My name’s Nick Jeffries of NU Projects in Fulham. We specialise in extensions, and especially in basements. Here are two reasons to consider one.
First, you can create that extra living space under the ground you’ve always wanted. Maybe you don’t want to sell your house. You want to stay where you are, and you want to create that extra space under the ground. You can put whatever you want down there: bedrooms with en suites, utility rooms, storage, a cinema room, a playroom, a self-contained flat. Extra bedrooms change what the house can do. We usually put in a 2.8 to 3 metre ceiling height, so it does not feel like a basement when you get down there. Lightwells at the front and the back bring the daylight in.
Number two, and I think this is the more important one, is the floor area. On an average West London terraced house you could probably put in a 700 to 1,000 square foot basement, which is another whole floor.
Whether that money comes back when you sell depends on what finished space is worth per square foot in your postcode, and on what the build costs on your particular ground and access. Nobody can promise you a return on it, and anybody who quotes a percentage has not seen your house. Our own basement rates by specification are published in the NU Build Cost Calculator, so you can do the arithmetic yourself before you speak to anybody.
The build cost covers the professional fees too: architects, structural engineers, building control and some interior design.
If you have any questions, please contact me today.
Email info@nuprojects.co.uk, tell us about the house, or call the Fulham office on 020 7731 6841. We have built a lot of basements and the team knows what to look for. I look forward to hearing from you.
Published 1 June 2018. Written by the NU Projects studio, edited since for house style and accuracy.