House Extensions Newham
Single storey rear and double storey extensions in Newham, 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 house extensions throughout Newham, mostly on the bay-fronted Victorian and Edwardian terraces of East Ham, Forest Gate and Stratford. We handle foundations, steelwork, roofing and the full fit-out as one accountable project.
In Newham, 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 Newham: 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 Newham
Newham range: choose above
Side-return and rear extensions in Newham
The classic Newham extension fills in the side return, the narrow alley beside the rear closet wing that these terraces were built with. Roofing over that strip and pushing the back wall out turns a cramped galley kitchen into a kitchen extension with a wide open-plan kitchen-diner. We dig and pour the foundations, build the walls, and install the steel beams that carry the original rear wall once it comes out, all inspected under building regulations.
A wrap-around extension combines the side return with a rear projection for a much larger ground floor, while a double-storey extension adds a bedroom or bathroom above. On Newham's tighter plots we plan carefully around the boundary and existing drainage, and because a side-return wall usually sits on or against the boundary, the Party Wall Act often applies: you serve the notices on neighbours in E12 or E13 as building owner before we break ground, with the drawings we supply.
Housing in Newham
Take the 132,650 or so homes the valuation list gives Newham: 59% flats, 41% houses, 37% from before 1919, 5% interwar and 58% post-war. Since most homes here are flats, a flat in Newham has no householder permitted development rights, so extending one needs planning permission and the freeholder's consent.
What Newham's conservation area guides allow at the back of the house
Two of Newham's conservation area design guides set firm limits on extensions. The Woodgrange conservation area design guide permits only ground floor single storey rear extensions, to avoid overshadowing, visual intrusion and overlooking. It says a full width ground floor extension to the main house may be supported subject to conditions, the first being a maximum depth of 3m. The Woodgrange Estate in Forest Gate is also subject to a comprehensive Article 4 Direction served in May 1977. In practice that fixes the brief before an architect starts: one storey, and a full width scheme no deeper than 3m, with the guide's other conditions still to meet.
In the Durham Road conservation area in Manor Park, the design guide says side extensions should generally be single storey and set back behind the building line of the original house, which matters on corner and end-of-terrace plots. Wherever the house is, Newham's drainage rule shapes the application. An extension over a sewer needs a full plans application because a building notice is not suitable, so a drainage survey comes before the choice of route. Newham must also be told when works are deemed commenced, which is when the foundations are constructed and the lowest floor structure is complete, and we build that notice into the programme.
Planning and permitted development in Newham
Many single-storey rear extensions on Newham terraces fall under permitted development, which means no full planning application, though a lawful development certificate is worth having, and a larger rear extension goes through prior approval. It depends on the size, the height, how much has already been added and whether your street sits within a conservation area, so we always check the position with Newham Council before drawings are commissioned.
Where a project goes beyond permitted development, for example a double-storey or a wrap-around, or where the property is in a conservation area, a full planning application to Newham Council is required. Either route, the structure itself is controlled by building regulations, with building control inspecting foundations, steel and insulation. We guide you through both consents so an E6 or E7 extension is signed off correctly from footings to finish.
Kitchen extensions in Newham
59% of homes in Newham are flats, and a flat has no householder permitted development, so a ground-floor flat's kitchen extension needs planning permission from Newham Council and the freeholder's consent. Most kitchen extensions here are on the 41% of homes that are houses. The fit-out is priced on its own page, kitchen renovation in Newham; the build figures are in the table above.
Double storey extensions in Newham
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 Newham often needs planning permission from Newham Council. On the 39% of homes that are terraced, the neighbours' windows usually decide the depth. In a Newham conservation area you need planning permission to demolish a building (council source). Our double storey extension page explains the build, at £1,800 to £2,600 per m² across both floors.
- Side-return and rear extensions
- Planning applications and permitted development assessments
- First fix and second fix plumbing and electrics throughout
VOA Council Tax stock of properties, March 2025, for all 40 statistical areas in Newham. Counts rounded by the VOA.
