House Extensions Wapping
Single storey rear and double storey extensions in Wapping, 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 and extends homes across Wapping, an E1W neighbourhood defined by historic warehouse conversions and new-build riverside apartments. We handle everything from ground-floor and garden extensions on the area's houses to enclosing terraces and reconfiguring flats, always working within the planning and leasehold framework that applies here.
In Wapping, 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 Wapping: 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 Wapping
Wapping range: choose above
Extending houses and flats in Wapping
Wapping is dominated by flats, so a conventional rear or side-return extension is only possible on the smaller number of houses and ground-floor maisonettes with their own outdoor space. Where the plot allows, we build single or double-storey additions: we dig and pour the foundations, install any steel beams and build up the roof, then complete the full fit-out with kitchens, bathrooms and finishes handled by one team throughout.
For most Wapping flats, gaining space means enclosing a balcony or terrace where planning allows, or reconfiguring internal walls rather than building outward. These projects still need the freeholder's licence to alter and managing-agent approval, and any structural change needs building regulations sign-off. We assess what your property and lease actually permit before promising a single square metre of new floor area.
Housing in Wapping
Wapping's housing, as the Council Tax list records it, is about 8,650 homes: 9% houses, 91% flats, with 13% pre-1919, 8% interwar and 79% built since 1945. Most homes here are flats, and a flat in Wapping has no householder permitted development rights, so extending one needs planning permission and the freeholder's consent.
Riverside flood checks for a Wapping terraced house extension
Houses in Wapping are, in practice, terraces: the VOA records 9% of homes as terraced houses and 0% as semi-detached or detached. So an extension here meets at least one neighbour's wall, and the first design question is how deep you can go without taking their light. The second is flooding. The Tower Hamlets householder planning application checklist requires a Flood Risk Assessment for applications in Environment Agency Flood Zone 2 or 3 relating to basement or ground floor extensions. Look up the address on the Environment Agency flood map before the design starts.
Then check the conservation areas. The Wapping Pierhead Conservation Area was designated in July 1969 and extended to the north in October 2008. Inside a conservation area a single storey rear extension can still be permitted development. A side extension, a rear extension of more than one storey and external cladding all need planning permission there, so read the character appraisal before any of those is drawn. Tower Hamlets Council's duty planner service offers free advice for small scale proposals such as householder applications for single dwellings. We put the flood result, the conservation area check and the duty planner's view together before the structural engineer we appoint sizes any steel.
Planning and permissions for Wapping extensions
Whether an extension is permitted development or needs a full planning application depends entirely on the property. Many of Wapping's warehouse buildings are listed or sit within conservation areas near the river and the Tower of London, so external alterations there usually require planning permission from Tower Hamlets Council, and often listed building consent. Flats and maisonettes have no householder permitted development rights, so any extension to one needs planning permission.
We guide you through the whole process, advising early on what is realistic, coordinating drawings and applications with your architect and handling building control. Where a party wall is shared with a neighbouring property or flat, which is almost always the case in E1W, you serve the correct notices under the Party Wall Act as building owner, and we supply the drawings and programme they need. From first sketch to final inspection, you deal with one contractor who understands how building actually works in Wapping.
Kitchen extensions in Wapping
91% of homes in Wapping are flats, and a flat has no householder permitted development, so a ground-floor flat's kitchen extension needs planning permission from Tower Hamlets Council and the freeholder's consent. With so few houses here, the realistic kitchen gain in most Wapping homes is a better layout inside the flat rather than an extension. The fit-out is priced on its own page, kitchen renovation in Wapping; the build figures are in the table above. Double storey extensions belong to the few houses here.
- Brickwork and mortar matched to the existing elevation
- Side-return and rear extensions
- Roof works and structural alterations at roof level
VOA Council Tax stock of properties, March 2025, for St George in the East & Wapping North and Tower Hill & Wapping South. Counts rounded by the VOA.
