GS Renovation builds loft conversions in Hammersmith, on the Victorian terraces and riverside period homes of W6. Conservation areas run through the streets nearest the Thames and Bishops Park, so the achievable loft type varies street by street. We coordinate the structural engineer, build to their design and manage Hammersmith and Fulham Council building control.
Dormers and mansards across W6
Where the rear elevation is not publicly visible, an L-shaped dormer over the closet wing is the efficient choice on a Hammersmith terrace, giving a double bedroom on the main slope and a bathroom over the wing. On prominent frontages and inside conservation areas, planning officers frequently prefer a mansard, which rebuilds the roof at a steep pitch and sits more comfortably in a period roofscape. Mansards yield the most space and cost the most, roughly £70,000 to £100,000 or more on indicative 2026 London ranges.
Ridge height decides whether either is worth doing. Roughly 2.2m to 2.4m from the existing ceiling joists gives you a comfortable finished room once the new floor and rafter insulation are built up. Below that you are looking at lowering the ceilings in the bedrooms beneath, which means replastering a whole floor, or raising the roof, which needs planning permission in its own right. We measure this at the first visit and tell you plainly what you have.
Planning, party walls and building control
Permitted development for lofts is withdrawn in conservation areas and on listed buildings, and Hammersmith and Fulham Council also applies Article 4 directions in places. Outside those constraints, terraces are commonly cited as having a 40 cubic metre volume allowance, with conditions on matching materials, no balconies, no building forward of the roof plane and obscure glazing to side windows. We confirm the designation covering your house before anything is designed or ordered.
Structurally, steel beams span between the party walls to carry the new floor and the dormer, sized by the engineer and bearing on padstones. Because those walls are shared, the work is notifiable under the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 and you as the building owner serve notice on your neighbours. Hammersmith and Fulham building control then inspects the steelwork, the floor structure, the protected stair route and fire doors, insulation and ventilation, up to a completion certificate.
- Water tank removal and conversion to a sealed system
- Trussed roofs redesigned before any web is cut
- Party Wall notices prepared for the building owner to serve
- Insulation between and over rafters to Part L
- Velux and conservation rooflights fitted and flashed
The GS Renovation Difference in Hammersmith
Hammersmith owners choose GS Renovation because W6 lofts are structural jobs with a planning problem attached, and we handle both ends. We coordinate the engineer and, where the design demands it, the architect, install the steel, prepare your party wall notices and take Hammersmith and Fulham building control to completion. We are fully insured, we build to building control sign-off, and every W6 quotation is free and carries no obligation.
- Structural engineer instructed and coordinated on your behalf
- A dedicated project manager from first survey to handover
- Water tank removed and the system converted where it blocks the space
- Free, no-obligation quotations
- Protected stair route and fire doors detailed to Part B
- Roof type assessed so you get the scheme your house can actually take