Renovations in Putney

Putney's Edwardian terraces were built a step up from what came before. Frontages are wider, bays are deeper, mortar tends to be sounder and roof structures carry proper purlins, which gives more to work with when a renovation starts. Running up from the Thames towpath and Putney Bridge towards Putney Heath, the ground rises and the houses get larger, with period conversions and riverside flats filling in between. GS Renovation works across SW15 on structural openings, extensions, loft conversions and full refurbishments, coordinating the engineer and Wandsworth Council building control from survey to certificate.

Working with Edwardian construction in SW15

An Edwardian house behaves differently from the mid Victorian terraces further east. Ceilings are often higher, joists are deeper and better spaced, and the roof has purlins and struts landing on internal walls rather than relying on rafters alone. That last point matters more than anything when a loft is converted, because those struts and the walls beneath them are frequently the very things a new open plan layout wants to remove, and they cannot simply be cut out on the day. Establishing that before demolition is what keeps a project on programme.

The recurring weak points here are the bay and the rear elevation. Bay roofs and their supporting timbers take a century of water before anyone looks at them, and roughcast render at first floor hides movement rather than preventing it. We open up, let the engineer see what is really carrying the load, and design the replacement support properly, whether that is a new beam over the bay, a repaired purlin or a steel picking up the roof so the ground floor can finally be opened out. Repair is usually possible where the timber is caught early enough.

Extensions, lofts and the slope up to the heath

Away from the river the ground rises, and gardens step up or down away from the house. That changes an extension from a flat slab job into a level and retaining problem, with the threshold, the drainage falls and any retaining structure worked out at design stage instead of resolved with steps at the end. Foundation depths are dictated by the ground and by nearby trees, and the excavation is inspected before concrete is poured rather than after. Any retaining structure is designed by the engineer and inspected before it is backfilled.

Loft conversions on these terraces usually take the form of a rear dormer, or an L shaped dormer where the house has a back addition. The new floor is carried on engineer sized joists bearing onto steels that span between the party walls, never on the original ceiling joists. Part K governs the rise, going and headroom of the new stair, and Part B governs the protected route out, with fire doors and interlinked alarms. We arrange the building control inspections at each stage. Insulation is inspected before it is covered rather than afterwards.

Where most Putney projects start: whole-house refurbishment in Putney, everything we cover across Wandsworth, renovations in Battersea, renovations in Balham and full house renovation cost.