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De Beauvoir Town N1 · House refurbishment

House refurbishment in De Beauvoir Town

Extending a villa or a terrace house under today’s rules

In De Beauvoir Town a whole-house refurbishment often means a side or rear extension to a villa, a pair or a terrace house, a repaired front of brick and stucco, and work at basement level. This page explains how Hackney’s older De Beauvoir design guide and its December 2025 householder guidance treat those changes, which houses are listed or locally listed, and what the ground beneath them is like.

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Serving De Beauvoir Town from our Hampstead studio · NW3 6DN
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House refurbishment in De Beauvoir Town at a glance

Two generations of guidance meet at a De Beauvoir house. Hackney’s De Beauvoir page still links its Conservation Area Design Guide for Residential Properties, an undated document written in about 1990 to 1995, before the 2008 Article 4 direction. It gives detailed local advice on extensions, doors, brickwork and railings, but it is older guidance and partly out of date. The current rules are the 2008 direction, for the houses it covers, and the council’s Residential Extensions and Alterations SPD of December 2025. The 2008 appraisal itself listed up-to-date design guidance on the area’s house types as an opportunity.

De Beauvoir Conservation Area Design Guide for Residential Properties (Hackney, undated, about 1990 to 1995; older guidance, partly out of date), linked from the council’s De Beauvoir page · Hackney Council: De Beauvoir conservation area and its Article 4 direction · Hackney Residential Extensions and Alterations SPD (December 2025, in effect since January 2026) · De Beauvoir conservation area appraisal Part 2 of 2 (May 2008), linked from the council’s De Beauvoir conservation area page

For the whole area, including conservation areas, permissions and working hours, read our De Beauvoir Town renovation guide.

Approved guide prices

What does a house refurbishment cost in De Beauvoir Town?

Cost in De Beauvoir Town depends on depth of work. A cosmetic refurbishment that keeps the existing layout runs £650–£1,250/sqm (typically £90,000–£180,000), while a back-to-brick renovation runs £2,250–£3,250/sqm (typically £275,000–£475,000), excluding VAT. A written scope and site assessment are needed before any project price can be fixed.

Scope of workGuide rateTypical total
Cosmetic — existing layout retained£650–£1,250/sqm£90,000–£180,000
Back-to-brick renovation£2,250–£3,250/sqm£275,000–£475,000
Typical programme16–32 weeks on site

Guide rates exclude VAT and are set by depth of work, not by postcode. Compare scopes in our London refurbishment cost-per-square-metre guide or try the cost calculator.

The buildings

De Beauvoir houses street by street

The 2008 appraisal records how house types change from street to street and which have basements, while the national list and Hackney’s local list mark the houses whose heritage weighs in decisions.

Culford Road, partly built in 1849 by George Hearn, is mostly two storeys over a basement, rising to three storeys nearer Balls Pond Road. Southgate Grove has houses of two storeys with basements in four terraces of four, with pediments on the gables and segmental arched ground-floor windows. On the north side of Buckingham Road, near Ardleigh Road, distinguished pairs rise two storeys above a basement, with dormers set into pitched roofs. A basement storey is common, and it shapes any extension, as the checks below show.

De Beauvoir conservation area appraisal Part 1 of 2 (May 2008), linked from the council’s De Beauvoir conservation area page · De Beauvoir conservation area appraisal Part 2 of 2 (May 2008), linked from the council’s De Beauvoir conservation area page

On the south side of Balls Pond Road, the Hackney side, nos. 93-113 form one terrace of the early to mid-19th century, each house two storeys over a basement with steps up to the front door, and Brunswick Place, nos. 121-157, is a very fine terrace of 1812 behind front gardens. The north side of the road is in Islington, so check which council your address is in. Among the listed houses, 41-55 Northchurch Road is listed Grade II, one of several listed groups on that road that also include 17 and 19, 21-27, 29-35 and 57-63.

