House Extensions Bethnal Green
Single storey rear and double storey extensions in Bethnal Green, planning, structure and build under one contract.
- Rated 4.9 from 31 reviews on MyBuilder
- Single-storey rear extension from £40,000
- Free site survey, itemised quote
GS Renovation builds extensions on Bethnal Green's houses, a minority in an area of flats, nearly all of them terraces. We handle everything from foundations and steel to the final fit-out, turning tight rear plots and side returns into bright, usable rooms.
In Bethnal Green, a single-storey rear extension typically starts from £40,000, or £2,000 to £2,800 per m² (indicative London ranges, Architecture for London, Resi, MyBuilder and Checkatrade, 2026). GS Renovation Ltd, a building contractor based in Potters Bar, does the work in Bethnal Green: the structural engineer we appoint designs the structure, we build it, and building control signs it off.
Price guide
| Work | Indicative London range |
|---|---|
| Single-storey rear extension | from £40,000 |
| Rear extension, per m² | £2,000 to £2,800 |
| Side return, per m² | £2,400 to £3,200 |
| Wraparound, per m² | £2,400 to £3,200 |
| Double storey, per m² | £1,800 to £2,600 |
| Basement extension | see the basement page |
Indicative London ranges (Architecture for London, Resi, MyBuilder and Checkatrade, 2026), not a quotation. Prices checked September 2026. Full breakdown: Extension Costs & Planning.
Quick estimate for Bethnal Green
Bethnal Green range: choose above
Rear and side-return extensions in Bethnal Green
On a Bethnal Green terrace, the usual extension fills in the side return next to the closet wing and pushes out at the rear, creating an open-plan kitchen-diner across the back of the house. We dig and pour foundations to suit the ground and any nearby trees, build the walls, install the steel that carries the original rear wall, and form a roof, often with rooflights, to flood the deeper plan with light.
Whether the work is permitted development or needs a full planning application depends on your property. Many single-storey rear extensions in E2 fall under permitted development, but in a Tower Hamlets conservation area side and two-storey extensions need permission, and an Article 4 direction can remove the rights altogether where one applies. We check your address, advise honestly on the route, and coordinate the drawings and applications so the extension is approved before we build.
Housing in Bethnal Green
On the valuation list Bethnal Green counts about 15,320 homes, 90% flats and 10% houses; 20% predate 1919, 10% are interwar and 70% post-war. Where most homes are flats, a flat in Bethnal Green has no householder permitted development rights, so extending one needs planning permission and the freeholder's consent.
Checks that come before a Bethnal Green rear extension
On the VOA figures 10% of Bethnal Green homes are terraced houses and 0% are semi-detached or detached, so a house here is in practice a terrace, built between neighbours on both sides or one. Early advice is worth having. Tower Hamlets Council's duty planner service offers free advice for small scale proposals such as householder planning applications for single dwellings. Put the proposed depth, height and materials to the duty planner before the drawings are finished, because a change after submission costs far more time than a question before it.
Two checks sit alongside planning. First, look up the address on the Environment Agency flood map: the council's householder application checklist requires a Flood Risk Assessment for ground floor extensions in Flood Zone 2 or 3. Second, if the scheme clears an old outbuilding or rear addition, ask building control whether a demolition notice is needed. Tower Hamlets asks anyone intending to demolish a building to notify it at least six weeks before starting, with a fee payable on the notice. Both belong at the front of the Bethnal Green programme.
Double storey extensions on Bethnal Green terraces
Where the plot allows, we add a storey above a rear or side-return extension, gaining a bedroom or a bathroom without losing garden. On a Victorian terrace this means matching the brick and detailing, tying the new structure into the existing party walls, and sizing steel to carry the extra floor. Foundations may need to go deeper to take the added load, and we set all of this out with your engineer at the start.
Because a double storey extension usually alters shared walls and sits close to the boundary, the Party Wall Act nearly always applies, and you serve notices on your neighbours early, with the drawings we supply, to keep the programme moving. Inside, we finish to a high standard, from plastering and joinery to the plumbing, electrics and decoration.
Kitchen extensions in Bethnal Green
90% of homes in Bethnal Green are flats, and a flat has no householder permitted development, so a ground-floor flat's kitchen extension needs planning permission from Tower Hamlets Council and the freeholder's consent. With so few houses here, the realistic kitchen gain in most Bethnal Green homes is a better layout inside the flat rather than an extension. The fit-out is priced on its own page, kitchen renovation in Bethnal Green; the build figures are in the table above.
- Flat and pitched roofs with rooflights or lanterns
- Steel goalpost frames where the rear wall opens up
- Insulation, airtightness and thermal detailing to regulations
VOA Council Tax stock of properties, March 2025, for all 5 statistical areas in Bethnal Green. Counts rounded by the VOA.
Why Choose GS Renovation in Bethnal Green
Homeowners in Bethnal Green choose GS Renovation for extensions because one team handles the planning route, the groundworks, the steel and the finish. We know how E2 terraces are built, how Tower Hamlets Council assesses applications, and how party wall matters with close neighbours are best planned. Our founder's 30+ years on the tools means fewer surprises and a build that lasts.
- Brick and mortar matched to the existing elevation
- Our own trades on site rather than a chain of subcontractors
- Weathertight shell reached before the fit-out begins
Built a new extension at rear of property. Laid foundations, drainage, raised floor, new roof and completed all fixtures and interior decoration…
George always kept to commitments and arrived on time. He offered helpful suggestions during his initial visit and promptly provided a reasonably…
Saaid is the best craftsman I have worked with. He knows what he is doing from the very beginning. He has a great knowledge of construction…
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions about House Extensions Bethnal Green
Is the price of house extensions higher in Bethnal Green than elsewhere in East London?
The price of house extensions in Bethnal Green is set by the housing rather than the postcode, within £2,000 to £2,800 per m² for a rear extension (indicative). Older construction takes more making good than recent work, and access at E2 affects the labour line. GS Renovation prices the property in front of it, because the width of the opening into the house decides the steel, rather than applying a Bethnal Green multiplier.
Does my Bethnal Green extension need planning permission or is it permitted development?
It depends on the property and its location in E2. Many single-storey rear extensions are permitted development, but a larger or double storey build, a side extension in a Tower Hamlets conservation area, or any extension where an Article 4 direction removes the rights will likely need a full planning application. We check your address against the council's rules and handle whichever route applies before any groundworks begin.
Can I extend a ground floor flat in Bethnal Green?
Only through a planning application and with the freeholder's consent. Permitted development rights for extensions belong to houses, not flats, so every flat extension goes to Tower Hamlets for permission. The garden and outer walls may not even be within your lease, which means the landlord's agreement is the first thing to secure, before drawings and long before any digging.
What lies under the footprint of a Bethnal Green rear extension?
Often drainage. Rear yards in older terraces tend to carry the house drains and sometimes a run shared with next door. If that run is a public sewer, Part H puts the water company's written agreement ahead of any concrete being poured. Manholes inside the new footprint are relocated or sealed with access kept, so a drainage survey comes before the design is fixed.
How close to my neighbour can I dig foundations for a Bethnal Green extension?
Close, but with notice. Digging within 3 metres of the house next door, and deeper than its footings, triggers the Party Wall etc. Act 1996: the neighbour gets a month's written notice first. Where the ground is clay or trees are close, the engineer may deepen the footings, which can bring more of the dig within that rule, so notices are served once the foundation design is known.
What insulation standard does a Bethnal Green extension have to meet?
The new rooms are held to today's Part L figures even when the house behind them is Victorian. Building control inspects the foundations, the drainage and the insulation before each is covered. Where the extension meets a solid brick pre-1919 wall, the junction needs detailing so the cold older wall does not form a damp line inside the new room.
Does a Bethnal Green extension have to pay the Community Infrastructure Levy?
Only above a threshold. A development in Tower Hamlets is potentially liable for CIL if it contains at least 100 square metres of new build floor space or creates one or more new dwellings. A single storey kitchen extension on a Bethnal Green terrace is usually well under that area. A large two storey scheme, or one that turns the house into two flats, should be measured against the threshold before planning is sought. Where an extension to your own home does cross it, the householder extension relief has to be claimed before work starts.
What paid pre-application options does Tower Hamlets offer for a Bethnal Green extension?
Beyond the free duty planner, the council's Scale A householder service has a confirmation of advice letter (planning only), charge A1, an officer site visit, charge A3, and a householder pre-application meeting, charge A4a. For a plain rear extension the free route is often enough. Adding the site visit, which is only sold alongside another Scale A service, is worth it where the house sits in the Bethnal Green Gardens Conservation Area or the design is unusual.
How is building control charged on a single storey Bethnal Green extension?
For a single storey extension with a floor area exceeding 10m2 but not exceeding 40m2, Tower Hamlets sets a standard plan charge and a standard inspection charge on the full plans route, or one building notice charge instead. The council states the total is the same either way. The structural opening from the house into the extension is ancillary to it and included in that charge rather than billed separately.
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