clay with a high water table. That decides the underpinning sequence, the waterproofing design and the pumping. Ask any contractor what they have built on the same ground, and what the groundwater did to the programme.

NU Projects has worked in Fulham since 2010, and across Chelsea, South Kensington and Hampstead. The local planning and building control routes are familiar, which shortens the approvals stage rather than removing it.

2. A process you can see

Ask what happens between the first visit and the first spade. NU starts with a site visit, then a plan and technical drawings, then a fixed price against that drawn scope. The pricing is open book, so the client can see what sits behind each figure.

3. One contract, or several

A basement can be split across a designer, an engineer, a groundworks contractor and a fit out team. Every split is a place where responsibility can be argued about later.

NU carries design, excavation, waterproofing to UK standards, construction and fit out under one contract, with specialist suppliers brought in where the work needs them. See basement construction for the full scope.

4. What is guaranteed, and by whom

Ask for the warranty in writing, and ask who stands behind it. Every NU basement carries a ten year structural warranty, public liability insurance and contract works cover. NU acts as principal designer under CDM, so the health and safety duties sit with a named party.

5. What the space is actually for

A basement adds floor area, and in a prime London street that area is worth having. It is also the room that takes a cinema, a gym, a pool or a guest suite without disturbing the floors above.

Decide what the room is for before the design is fixed. Ceiling height, acoustics, ventilation and access all follow from that one decision. The build cost calculator carries the published basement rates by tier.

How the work runs

1. Site visit: we look at the property, assess feasibility and talk through what the space is for.
2. Drawings and price: detailed drawings, a programme and a price against a written scope.
3. Build: temporary works, excavation, structure, waterproofing, services and finishes, in that order.
4. Handover: certificates, manuals, commissioning records and a defined defects period.

Serving Fulham, Chelsea, South Kensington, Battersea and the surrounding districts.

To talk to the team, send two lines through the contact form. You can also call 020 7731 6841. We usually reply within a few hours, weekends included.