House Extensions Paddington
Single storey rear and double storey extensions in Paddington, 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
Extending a period home in Paddington calls for a builder who understands Westminster's planning rules and the age of the fabric. GS Renovation draws on our founder's 30+ years on the tools, working on the Victorian townhouses and conversion flats of W2, delivering rear, side-return and wrap-around extensions with the foundations, steelwork and fit-out handled by a single team.
In Paddington, 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 Paddington: 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 Paddington
Paddington range: choose above
Planning and permitted development in Paddington
Whether a Paddington extension is permitted development or needs a full planning application depends heavily on the property. Most Paddington homes are flats, which have no permitted development rights. For a house, the conservation areas covering much of W2 remove permitted development for side, two-storey rear and roof extensions, though a single-storey rear extension within the limits can still qualify unless an Article 4 direction removes it, and a listed house needs listed building consent as well. We help you establish where your home stands with Westminster City Council before design work commits you to a particular route.
For a single-storey rear extension on an unlisted house, permitted development may cover the work, but a side-return infill in a conservation area needs planning permission, and tight urban plots, boundary distances and the impact on neighbouring townhouses all need checking. Where a full application is required, it goes in on your architect's drawings, and we price and plan the build alongside the council's assessment. Getting the planning position right at the outset avoids enforcement problems later and keeps a period home's value intact.
Housing in Paddington
Count the homes in Paddington and you get about 11,790: 42% built since 1945, 11% between the wars and 47% before 1919, with flats at 92% and houses at 8%. Where most homes are flats, a flat in Paddington has no householder permitted development rights, so extending one needs planning permission and the freeholder's consent.
What Westminster guidance means for a Paddington rear extension
In Paddington, 8% of homes are terraced houses and 0% are semi-detached or detached, so a house extension here is almost always an extension to a terrace, with neighbours close by. Westminster's conservation area guidance says full width rear extensions are generally not acceptable, except in certain circumstances at basement level, and that extensions should respect the scale and proportions of the existing building and be architecturally subordinate to the main building. That guidance governs a planning application. A single-storey rear extension to a house can still be permitted development within the national size limits, unless those rights have been removed for the address, while a flat has no such rights. Where permission is needed for a Paddington terrace in a conservation area, the guidance points towards a part-width addition that leaves the rear elevation readable, rather than a glazed box across the whole back.
The shape decides the structure. A part-width extension keeps a length of the original rear wall, so the opening into it is narrower and the steel shorter, but the retained wall has to be tied in where old and new meet. We ask the structural engineer we appoint to design the opening and that junction once the planning drawings are agreed, not before, because a change of width at planning changes the beam. Westminster charges CIL on any extension whose internal area exceeds 100 square metres, and an exemption for extending your own home has to be claimed before work starts, so check it early on a larger Paddington scheme.
Building a rear extension in Paddington
Once the route is agreed, the build follows a familiar sequence on Paddington's solid-walled homes. We form new foundations by hand where access is tight, tie the new structure into old masonry, and install steel beams sized by an engineer to carry the opening between the house and the extension. Every beam bears onto proper padstones and is signed off by building control before the works are closed up.
Rear closet wings and side returns are common on W2 terraces, and infilling them creates the bright kitchen-diner many owners want without losing the garden. Where the works affect a shared boundary you serve the party wall notices as building owner, using the drawings we supply. We coordinate the roofing, glazing and services, then complete the full internal fit-out. The finished extension respects the proportions and detailing of the original period house.
Kitchen extensions in Paddington
92% of homes in Paddington are flats, and a flat has no householder permitted development, so a ground-floor flat's kitchen extension needs planning permission from Westminster City Council and the freeholder's consent. With so few houses here, the realistic kitchen gain in most Paddington homes is a better layout inside the flat rather than an extension. The fit-out is priced on its own page, kitchen renovation in Paddington; the build figures are in the table above. Double storey extensions belong to the few houses here.
