GS Renovation renovates bathrooms and en-suites across South Kensington, working with the tall Georgian and Regency townhouses of the museum quarter. With over 30 years of experience in SW7, we deliver fully waterproofed wet rooms, walk-in showers and space-saving layouts that suit the character and the constraints of a period home.
Waterproofing and wet rooms in South Kensington homes
A bathroom in a period South Kensington house sits above timber floors and original ceilings, so getting the waterproofing right is everything. We tank the walls and floor properly before tiling, form falls to the drainage in wet rooms and walk-in showers, and make sure ventilation is adequate so moisture does not damage the fabric of a Georgian or Regency building.
In SW7 townhouses the drainage runs are often long and awkward, and older soil pipes need careful connection. We handle the plumbing, the drainage and the extraction as a package, then add underfloor heating and tiling, so the finished room is both beautiful and technically sound where it counts most.
En-suites and space-saving layouts in South Kensington
The bedrooms of a South Kensington townhouse often have room to carve out an en-suite, and the tricky part is fitting drainage and ventilation into a period structure without spoiling the proportions of the house. We plan the layout so pipework routes sensibly, and choose sanitaryware and shower enclosures that make a compact SW7 space feel generous.
Where a family bathroom is small, clever design does the heavy lifting: a walk-in shower in place of a bath, a wall-hung basin, recessed niches and concealed cisterns all reclaim floor area. Bathroom electrics are notifiable under building regulations, so the wiring and any heating are certified as part of the works.
What is checked in a bathroom
Most bathroom work is not notifiable, but three elements are. Electrical work in a room containing a bath or shower falls under Part P and has particular requirements about zones, bonding and the fittings permitted near water, so it is certified rather than assumed. Mechanical extraction has to meet Part F rates. And where a bathroom is formed in a room that never had one, the drainage becomes a matter for inspection.
In an SW7 townhouse there is often a fourth. Adding a bathroom at high level in a tall building can mean a soil connection running a long way, and the fall, the venting and the junction into the existing stack all have to work together. In a listed house, a new soil vent pipe on an elevation is a consent question rather than a technical one. We establish which of these apply before the design is fixed. Waterproofing itself is not inspected by anyone, which is precisely why the standard of tanking is worth agreeing in writing beforehand.
- Complete bathroom design and planning
- Freestanding and built-in bath installation
- Walk-in showers and wet-room installation
- Underfloor heating and heated towel rails
- Floor strengthening before large-format tiles or stone
The GS Renovation Difference in South Kensington
South Kensington homeowners choose GS Renovation because we get the hidden work right, the tanking, drainage and ventilation that protect a period house, as well as the finish you see. One team handles plumbing, electrics, tiling and heating in occupied SW7 homes. Over 30 years across the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea backs every bathroom.
- Full tanking behind tiles and across shower floors
- Building control applications and inspections coordinated for you
- A written scope and programme agreed before work starts
- A dedicated project manager from first survey to handover
- Waste runs and pipe falls confirmed before the floor closes up
- Our own trades on site rather than a chain of subcontractors