Across Forest Hill, GS Renovation extends bay-fronted Victorian and Edwardian terraces with rear, side-return and wrap-around builds. With 30+ years in SE23, we handle the foundations, steel beams, roof works and fit-out as one project, and we tell you honestly whether your extension is permitted development or needs a planning application to Lewisham Council.
Side-return extensions in Forest Hill
The narrow side return running past the closet wing is the classic space to claim in an SE23 terrace. By roofing over that alley and knocking through, we widen a cramped galley kitchen into a bright open-plan kitchen-diner. This means new foundations next to the neighbour's boundary, a steel beam along the old external wall, and often rooflights to pull daylight deep into the plan. The engineer sizes the steel and building control inspects each stage.
Many side-return and modest rear extensions on these terraces fall within permitted development, but that is never guaranteed, and a home in a conservation area or one that has already been extended may need full planning permission from Lewisham Council. We check the constraints first, prepare the drawings, and manage the party wall notices that nearly always apply where you build up to a shared boundary near Catford or Telegraph Hill.
Double-storey extensions on Forest Hill hills
On the leafy hills of SE23, a double-storey rear extension adds a larger kitchen below and an extra bedroom or en-suite above, working with the slope many Forest Hill plots sit on. We dig and pour foundations to suit the ground and any nearby trees, build the shell to match the existing brick and bay detailing, and tie the new roof neatly into the original. Steel beams carry the openings between old and new.
Because the extra storey rises alongside the neighbouring terrace, both the Party Wall Act and, usually, a full planning application to Lewisham Council come into play, and we guide you through both. Building regulations then govern the structure, insulation, fire escape and drainage. From groundworks to the final coat of paint, one GS Renovation team runs the programme, keeping the rest of your home liveable while the extension goes up.
- Planning applications and permitted development assessments
- Building control inspections at foundation, damp course and steel stages
- Full fit-out, finishing and making good
- Scaffolding, site set-up and safe access on tight London plots
- Levels, drainage and landscaping made good around the new build
Why Forest Hill Homeowners Choose GS Renovation
Homeowners across Forest Hill choose GS Renovation because we build extensions that suit these specific terraces, not generic boxes. We are straight with you about permitted development versus a Lewisham planning application, we manage the party wall process, and we self-deliver the groundworks, steelwork, roofing and finishes. Three decades in SE23 and nearby Deptford and Lewisham stand behind every project.
- Building control inspected at foundation, damp course and steel stages
- Free, no-obligation quotations
- Insulation and thermal detailing to current regulations
- Site left safe and secure at the end of every day
- Honest updates if a date or a detail has to move
- Foundation depth set after trial holes, drains and trees are checked