The GS Renovation Difference in Newham
Newham homeowners choose GS Renovation because one team takes the extension from foundations to final decoration, including the engineer's steelwork and the building control inspections. With our founder's 30+ years on the tools, we know the side-return layout, the tight plots and Newham Council's requirements, so you deal with a single contractor throughout.
- Brick and mortar matched to the existing elevation
- Photographs kept at each stage for your records
- Drainage diverted or built over with the right approval in place
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 Newham
How does your house extensions price in Newham compare with a national firm's?
National and local totals for house extensions in Newham are usually closer than the structures behind them, within £2,000 to £2,800 per m² for a rear extension (indicative). A national firm subcontracts the work and prices its overhead into your quotation; GS Renovation carries out the E15 job itself. Ask both for the same breakdown, and check that each prices the work in its proper order: the steel into the house is designed before the rear wall comes down.
What ground conditions affect extensions across Newham?
They vary enough that the engineer specifies foundations from what is found rather than from a standard detail. Across Newham the ground beneath a property can differ from one street to another, so trial holes and the inspection of the open trench are what establish the bearing. Foundations for an extension are taken to a depth suited to that ground and to any nearby trees, and the inspector sees the trench before concrete is poured.
Can a Newham extension be built up to the boundary?
Frequently yes, with the party wall position established first. Building to the boundary at your Newham property usually means excavating close to or against a neighbour's structure, which brings the Party Wall etc. Act into play. The wall may be built up to the line or as a party wall depending on ownership. The deeds and the notice come before the foundation is set out.
Does an extension change the drainage at a Newham property?
It adds roof area and often relocates gullies, so it usually does. A Newham extension needs its rainwater taken to a surface water drain or a soakaway sized for the volume, and any existing gully within the footprint has to be dealt with rather than covered. Where a shared drain crosses the site, the water authority's agreement is required before building over or near it.
How long does an extension take to build in Newham?
The construction is a matter of months and the preparation frequently takes longer. A Newham extension needs a design, any planning decision, building control approval, a party wall award where one applies and materials ordered ahead of need. Those run in parallel where they are started early. The programme is agreed before work begins so the house is not opened up while a consent is still outstanding.
What happens to the garden after a Newham extension is built?
It is reinstated to what was agreed, and that is written down before work starts. Building at the rear of your Newham property means traffic across the garden, spoil from the foundations and a working area beside the new structure. Whether the finish is turf, paving or simply levelled soil ready for the owner is stated in the scope, because assumptions differ widely here.
Is pre-application advice from Newham worth getting for a rear extension?
For a house in a conservation area, or a scheme close to a neighbour's window, it usually is. Newham's Category A pre-application service covers residential extensions with written advice, and a 30 minute meeting via MS Teams can be added for a further fee. It excludes development already commenced, so it has to be requested before any work starts on site. We prepare the sketch scheme and photographs for the request, so the advice is about the actual proposal.
Which documents does Newham want with a householder planning application for an extension?
Newham's Altering and Extending your Home SPD sets out documents that are mandatory for all householder planning applications at the point of submission. An application missing one of them risks being held as invalid, and nothing moves until it is complete. We work from that list with the designer so every required document goes in together. Since 1 December 2024 Newham itself determines all planning applications, including the ones the LLDC used to decide before the powers returned.
Can a Newham extension include a basement under the new room?
Newham's building notice route covers building or extending a basement, so choosing the building control route is the easy part. Planning and ground conditions are harder. In Forest Gate, the Woodgrange conservation area design guide does not accept large-scale basement excavations that unacceptably impact the character and appearance of the rear garden and property. Elsewhere, a basement under an extension means deeper foundations, waterproofing and often party wall notices, which you serve as building owner, so the structural engineer we appoint assesses it before planning drawings are prepared.
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