Lofts · Sydenham
Loft conversion in Sydenham
Design-led: we plan the room before we price the work, so the drawing and the build match.
Build-led: our own builders, plumbers and electricians on site, one team from strip-out to finish.
We design and build loft conversions, from roof lights to a full dormer with an en-suite.A good loft conversion in Sydenham starts with the roof you have, the stair and what the room is for.
BR3 · SE6 · SE20 · SE26 · Lewisham and Bromley
Start with the room
Loft conversion in Sydenham: where to start
Sydenham's semis and larger terraces often have a hipped roof, which leaves less usable space than it looks from the street.
A hip-to-gable conversion can create a proper room, but it changes the side of the house.
It is a design decision as well as a structural one.
Check the head height over the stair and over the bed before anything else.
We draw the stair, the structure and the bathroom drainage together, so the new floor works with the house below it.
Sometimes the roof will only give a smaller room than hoped, and we will say so before anything is drawn in detail.
Make it buildable
Dormers, mansards and roof lights in Sydenham
Sydenham is split between Lewisham and Bromley, and parts of both are conservation areas.
There, roof extensions need planning permission.
On a semi outside those areas, the 50 cubic metre allowance can cover a hip-to-gable and a rear dormer together.
It has to be measured, not assumed.
Steel beams bearing on the party wall need notice under the Party Wall Act.
One team handles the structure, the roof, the stair, the services and the finish.
The local check
What changes from one property to another
Sydenham is divided between Lewisham and Bromley, two planning authorities with different local policies.
The same drawing can get a different answer on either side of a road.
Parts of the area are conservation areas as well.
Much of this area is a conservation area, which removes permitted development rights that apply elsewhere.
Windows, doors, roofs and front gardens come into the application.
Each conservation area has its own appraisal of the materials the council considers appropriate.
They differ, so the answer on one street is not the answer on the next.
We check the actual address and the proposed work before saying what consent is needed.
Check the rules for your address
These are the local authority and estate sources relevant to Sydenham.
The national rules
Permitted development, in plain terms
These apply across England.Conservation areas, Article 4 directions and estate covenants can tighten them, which is why the address comes first.
- A house, not a flat or maisonette, can usually add roof space without a planning application.The limit is 40 cubic metres on a terrace and 50 on a semi or detached house, including earlier roof additions.
- A dormer may not face the road at the front, and side-facing windows have to be obscure-glazed and fixed shut below 1.7m.
- In a conservation area, roof extensions are not permitted development and need planning permission.
- Every loft conversion needs Building Regulations approval.It covers the structure, insulation and a protected escape route down the stairs.
- Steel beams bearing on a party wall, or work to raise it, need notice under the Party Wall etc. Act 1996.
From our work
A closer look at our work
Finished rooms from our work across South East London: the joinery and bathrooms a loft usually needs.
Talk it through
Start with a call, then a site visit if it helps.
Tell us the postcode, the house and what the new room is for.The calculator gives a free provisional bracket; anything firmer comes from a call and a site visit.
Keep exploring
Related work nearby
Further reading
The regulations: the official guidance
- Planning Portal: Loft conversion
The permitted development limits for a loft conversion, and the Building Regulations that apply.
- GOV.UK: Building regulations approval: when you need it
Building Regulations approval is separate from planning permission, and you may need both.
- GOV.UK: The Party Wall etc Act 1996: explanatory booklet
Notices to neighbours for work on a shared wall, at the boundary, or excavating near their foundations.
- GOV.UK: Permitted development rights for householders: technical guidance
The government's detailed guide to what you can build without a planning application.