Renovations in Hanwell

Hanwell went up a little later than the streets nearer central London, and the difference shows in the plan. The W7 terraces between Brent Lodge Park, the Wharncliffe Viaduct and the Grand Union Canal are Edwardian rather than early Victorian: wider frontages, a proper entrance hall, better sized timbers and rooms that take modern furniture without a fight. That makes them good houses to renovate, provided the work respects how they were put together. GS Renovation covers the full scope here, from structural alterations designed by an engineer through to kitchens and bathrooms, with building control applications and inspections coordinated throughout.

How an Edwardian Terrace in W7 Is Put Together

The plan is generous by terrace standards. A hall running past two reception rooms, a rear addition with the original kitchen or scullery in it, and a staircase that is not the afterthought it can be in earlier houses. Structurally you are dealing with solid external walls, a spine wall taking the floor joists, and often a wider span in the front reception because of the size of the bay. Joists tend to be better sized than in Victorian stock, though a century of pipe runs notched through them will still have taken strength out of the floor.

Renovating one usually starts with the rear addition, which is where the kitchen wants to be and where the construction is weakest. Single skin walls, a low pitch or flat roof patched several times, and a bathroom stacked above it are the standard arrangement. Bringing that part of the house up to standard means insulating it properly, sorting the roof covering and rainwater goods, and resolving drainage for a kitchen layout that will not match the old one. Do it in the wrong order and the new plaster gets fed by the old roof.

Ground, Drainage and Extending Into the Garden

Extending at the back is the most common way these houses gain a family kitchen, and the ground decides the cost long before the finishes do. Foundation depth is set by the structural engineer after trial holes, taking account of what is actually under the plot and of any mature trees nearby, which are common on these streets. Drainage is the other early question. Older terraces frequently share drain runs, so the position of the manhole and the route of the pipe are established at survey, and where the extension sits over or near a shared drain an agreement with the water authority is required.

Once those are settled the build is a matter of sequence. Excavation and foundations are inspected before concrete goes in, the structural opening into the existing house is formed to the engineer's design with proper propping, and damp proofing, structure and insulation are each inspected at the right stage. Levels between the existing floor, the new floor and the garden need thinking through early so the finished threshold works without water sitting against the building. Access here is generally through the side or the house, and we protect the route before anything heavy moves.

Where most Hanwell projects start: whole-house refurbishment in Hanwell, everything we cover across Ealing, renovations in Acton, renovations in Southall and building regulations explained.