- Insulation, airtightness and thermal detailing to regulations
- Drawings and the structural engineer's design coordinated for you
- Steel goalpost frames where the rear wall opens up
VOA Council Tax stock of properties, March 2025, for Paddington & St George's Fields and Bayswater East. Counts rounded by the VOA.
Why Paddington Homeowners Choose GS Renovation
Homeowners across Paddington choose GS Renovation because extending a listed or conservation-area property is not a job for a general builder. We understand Westminster's rules, the Party Wall Act and the way period fabric behaves, and we carry the project from foundations to final decoration. Our founder's 30+ years on the tools means fewer surprises and a build that lasts.
- Programme planned around party wall notice periods before excavation near a neighbour
- A written scope and programme agreed before work starts
- 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…
George always kept to commitments and arrived on time. He offered helpful suggestions during his initial visit and promptly provided a reasonably…
It's the second time I have hired George and he has been absolutely professional and the work he did resembles perfectly what I had in mind. Being an…
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions about House Extensions Paddington
How do you price house extensions in Paddington?
Pricing house extensions for a Paddington property starts with a W2 survey and ends with a written figure inside £2,000 to £2,800 per m² for a rear extension (indicative). The key physical check comes first: the width of the opening into the house decides the steel. The quotation then splits into structure, services and finishes, with a Westminster City Council building control inspection of the foundations before concrete is poured shown separately.
Does my Paddington extension need planning permission or just building regulations?
Structural work always needs building regulations approval, but many Paddington homes are listed or in a Westminster conservation area, so an extension may also need planning permission or listed building consent rather than falling under permitted development. We check your home's status with the council first, then plan the build to whichever route applies.
Can a Paddington flat be extended at all?
Seldom, and never under permitted development, which applies to houses only. Flats make up 92% of Paddington's dwellings, so an extension here normally means a full planning application to Westminster City Council, the freeholder's written consent under the lease and building regulations approval. Other leaseholders in the building often have rights that affect the outcome, so their position is worth knowing early.
What should be checked before extending the lower ground of a Paddington townhouse?
The drains and the neighbours' foundations. A camera survey shows whether a public sewer runs under the footprint, since building over or near one needs the water company's consent. Digging within 3 metres of an adjoining house to a depth below its footings means a one-month notice under the Party Wall Act. Both are settled before the foundation design is fixed.
What does building control inspect during a Paddington extension?
The trenches before concrete, drainage before backfill, the steel joining old and new before it is covered, and the Part L insulation before it is boarded. Westminster City Council or a registered building control approver visits at each stage, and a missed visit means opening work up again. The completion certificate follows the final inspection.
How do builders get materials to the back of a Paddington townhouse?
Usually through the house itself, since terraced plots rarely have rear access. Hall, stairs and floors are boarded, and every block in and every bag of spoil out follows that route. Parking and skip positions on a busy street are arranged ahead. It adds labour to the dig and the build, so it is planned into the programme rather than discovered on day one.
Can we dig out the lower ground floor of our Paddington house to extend it?
Only with planning permission. Westminster's city-wide Basement Development Article 4 Direction came into force on 31 July 2016 and removes permitted development rights for basement development throughout the city. City Plan Policy 50 then supports basements only where they do not extend beneath more than 50% of the garden land, with a separate allowance on small sites where the garden is 8m or less at its longest point. Measuring the garden is the first step.
What does Westminster ask for with a basement application in Paddington?
A structural methodology statement and self-certification from a suitably qualified engineer, according to the City Plan. Basement schemes consented from September 2016 onwards also fall under Westminster's Code of Construction Practice, imposed through a pre-commencement planning condition, so its requirements are met before work starts. The policy supports no more than one storey beneath the lowest original floor level, except on large sites. We build to the appointed engineer's statement and the condition as consented.
How long does Westminster pre-application advice take for a Paddington extension?
Westminster sets a 28 day timescale for householder written advice on alterations and extensions to an unlisted house or flat, excluding basement development. Where a basement is part of the proposal, the service includes 1 meeting and written advice with a 35 day timescale. Both come before the planning application itself, so on a scheme that tests the guidance, the programme starts earlier than the application date suggests.
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