GS Renovation designs and builds extensions across Highgate, adding space to N6's bay-fronted Victorian and Edwardian terraces without losing their period feel. With over 30 years working these side returns, rear closet wings and tight North London plots, we handle groundworks, steel, roofing and fit-out under one roof, and guide you through Camden's planning route from the start.
Side-return extensions in Highgate terraces
The side-return infill is the signature Highgate extension. These Victorian and Edwardian terraces have a narrow alley of dead space beside the rear closet wing, and building across it widens the kitchen into a bright, open-plan room. We dig new foundations next to the existing wall, tie in carefully, and install a steel beam where the old external wall comes out, all sized by a structural engineer and inspected by building control.
A wrap-around scheme takes the side return and a rear extension together, giving a generous kitchen-diner that opens onto the garden. Rooflights and glazed doors bring in light, which matters on the shaded, mature plots common near the Heath. Because the flank wall is usually shared, we deal with party wall notices to the neighbour early, and coordinate the drainage, roofing and internal steels as a single sequence.
Planning and permitted development in Highgate
Whether your extension is permitted development or needs a full planning application depends on the property. Many single-storey rear extensions in N6 fall under permitted development, but Highgate has conservation areas where those rights are restricted, and any flat, listed building or previously extended house is likely to need a full application to Camden Council. We assess your specific house before drawing anything.
Double-storey and wrap-around schemes almost always need planning permission, and we prepare the drawings and manage the submission for you. Separately, every extension needs building regulations approval for its foundations, steelwork, insulation and drainage, which is a different process from planning and one we handle throughout. Getting both routes right from the outset avoids the delays and enforcement risks that catch out unprepared Highgate projects.
- Flat and pitched roofs with rooflights or lanterns
- Building control inspections at foundation, damp course and steel stages
- Steel goalpost frames where the rear wall opens up
- Party Wall Act notices for excavation near a neighbour's wall
- Full fit-out, finishing and making good
Why Choose GS Renovation in Highgate
Homeowners across N6 choose us because we run the whole extension, from the first planning conversation with Camden Council to the final coat of paint. Thirty-plus years on Highgate terraces means we know how these side returns and closet wings behave, how to found next to old walls, and how to keep a family home liveable while we build.
- Free, no-obligation quotations
- Itemised pricing, so you can see what every stage costs
- Founder-led team with 30+ years of hands-on experience
- Garden levels and access made good where the build meets outside
- Building control inspected at foundation, damp course and steel stages
- Fully insured, with cover in place on every site