Whether you are selling soon or building equity to stay, three pieces of work do more for a London house than anything else. Here is what each one gives you and what each one asks of the building.
1. A basement conversion
A basement is the only direction left when the plot is fixed and the roof is already converted. Converting or excavating one adds floor area without changing the elevations, and it takes the rooms that do not need daylight: a cinema, a gym, a utility room, plant or storage. That frees the floors above for bedrooms and living space, which is the real gain.
It is also the most disruptive and most technically demanding work you can do to an occupied house. Read the ten checks worth making before appointing anybody.
2. A loft conversion
A loft gives you a whole floor without changing the footprint, usually a bedroom, a bathroom and sometimes a study. It is typically the least expensive way to add floor area, because the roof and the walls are already there.
The two decisions that decide whether it works are where the new stair lands, because it takes space from the floor below, and how much head height survives once the insulation and the structure are allowed for.
3. A kitchen extension
The kitchen is the room the ground floor is planned around, and extending it changes how the whole floor works rather than just adding to it. Open-plan layouts with proper storage and good appliances are what most buyers are looking for.
Where the glass goes matters more than how much of it there is, because a badly glazed extension makes the original kitchen darker.
Our own construction rates for all three are published in the NU Build Cost Calculator, so you can work out the number before you speak to anybody.
For more information, call us on 020 7731 6841 or tell us about the house. We reply the same day.
Published 12 November 2023. Written by the NU Projects studio, edited since for house style and accuracy.