House Extensions East Ham
Single storey rear and double storey extensions in East Ham, 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 across East Ham to your designer's approved drawings, where the Victorian and Edwardian terraces of E6 typically have a rear closet wing and a side return waiting to be used. We take these projects from foundations and steelwork through to a full finished fit-out.
In East Ham, 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 East Ham: 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 East Ham
East Ham range: choose above
Side-return and rear extensions in East Ham
The classic East Ham extension fills in the side return alongside the closet wing, turning a narrow galley kitchen into a wide open-plan kitchen-diner running the full width of the house. We dig and pour foundations that suit the ground and respect the neighbouring terrace, install the steel beams that carry the old rear wall, and tie the new roof and rooflights into the existing structure so the space feels light and connected.
A wrap-around extension takes this further, combining the side return with a rear addition to gain even more ground-floor space on a terraced plot. On these E6 homes we work tight against the party wall, manage the groundworks in a confined garden, and sequence the build so the family can stay living upstairs. Every stage, from footings to plastering, is handled by our own team.
Housing in East Ham
Count the homes in East Ham and you get about 15,490: 30% built since 1945, 6% between the wars and 64% before 1919, with flats at 41% and houses at 59%. 57% of homes here are terraced; a rear extension on a terrace in East Ham digs foundations close to both neighbours, so notices to both are normal.
East Ham extension paperwork: sewers, commencement and the levy zone
Newham's building notice route covers building an extension, but there is an exception that catches East Ham terraces. If the extension will be built over a sewer, a building notice is not suitable and a full plans application is needed. Rear and side-return extensions on a terrace can sit over the drain run that serves the house, and sometimes the neighbours' as well, so a drainage survey belongs in the design stage, before the application route is chosen. Finding the run with a camera after the footings are dug turns a notice application into a full plans one partway through, with the trench open and the programme on hold.
Newham also needs to be told when an extension is deemed commenced, which is when the foundations are constructed and the structure of the lowest floor is complete. The programme marks that date, because it is a notification point rather than only a site milestone. Planning runs alongside. Newham's Altering and Extending your Home SPD sets out documents that are mandatory for all householder planning applications at the point of submission, so your designer works through that checklist before anything is sent. E6 sits in Newham CIL Charging Zone 2; if the levy may apply to your extension, confirm the position with Newham before the start date, not after it.
Planning and party walls in East Ham
Many single-storey rear and side-return extensions in East Ham fall under permitted development, meaning no full planning application is needed, though we always check the property's history first because past extensions and any local restrictions can use up those rights. Larger or double-storey schemes, and anything affecting the front elevation, usually need a full planning application to Newham Council. We advise clearly which route your home falls under before design work begins.
Whichever route applies, every extension still needs building regulations approval for the foundations, structure, insulation and drainage, which is separate from planning. Because these terraces share party walls, digging near the boundary or building off the shared wall also triggers the Party Wall Act, so you serve notices on the neighbours in good time (or your surveyor does). We coordinate building control and programme the build around the planning decision and the party wall notices, so nothing stalls the build.
Kitchen extensions in East Ham
97% of the houses in East Ham are terraced. On a terrace the kitchen extension is built out from the back, into the side return where the house has one or across the full rear width, and a steel beam takes the old back wall so the kitchen and the new room become one space. The fit-out is priced on its own page, kitchen renovation in East Ham; the build figures are in the table above.
Double storey extensions in East Ham
Under permitted development a two-storey rear extension can go no more than 3 metres beyond the original rear wall and must stay at least 7 metres from the rear boundary, and in a conservation area it is not permitted development at all. Many gardens are too short for the 7 metre rule, so a double storey extension in East Ham often needs planning permission from Newham Council. On the 57% of homes that are terraced, the neighbours' windows usually decide the depth. Newham has nine conservation areas, including Durham Road in Manor Park, East Ham conservation area in E6 and Forest Gate Town Centre conservation area in E7 (council source). Our double storey extension page explains the build, at £1,800 to £2,600 per m² across both floors.
- Single and double storey extensions
- First fix and second fix plumbing and electrics throughout
- Drawings and the structural engineer's design coordinated for you
VOA Council Tax stock of properties, March 2025, for all 5 statistical areas in East Ham. Counts rounded by the VOA.