Why Choose GS Renovation in Wapping
Homeowners across Wapping choose GS Renovation for extensions because we are honest about what a leasehold riverside property can and cannot do. We coordinate structural engineers, freeholders, managing agents and Tower Hamlets Council planners, plan the build around the party wall notices you serve and deliver it to a high finish. Our founder's 30+ years on the tools means no surprises halfway through.
- Building control inspected at foundation, damp course and steel stages
- Permitted development checked before you pay for a planning application
- Structural engineer instructed and coordinated on your behalf
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…
Saaid is the best craftsman I have worked with. He knows what he is doing from the very beginning. He has a great knowledge of construction…
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions about House Extensions Wapping
Are there hidden costs with house extensions in Wapping?
Hidden costs on house extensions in Wapping come from what the E1W survey cannot see, not from the quotation, which sits within £2,000 to £2,800 per m² for a rear extension (indicative). Older property can uncover wiring, timber or drainage, and GS Renovation names what it suspects before starting. Approvals are never a surprise extra: a Tower Hamlets Council building control inspection of the foundations before concrete is poured is priced from day one.
Can I extend my flat in a Wapping warehouse conversion?
It is limited. Most conversions are flats with no ground to build on, and many buildings are listed or in conservation areas, so external extensions rarely gain planning permission. More often the answer is enclosing a terrace, where planning allows, or reconfiguring internally. Any option needs your freeholder's licence, and structural work needs building regulations approval. We will tell you honestly what is possible.
Can a Wapping house use permitted development for a rear extension?
Yes, a house can, within limits: a single-storey rear extension up to 3 m deep on an attached house, or 4 m detached, with more possible under the prior approval route. Only about 9% of Wapping's homes are houses, though, and maisonettes and flats have no such rights. Building regulations apply to every extension, whichever planning route it takes.
Can I enclose the balcony or roof terrace of my Wapping flat?
Enclosing it adds floor area and changes the elevation, so it needs planning permission, since flats have no permitted development rights. The freeholder's written consent is needed too, because the lease normally reserves the outside walls and often the terrace itself. Building regulations then treat the enclosure much like an extension, with Part L insulation and a structural check on the slab beneath.
Does extending an attached Wapping house mean serving party wall notices?
Usually. Foundations dug within 3 metres of a neighbour's building and deeper than its footings need a month's notice under the Party Wall Act 1996, and cutting into a shared wall to carry a beam needs two months. On a terrace, both neighbours may be affected. Their consent, or a surveyor's award following a dissent, must be in place before digging.
What insulation must a Wapping extension or enclosed terrace achieve?
Current Part L standards for the new walls, floor, roof and glazing, however the existing flat or house performs. Where an enclosed terrace sits over another home, the new floor build-up is checked for heat loss and for the load it adds. Large areas of glass facing the river may need offsetting with better insulation elsewhere, so the glazing proportion is fixed early.
Which paid pre-application options does Tower Hamlets offer for a Wapping extension?
The Scale A householder pre-application service has three paid steps: a confirmation of advice letter (planning only), charge A1; an officer site visit, charge A3; and a householder pre-application meeting, charge A4a. For a Wapping terrace inside a conservation area, the site visit lets an officer see the rear elevation and the neighbours' windows, which a set of photographs rarely conveys. A written confirmation of advice is worth having before committing to full drawings.
Will a Wapping house extension be liable for CIL?
Only if it is large or creates a new home. Tower Hamlets treats a development as potentially liable where it adds at least 100 square metres of new build floor space or creates one or more new dwellings. A single storey rear extension to a Wapping terrace rarely reaches that size, but a two storey extension combined with a new flat at the top of the house could. The CIL position is confirmed on the forms that go in with the planning application.
What must accompany a Wapping extension that includes a basement?
A basement impact assessment. The explanation to Policy D.ES4 Flood risk in the Tower Hamlets Local Plan requires all basement developments to conduct one, demonstrating that the proposal safeguards structural stability and is safe from a flood risk perspective. Next to the river in Wapping that assessment is central to the application. The council also has a separate building notice charge for alterations to extend or create a basement, so budget it apart from the extension.
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