De Beauvoir conservation area appraisal Part 1 of 2 (May 2008), linked from the council’s De Beauvoir conservation area page · Find the council for the property · Planning Data: 41-55 Northchurch Road N1, Grade II, list entry 1235227

Hackney’s local list, updated in May 2025, places many more houses in the De Beauvoir Conservation Area without statutory listing, among them 1 to 16 Southgate Grove, 14 to 28 (even) Northchurch Terrace, 56 and 58 Northchurch Road, 38 Englefield Road, 110 to 164 (even) Hertford Road, 106 to 110 and 114 to 120 (even) De Beauvoir Road, 54, 60 and 62 Downham Road, and 51, 53 and 57 to 81 (odd) Mortimer Road. The council weighs their significance when it decides a planning application.

Hackney Council: locally listed buildings and Hackney’s local list 2025 · Hackney Local Plan 2033 (LP33), adopted 22 July 2020

Permissions and local rules

Extensions, roofs and fronts: the De Beauvoir checks

Side extensions: the older guide and the 2025 rules

How large can a side extension be?

The older Design Guide asked for a side extension one storey lower than the main building (exceptions could be considered), set back from the front in the traditional manner, about 1 metre in most of De Beauvoir Town and less on some properties such as those in Northchurch Road, and normally no wider than half the frontage. The December 2025 SPD, which is the current guidance, asks for a single-storey side extension no wider than half the original house, at least 1 metre from the side boundary and at least 500 mm behind the front building line.

De Beauvoir Conservation Area Design Guide for Residential Properties (Hackney, undated, about 1990 to 1995; older guidance, partly out of date), linked from the council’s De Beauvoir page · Hackney Residential Extensions and Alterations SPD (December 2025, in effect since January 2026)

Rear extensions on villas and pairs

What governs a rear extension now?

The 2025 SPD sets today’s limits: a single-storey rear extension should go no deeper than 3.5 metres from the original rear wall of a semi-detached house, or 4 metres for a detached one, and keep at least half the original rear garden. Inside a conservation area, a house with an original outrigger can generally only infill beside it, not wrap around it, unless wrap-arounds are already the established character. The older Design Guide said wrap-around side and rear extensions would not normally be permitted above basement level, and asked for rear extensions one storey below the main building.

Hackney Residential Extensions and Alterations SPD (December 2025, in effect since January 2026) · De Beauvoir Conservation Area Design Guide for Residential Properties (Hackney, undated, about 1990 to 1995; older guidance, partly out of date), linked from the council’s De Beauvoir page

Porches, roof extensions and dishes

What did the older guide rule out, and what has changed?

The older Design Guide considered front extensions, porches included, unacceptable, and judged roof extensions unsuitable in the conservation area whether to the front or the rear. Its treatment of dishes is out of date: for a house covered by the 2008 Article 4 direction, Hackney’s De Beauvoir page lists installing, altering or replacing a satellite antenna on the house or within its curtilage among the works that now need planning permission. Search the council’s Article 4 property database for your address before fixing anything to the walls or roof.

De Beauvoir Conservation Area Design Guide for Residential Properties (Hackney, undated, about 1990 to 1995; older guidance, partly out of date), linked from the council’s De Beauvoir page · Hackney Council: De Beauvoir conservation area and its Article 4 direction · De Beauvoir Article 4 property database, by postcode, linked from the council’s De Beauvoir conservation area page

Brickwork and pointing

How should a De Beauvoir front be repaired?

The older Design Guide asks for original external features to be kept and says existing brickwork should never be painted or rendered. Pointing, it says, should be flush, using a weak mix of 1 part lime, 1 part cement and 6 parts sand, and raised, strap or weatherstruck pointing is not appropriate. Agree the mortar mix in writing before any repointing starts. For a house the 2008 direction covers, painting the outside is itself a change that needs planning permission.

De Beauvoir Conservation Area Design Guide for Residential Properties (Hackney, undated, about 1990 to 1995; older guidance, partly out of date), linked from the council’s De Beauvoir page · Hackney Council: De Beauvoir conservation area and its Article 4 direction

Working hours, skips, parking and the conservation area maps for the whole area are in our De Beauvoir Town guide. Local guidance checked ; requirements depend on the address, the building and the complete proposal.

What the work covers

What a De Beauvoir house refurbishment covers

Front doors, sashes and stucco

Repairing the front often comes first. The older Design Guide describes Victorian six- and four-panel doors as the commonest originals, asks for replacements to copy the original design and materials, painted in gloss rather than varnished, and finds varnished hardwood and ‘Carolina’ doors with a fanlight in the door unsuitable. It shows six-over-six and two-over-two sashes and margin-bar windows as typical and asks for original windows to be kept. Stucco is repaired to match rather than stripped.

De Beauvoir Conservation Area Design Guide for Residential Properties (Hackney, undated, about 1990 to 1995; older guidance, partly out of date), linked from the council’s De Beauvoir page

Extension and structure

Most whole-house jobs here add space at the side or the rear, open up the lower ground floor, or both. Where a group of houses has basements, the older guide asked for a side extension to start from lower-ground level, excavating if necessary, so that its windows, sills and bands line up with the house, and found garages in side extensions not normally acceptable. Any digging is now also tested against the Local Plan’s basement policy and the 2025 SPD.

De Beauvoir Conservation Area Design Guide for Residential Properties (Hackney, undated, about 1990 to 1995; older guidance, partly out of date), linked from the council’s De Beauvoir page · Hackney Local Plan 2033 (LP33), adopted 22 July 2020 · Hackney Residential Extensions and Alterations SPD (December 2025, in effect since January 2026)

Lower ground floor and the ground beneath

The 2008 appraisal says much of the conservation area lies over London Clay, overlain with brick earth and some gravel, so foundations and any excavation start with site investigation. For a habitable basement room, the 2025 SPD asks for adequate daylight, tested by a 30-degree line from the centre of the window that should clear the lightwell, and for at least 1 metre of soil over any basement that extends beyond the house’s footprint.

De Beauvoir conservation area appraisal Part 1 of 2 (May 2008), linked from the council’s De Beauvoir conservation area page · Hackney Residential Extensions and Alterations SPD (December 2025, in effect since January 2026)

How we work

How we run a De Beauvoir Town house refurbishment

  1. Free feasibility visit

    We walk round the house with you and discuss what is feasible.

  2. Survey

    Rooms, levels and features to keep are measured, with opening-up or asbestos checks where needed.

  3. Design and consents

    Our own architects and structural engineers design the layout and structural openings, plan the service routes with them, and identify which consents and party wall notices apply.

  4. Price and contract

    A fixed written price and a JCT contract follow the survey, scope and specification. It records allowances, exclusions and how changes are priced.

  5. On site

    Work is inspected before it is covered, and a director reviews key decisions.

  6. Handover

    Testing, commissioning and snagging. Completed work carries a 12-month defects-rectification period under the JCT contract terms.

Real projects, clearly located

Examples of our house refurbishment work elsewhere in London

None of these projects is in De Beauvoir Town. Each card names where the work was done, so you can judge the finish and the approach before you brief your own.

Your brief

Before you ask for a quotation

  1. Find out which rules the design is tested against

    Search the Article 4 database, the national list and Hackney’s local list for the house. Read the older Design Guide for local detail, but design to the 2025 SPD, which is the council’s current guidance, and note whether the neighbours on either side have already extended.

  2. Measure the gaps and the frontage

    Record the width of the house, its distance from the side boundary, its front building line and whether the pair or terrace keeps its original symmetry. Side and rear extension limits are set from these measurements, and they show quickly whether the extension you want is realistic.

  3. Survey the front before choosing finishes

    Before any repair, have the pointing, brick, stucco, doors and sashes surveyed, and keep samples of the old mortar. Deciding early what will be repaired rather than replaced keeps the front within the direction and avoids remaking work later.

Ready to take the next step? Send the address and a short outline of the work.

Book a free feasibility visit

Questions before you begin

House refurbishment in De Beauvoir Town: questions

Is the De Beauvoir Design Guide still the rule?

