GS Renovation designs and builds extensions across Holloway, adding space to the bay-fronted Victorian and Edwardian terraces that fill N7. With over 30 years working in Islington, we handle everything from foundations and steelwork to the roof and final fit-out, whether you are infilling a side return, extending to the rear, or wrapping around into a larger kitchen-diner.
Side-return extensions on Holloway terraces
The side return is the strip of open ground beside the rear closet wing, and on a Holloway terrace it is usually wasted space. Filling it in widens a cramped galley kitchen into a full-width room that runs across the back of the house. We dig new foundations next to the existing walls, build up in brick or block, and carry the original rear wall on a steel beam so the ground floor opens right out.
Many rear and side-return extensions on Holloway terraces fall within permitted development, which means they can go ahead without a full planning application. Others need planning permission from Islington Council, especially where the property sits in a conservation area, is larger than the permitted limits, or affects the front elevation. We assess your specific house early, advise which route applies, and either prepare a lawful development certificate or submit the planning application on your behalf.
Double-storey extensions in N7
Adding a second storey over a rear extension gives a Holloway family an extra bedroom or bathroom without moving out of the area. Because the new upper floor loads back onto the existing terrace, foundations and steelwork are designed to carry the additional weight, and the party wall almost always comes into play. We coordinate the structural engineer, the party wall surveyor and building control so the whole build stacks up safely on the original Victorian footings.
A double-storey extension is more likely to need planning permission than a modest ground floor addition, so we look at Islington Council's local policies before drawing anything up. Once consent and building regulations approval are in place, we manage the full programme, from groundworks and structure through to the roof, windows, plastering and decoration. You deal with one team throughout, and the new rooms are finished to match the proportions and character of the existing Edwardian house.
- Steel goalpost frames where the rear wall opens up
- Full fit-out, finishing and making good
- Building control inspections at foundation, damp course and steel stages
- Planning applications and permitted development assessments
- Wrap-around extensions and infills
Why Holloway Homeowners Choose GS Renovation
Holloway homeowners choose GS Renovation for extensions because we take the project from first sketch to final coat of paint, handling the planning route, party wall matters, structure and fit-out as one accountable job. With 30+ years extending N7 terraces, we know how Islington's period houses behave and how to add space that feels part of the original home.
- Garden levels and access made good where the build meets outside
- Structural engineer instructed and coordinated on your behalf
- Building control applications and inspections coordinated for you
- Our own trades on site rather than a chain of subcontractors
- Brick and mortar matched to the existing elevation
- Building control inspected at foundation, damp course and steel stages