GS Renovation converts lofts throughout Charlton, in the Victorian and Edwardian terraces on the slopes between Greenwich Park and Woolwich. Most SE7 houses take a rear dormer well, and where there is a closet wing an L-shaped dormer gives more. We coordinate the engineer and see the job through building control with the Royal Borough of Greenwich.
Rear dormers and enabling works in SE7
A straight rear dormer is the workhorse conversion in Charlton. It squares off the back slope, delivers full standing height across most of the new room and keeps the front roof, which faces the street, exactly as it was. Before we quote it we check the ridge height, because roughly 2.2m to 2.4m of existing height is what allows a conversion without lowering ceilings below or raising the roof. Indicative London ranges in 2026 put a rear dormer at around £45,000 to £65,000.
Charlton lofts are often still full of the old plumbing. The cold water storage tank sits exactly where the new stair or bathroom wants to be, so switching to a combi boiler or an unvented cylinder is a normal first move and improves the mains pressure to a new en suite at the same time. An en suite typically adds roughly £8,000 to £15,000, and it is far cheaper to plan the soil pipe route now than to retrofit it later.
Permitted development and Greenwich building control
The 40 cubic metre allowance for a terraced house and 50 for a semi is the usual starting point, with the standard conditions attached: nothing forward of the existing roof plane, materials to match, no balconies or verandas, and any side-facing window obscure glazed and non-opening below 1.7m. Charlton Village and other designated parts of SE7 are conservation area, where those rights are removed, so we confirm your address with the Royal Borough of Greenwich rather than assume.
Building control approval is required either way, and it is where most of the technical work sits: the new floor formed on engineer-sized joists carried by steel beams on padstones, never on the existing ceiling joists, a protected stair route with fire doors and interlinked alarms, Part K compliant stairs, and insulation and ventilation to satisfy Part L without trapping condensation in the new roof build-up. We book the inspections and hand you the completion certificate.
- Mansard conversions where planning will not accept a dormer
- Rooflight conversions where the roof line must not change
- Velux and conservation rooflights fitted and flashed
- En suite plumbing, drainage and mechanical extraction
- Insulation between and over rafters to Part L
Why Choose GS Renovation in Charlton
Charlton homeowners use GS Renovation because we run the loft as one coordinated job: engineer, steels, tank removal and heating changeover, stair, fire strategy and Greenwich building control. We keep the house liveable while the roof is open, price clearly with free no-obligation quotations, and work under a founder with 30+ years of hands-on structural experience across South East London.
- One point of contact on the phone, not a call centre
- Dust screens and floor protection in occupied homes
- Photographs kept at each stage for your records
- Interlinked mains alarms fitted and certified
- Water tank removed and the system converted where it blocks the space
- Founder-led team with 30+ years of hands-on experience