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A side return that looks like it was always there
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Herne Hill · Extension · January 2026

A side return that looks like it was always there

The clients wanted the extension to be invisible from the garden. Not literally, but you shouldn't notice where old meets new.

We matched the brick with reclaimed yellow stocks and a lime mortar, and kept the eaves line a course below the original so the addition sits back. Inside, the ceiling is flat and the rooflights are placed over the worktop and the table, where the light does work.

The steel goes through the party wall, so we served notices early and had the award in place before we priced. That saved a month later on.

The kitchen is at the garden end with the utility tucked into the old kitchen space, which gets the least light and needs it least.

Programme · 13 weeks
Party wall and strip-out2 weeks
Foundations and steel3 weeks
Brick, roof and glazing3 weeks
First fix and plaster2 weeks
Kitchen fit and decoration3 weeks
Where the money went · £112k incl. kitchen
Structure and shell£45k · 40%
Glazing and roof£16k · 14%
Plumbing and electrics£13k · 12%
Kitchen and joinery£27k · 24%
Finishes and decoration£11k · 10%
Milestones · 13 weeks on site
  1. Week 0Call, survey and fixed priceDrawings agreed, price fixed before anyone starts
  2. Weeks 1–2Party wall and strip-out2 weeks on site
  3. Weeks 3–5Foundations and steel3 weeks on site
  4. Weeks 6–8Brick, roof and glazing3 weeks on site
  5. Weeks 9–10First fix and plaster2 weeks on site
  6. Weeks 11–13Kitchen fit and decoration3 weeks on site
  7. Week 13HandoverClean, paperwork handed over, keys back
  8. Week 19Snagging visitWe come back and put right anything on the list
Before and after
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After: A side return that looks like it was always there
Before: A side return that looks like it was always there
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BeforeAfter
Walkthrough
The new room from the doorway: peninsula, pendants over it, and the old kitchen kept as a utility.
01The new room from the doorway: peninsula, pendants over it, and the old kitchen kept as a utility.
Inside, a flat ceiling with rooflights placed over the worktop and the table.
02Inside, a flat ceiling with rooflights placed over the worktop and the table.
Kitchen at the garden end; the old kitchen became a utility room.
03Kitchen at the garden end; the old kitchen became a utility room.
Alcove joinery in the front room, made in the same workshop and fitted on the same job.
04Alcove joinery in the front room, made in the same workshop and fitted on the same job.
“The party wall, the steel, Building Control: they just handled it. We got a photo update every Friday and never once chased.”
Tom & Hannah · the owners
What we'd tell you before starting one of these

Match the brick and the mortar, and drop the roofline a course. Nobody will be able to say why it looks right, and that is the point.

Talk to us about yoursEstimate a similar project

Further reading

The official guidance for this kind of job

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