GS Renovation builds loft conversions across the borough of Ealing, from the Edwardian villas around Walpole Park and Ealing Common to the Victorian terraces of W3 and the 1930s semis out towards Hanwell, Southall and Greenford. The right conversion depends entirely on which of those roofs you have. We survey first and build to the engineer's design.
Matching the conversion to Ealing's mixed housing
Ealing is not one housing stock, so there is no single answer. A W3 or W13 terrace with a rear closet wing suits an L-shaped dormer, wrapping over the back addition for a bedroom and en suite. A hipped 1930s semi in UB1 or UB6 wants hip to gable with a rear dormer behind it. An Edwardian villa near Ealing Common may already have the ridge height for a simple rooflight scheme that adds no volume and leaves the roof shape alone.
Whichever route applies, the survey starts the same way, with a tape from the ceiling joists to the underside of the ridge. Roughly 2.2m to 2.4m of existing height is the threshold for a conversion that does not require lowering the ceilings below or lifting the roof. We also look at the purlins, the chimney stacks passing through the space and where a stair can land, because those three things usually decide the layout before anyone draws a plan.
Ealing Council planning and building control
The volume allowances are 40 cubic metres for a terraced house and 50 for a semi-detached or detached one, subject to conditions on materials, no projection forward of the roof plane, no balconies and obscure glazing to side windows. Ealing has a large number of conservation areas and Article 4 directions, which remove those rights entirely, so a scheme that is permitted development on one street can need a full application to Ealing Council on the next. We check the designation for your address.
Building control approval is separate and always applies. The inspector wants to see engineer-sized floor joists carried on steel beams bearing on padstones, a stair meeting Part K, a protected route with fire doors and interlinked alarms under Part B, and the insulation and ventilation build-up needed for Part L. Where steels bear into the party wall, which is nearly every terrace and semi in the borough, notice must be served by you as building owner before work starts.
- Hip to gable conversions on semi-detached and end terrace roofs
- New floor joists independent of the existing ceiling
- Staircase design to Part K, including the landing below
- Trussed roofs redesigned before any web is cut
- Interlinked mains-powered smoke alarms
Trusted Loft Conversion in Ealing
Ealing homeowners choose GS Renovation because we start by identifying which of the borough's very different roof types you actually have, then build accordingly. One team coordinates the structural engineer, prepares your party wall detail, manages Ealing Council building control and keeps the house dry and secure while the roof is open. Free no-obligation quotations, fully insured, Companies House no. 14611254.
- Neighbours given notice before the noisy stages
- Party Wall notices prepared for steels bearing into a shared wall
- Roof type assessed so you get the scheme your house can actually take
- Paperwork and certificates handed over for when you sell
- Free follow-up visit after completion if anything needs attention
- Site left safe and secure at the end of every day