It is older guidance, not the current rule. The undated guide, written in about 1990 to 1995, still appears on Hackney’s De Beauvoir page, but it refers to conservation area consent and a development plan that have both since been replaced, and it treats some boundary works and dishes as permitted development, which the 2008 Article 4 direction changed for the houses it covers. The guide itself says each proposal is assessed on its merits. Use it for local detail and the December 2025 SPD as the current guidance.

De Beauvoir Conservation Area Design Guide for Residential Properties (Hackney, undated, about 1990 to 1995; older guidance, partly out of date), linked from the council’s De Beauvoir page · Hackney Council: De Beauvoir conservation area and its Article 4 direction · Hackney Residential Extensions and Alterations SPD (December 2025, in effect since January 2026)

Can I fill the gap beside my villa?

Expect resistance. The 2008 appraisal records that on Stamford Road some paired villas have been filled in between, which it says dilutes their quality. The 2025 SPD says that, unless there are clear precedents, closing the gap between two houses is not normally possible, and asks for a single-storey side extension to stay at least 1 metre off the boundary. If you want more room at the side, start from a modest single-storey design that keeps the gap readable from the street.

De Beauvoir conservation area appraisal Part 2 of 2 (May 2008), linked from the council’s De Beauvoir conservation area page · Hackney Residential Extensions and Alterations SPD (December 2025, in effect since January 2026)

Can I have a roof terrace over a rear extension?

It is unlikely to be straightforward. The older Design Guide said roof terraces over rear extensions would not normally be permitted, though it would weigh them on their merits against overlooking, the design of the access and the character of the area. Hackney’s current 2025 SPD says roof terraces and balconies are not characteristic of the borough’s traditional housing and raise privacy concerns. Expect to need planning permission and to show that neighbours are not overlooked.

De Beauvoir Conservation Area Design Guide for Residential Properties (Hackney, undated, about 1990 to 1995; older guidance, partly out of date), linked from the council’s De Beauvoir page · Hackney Residential Extensions and Alterations SPD (December 2025, in effect since January 2026)

Where can solar panels go on a De Beauvoir roof?

Where planning permission is needed, Hackney’s 2025 SPD asks for panels in the least visually intrusive place, typically mounted on the rear roof and set in from parapets, and prefers black or dark-framed panels. In practice that means a rear slope out of sight of the street. On a listed house, the SPD expects listed building consent for external works, so panels need that consent as well.

Hackney Residential Extensions and Alterations SPD (December 2025, in effect since January 2026)

Should the railings and front wall be restored as they were?

The older Design Guide asks for boundary walls and fences to match original examples on adjoining properties, and for railings and railing heads to copy traditional ones; its drawings show De Beauvoir patterns. It treated some boundary work as permitted development, but under the 2008 Article 4 direction, building, maintaining or altering a gate, fence or wall of a covered house, or altering its railings, needs planning permission. Check the database first, then take the matching design to the council.

De Beauvoir Conservation Area Design Guide for Residential Properties (Hackney, undated, about 1990 to 1995; older guidance, partly out of date), linked from the council’s De Beauvoir page · Hackney Council: De Beauvoir conservation area and its Article 4 direction · De Beauvoir Article 4 property database, by postcode, linked from the council’s De Beauvoir conservation area page

How much does a house refurbishment cost in De Beauvoir Town?

It depends on scope. In De Beauvoir Town, a cosmetic refurbishment keeping the existing layout runs £650–£1,250/sqm (typically £90,000–£180,000); a back-to-brick renovation runs £2,250–£3,250/sqm (typically £275,000–£475,000), excluding VAT. A written scope and site assessment come before any fixed price.

Book a free feasibility visit

Talk to us about your De Beauvoir Town house

Tell us the address and what you want to change in your De Beauvoir Town house. We reply within one working day, Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm.

Or call 020 7101 3168. We serve De Beauvoir Town from our studio at Unit 3, Palace Court, 250 Finchley Road, London NW3 6DN.

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