Trusted House Extensions in East Ham
East Ham homeowners choose GS Renovation because one team carries the extension from footings to finish. We know the E6 terraces, their side returns and closet wings, and we handle the steelwork and the Newham Council building control inspections, and build to the approved planning drawings. After our founder's 30+ years on the tools, you get an honest plan and a build that lasts.
- Foundation depth set after trial holes, drains and trees are checked
- Itemised pricing, so you can see what every stage costs
- Insulation and thermal detailing to current regulations
Built a new extension at rear of property. Laid foundations, drainage, raised floor, new roof and completed all fixtures and interior decoration…
Giorgio is an excellent and intelligent workman, and with very reasonable prices! He installed a kitchen extractor fan in a complicated situation…
George was very friendly and helpful from start to finish. He worked really hard to ensure our kitchen was installed to a high standard and was…
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions about House Extensions East Ham
Are there hidden costs with house extensions in East Ham?
Every extra cost on house extensions in East Ham needs your written agreement, and the foreseeable ones are already priced within £2,000 to £2,800 per m² for a rear extension (indicative). Work in Victorian or Edwardian housing around E6 occasionally reveals something behind plaster; when it does, GS Renovation stops, costs it and waits for your decision. The sequence of work stays fixed: drainage under the footprint is diverted before foundations are poured.
Is there room to extend a terraced house in East Ham?
Usually at the rear, and the garden length decides how far. Your East Ham terrace typically has a rear addition with a passage beside it, so infilling that strip and building out behind adds a useful amount without consuming the whole garden. How far out is worth going depends on daylight to the rooms left behind as much as on what permission allows.
What supports the junction between an East Ham house and its extension?
A beam, and often a frame where the opening is wide. Where a new extension at your East Ham property joins the existing house, the rear wall is opened and whatever it was carrying is transferred to a beam sized for the new span. Where there is insufficient masonry at the ends, posts on their own foundations carry the load down instead.
Do new and existing foundations behave the same at an East Ham property?
Not unless they are designed to. New foundations for an East Ham extension are usually deeper than the original ones, and the two respond differently as ground conditions change with the seasons. That is why cracking appears along the junction where it has not been allowed for. The engineer designs the connection between old and new rather than simply butting them together.
Does an East Ham extension need the consumer unit upgrading?
Frequently, because the new space adds circuits the original board was never sized for. An East Ham extension usually brings lighting, sockets, an outside supply and often a kitchen with it, and an older consumer unit may have no spare ways and no modern protection. The work is notifiable and is certified by a registered electrician on completion, and the upgrade is priced at the outset rather than discovered at second fix.
What happens to the existing rear door and windows in East Ham?
They usually come out, and their replacement is part of the design rather than an afterthought. Where an East Ham extension covers the original back wall, the old door and windows are removed and the opening formed to suit the new layout. Frames in reasonable condition can sometimes be reused elsewhere. What replaces them affects the daylight reaching the original rooms behind.
What if a sewer runs under the planned East Ham extension?
Then Newham needs a full plans application, because a building notice is not suitable for an extension over a sewer. That adds a checking period before work starts, so it is better known at design stage. Commission a drainage survey early: it shows the line, depth and condition of the run and any shared connections from next door. The structural engineer we appoint then designs the foundation to bridge or accommodate the pipe, and the water company's agreement is sought where the sewer is public.
When is an East Ham extension deemed commenced for Newham building control?
When the foundations are constructed and the structure of the lowest floor is complete. Newham must be told at that point for an extension, so the notification follows the finished slab or suspended floor, not the first trench. Keep dated photographs of the footings and the floor structure with the inspector's visit notes, since that file is what a future buyer's surveyor reads when asking how the extension was built.
Which Newham CIL zone covers an extension at an East Ham address?
E6 falls in Newham's CIL Charging Zone 2, alongside E7 and E13, while E16 sits in Zone 1. The zone sets the residential rate that would be used if the levy applies to your project. Whether it applies turns on the size and nature of the extension, so ask Newham to confirm in writing before the start date. Where an exemption from the levy has to be claimed, the claim is made before work starts, so the question cannot wait until the extension is built.
Every Service, One Team
More GS Renovation Services in East Ham
One team for every GS Renovation service in East Ham:
Same Service, Nearby Areas
House Extensions Near East Ham
We carry out house extensions across East Ham and the surrounding areas. Explore a nearby location:
Ready to Start Your East Ham Project?
Free, no-obligation quote for house extensions in East Ham.