GS Renovation converts lofts in Woolwich, where SE18 mixes period terraces with a growing stock of new riverside apartments. On the terraces a loft conversion is usually straightforward; in the apartment blocks it is not available at all, and we are clear about which applies from the first visit rather than after the survey fee.
Period terraces in SE18
Woolwich's Victorian and Edwardian terraces have the familiar plan: bay front, main roof running back, and in many cases a lower closet wing at the rear. An L-shaped dormer over both gives a double bedroom and a shower room, at an indicative £55,000 to £80,000 on 2026 London ranges. Without the wing, a rear dormer at roughly £45,000 to £65,000 produces one large room, and both need around 2.2m to 2.4m of existing ridge height to work.
Where a terrace turns a corner and ends in a hip, squaring that hip off to a gable before adding the dormer recovers a good deal of width and is usually worth the extra. The old water tank is removed as an enabling step, generally alongside a change to a combi boiler or an unvented cylinder, and the new floor is carried on engineer-designed steels rather than on ceiling joists that were only ever meant to hold up a ceiling.
Riverside flats, and the Royal Borough of Greenwich
The new apartment buildings along the SE18 riverfront are leasehold, with the roof and structure retained by the freeholder, so there is no loft to convert, and permitted development does not apply to flats in any case. Internal work is a different matter: forming openings, installing steel where a wall is load bearing and full refurbishment are all achievable with the landlord's consent and building control approval, and we carry out that work regularly.
For houses, the Royal Borough of Greenwich decides planning. Outside conservation areas a rear dormer on a terrace can fall within the 40 cubic metre allowance subject to the usual conditions, and a lawful development certificate is worth having. Inside designated areas a full application is required. Building regulations apply throughout: protected stair route and fire doors under Part B, stair geometry under Part K, and party wall notices to the neighbours on both sides.
- L-shaped dormers over a rear closet wing
- Building control inspections booked at floor, steel and completion
- Rear dormers to win full head height across the new floor
- New floor joists independent of the existing ceiling
- Structural steel sized by the engineer and set on padstones
Why Woolwich Homeowners Choose GS Renovation
Woolwich needs a builder who separates the terraces from the apartment blocks honestly and then delivers properly on the ones that work. GS Renovation runs the engineer, the steelwork, the dormer, the stair and fire strategy, the party wall notices and Royal Borough of Greenwich building control as a single job. We are fully insured, you get a dedicated project manager, and quotations are free and carry no obligation.
- A written scope and programme agreed before work starts
- Paperwork and certificates handed over for when you sell
- New floor structure carried on steel, never on the old ceiling joists
- Straight advice on what is and is not worth spending money on
- Founder-led team with 30+ years of hands-on experience
- Protected stair route and fire doors detailed to Part B