Engineer-designed basement underpinning to South Hampstead villas — lowering floor levels and forming new depth safely, with structural method statements and party wall awards in-house.
Speak to the studio directly: 020 8054 8756
Underpinning is the structural technique behind most South Hampstead basements: the existing walls are extended downwards in a controlled sequence so the floor can be lowered and a new, taller basement formed beneath the villa. Done correctly it is safe and permanent; done badly it puts the building and the neighbours at risk — which is why Camden scrutinises it so closely under its basement policy.
We carry it out as sequential, engineer-designed mass-concrete underpinning — small bays excavated and filled one at a time so the structure is never undermined. South Hampstead’s semi-detached and terraced villas share party walls, so the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 applies and neighbours on every boundary must be formally protected.
Every scheme is designed by a structural engineer with a written method statement, monitored as it proceeds, and tied to the waterproofing and Building Control. It sits in one contract alongside the basement design, so responsibility never falls between trades, with honest budgets in pounds sterling.
Underpinning is the most safety-critical part of a basement — sequence and engineering decide everything.
Underpinning is excavated and cast in small bays in a set order so the wall is never unsupported.
Every pin is sized and detailed by a structural engineer, with a written method statement.
Shared walls mean the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 applies; neighbours are notified, surveyed and protected.
Movement is monitored during the works so problems are caught early, not after.
From engineering design to a stable, lowered structure — carried out under one team.
Engineer-designed underpinning sized to the ground and the loads above.
A written, sequenced method statement governing how each bay is formed.
Notices, schedules of condition and awards with adjoining owners.
Controlled bay excavation, reinforcement and mass-concrete casting.
Temporary support designed to keep the structure stable throughout.
Movement monitoring of the building and neighbours during the works.
Coordinating the new structure with the tanking or cavity-drain system.
Building Control inspection and structural sign-off on completion.
We carry out engineer-designed underpinning on South Hampstead’s semi-detached and terraced villas, with full party wall protection for neighbours.
South Hampstead sits within the London Borough of Camden — see our South Hampstead area page and North London refurbishment overview.
Book a no-obligation consultation at our North London studio on Finchley Road, in Hampstead, or at your property. We will give you an honest read on approvals, programme and budget band — in pounds sterling — before you commit.
Site visit · approvals read · outline budget band (GBP) · programme indication. No obligation.
Send Project DetailsThe same NW3 design-build team covers the neighbouring areas: