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North Kensington W10 and W11 · House refurbishment

House refurbishment in North Kensington

Rear wings, valley roofs and lightwells, read street by street

A whole-house refurbishment in North Kensington tends to change the back and the top of a house as much as its rooms. RBKC’s appraisals for the Colville, Avondale and Oxford Gardens - St Quintin conservation areas record how closet wings, outriggers, valley roofs and lightwells were built on particular streets, and the Local Plan 2024 sets the tests for extensions, roofs and basements. This page reads them house type by house type.

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House refurbishment in North Kensington at a glance

Behind the street fronts, two of RBKC’s appraisals look closely at the line of rear additions. The Colville appraisal, adopted in 2015, finds most of its historic terraces built with a half-width closet wing, or a smaller projection, beside a lightwell ‘void’, and most historic additions finishing below eaves level. The Oxford Gardens - St Quintin appraisal, in its edition dated October 2021, notes slender closet wings on many Victorian houses and large outriggers on the Edwardian ones, and warns that an individual change to one house can easily disrupt the rhythm they make. Draw the rear of the whole terrace before your own.

RBKC: Colville conservation area appraisal, adopted 17 February 2015 · RBKC: Oxford Gardens - St Quintin conservation area appraisal, edition dated October 2021

For the whole area, including conservation areas, permissions and working hours, read our North Kensington renovation guide.

Approved guide prices

What does a house refurbishment cost in North Kensington?

Cost in North Kensington 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

Roofs and rears, conservation area by conservation area

North Kensington has several RBKC conservation areas, and each appraisal records what has already changed on the roofs, rears and front areas of its streets. If one covers your address, read it before anything is drawn.

The Colville appraisal, adopted in 2015, describes the butterfly or valley roof, concealed at the front by a parapet that is usually stuccoed but often visible from the rear, from Powis Mews and Lonsdale Mews for instance, and says this roof form has become rare across the borough. Many buildings on St Luke’s Road, Colville Terrace and the eastern side of Colville Square have had modern mansards added, and some of those on Colville Terrace lack uniformity and quality. Front gardens are scarce there, largely because front lightwells are so prevalent.

RBKC: Colville conservation area appraisal, adopted 17 February 2015

In the Avondale Conservation Area, the appraisal adopted in 2015 describes Victorian terrace houses with rear outriggers about half the width of the rear elevation. The void between them has frequently been infilled at lower ground floor, and the appraisal says such infill creates a solid, flat appearance that harms the articulation of the rear. On Stoneleigh Street the late Victorian houses rise three storeys, with Welsh slate roofs, oversailing moulded brick courses at the eaves and U-shaped cast iron gutters. The two-storey cottages of Avondale Park Gardens were built to a simple square footprint without rear wings.

RBKC: Avondale and Avondale Park Gardens conservation area appraisal, adopted 14 December 2015

In Oxford Gardens - St Quintin, the appraisal dated October 2021 says some houses, the cottage estate in particular and some of the large Victorian houses, were built with no rear additions, and that their uniformity is under particular threat because new extensions cannot follow a single harmonious design. Most houses have reasonably sized back gardens, but it names streets with very small rear yards, among them Bonchurch Street, St Michael’s Gardens, the north section of Ladbroke Grove, Bracewell Road and Brewster Gardens. Its red-brick Edwardian houses have no original front lightwells, and all have small front gardens.

RBKC: Oxford Gardens - St Quintin conservation area appraisal, edition dated October 2021

Permissions and local rules

What RBKC checks on the outside of a house

Rear extensions under Policy CD13

The Local Plan 2024 carries the 2019 extensions policy forward as CD13. It requires extensions to be subordinate to the original building, and resists one that would go rearward beyond the general rear building line of neighbouring extensions, rise to or above the original main eaves or parapet, or spoil the even rhythm of rear additions, among other tests. The 2018 St Quintin and Woodlands Neighbourhood Plan records side-closet extensions, which take the old side passage into the ground floor, as a long-popular alteration in its area; check whether your address lies in that area.

RBKC: Local Plan 2024, adopted 24 July 2024 (the council’s Local Plan page) · St Quintin and Woodlands Neighbourhood Plan 2015–2030, July 2018

Roofs, storeys and dormers under Policy CD12

Policy CD12 resists additional storeys on, among others, complete terraces whose roof line is unimpaired by extensions, buildings or terraces that already have an additional storey or mansard, and buildings whose roof construction and style make them unsuitable, such as pitched roofs with eaves. It also resists alterations to dormer windows of architectural and historical interest, even where others in the same terrace have been altered. In Avondale, the 2015 appraisal says rear box dormers do not reflect the prevailing character of the area, and it records no later roof extensions on the Avondale Park Gardens terraces.

RBKC: Local Plan 2024, adopted 24 July 2024 (the council’s Local Plan page) · RBKC: Avondale and Avondale Park Gardens conservation area appraisal, adopted 14 December 2015

Fronts, windows and Direction 64

RBKC says its Article 4 directions in conservation areas aim to control small-scale changes to the outside of houses, such as windows, front doors, boundary walls and roof coverings, often on the front. Its table lists Direction 64, from 1992, against Avondale Park Gardens and a few addresses on Avondale Park Road; read the direction itself for what it controls. Paragraph 6.126 of the Local Plan names changes to glazing patterns, front walls, railings and panelled entrance doors among modifications that can harm a building, and notes that careful handling can improve one.

RBKC: Article 4 directions in conservation areas · RBKC: Local Plan 2024, adopted 24 July 2024 (the council’s Local Plan page)

Basements under Policy CD11

Policy CD11, the 2019 basement policy saved in the Local Plan 2024, limits basement development to one storey, though exceptions may be made on large sites, and allows no further basement floors where a basement already has permission or was built under permitted development rights. It rules out excavation under a listed building, and front or side light wells and railings where they would seriously harm the locality’s character, and requires at least one metre of soil over any part beneath a garden. The Basements SPD, as guidance, measures the garden limit separately for front, back and side gardens.

RBKC: Local Plan 2024, adopted 24 July 2024 (the council’s Local Plan page) · RBKC: Basements Supplementary Planning Document, adopted 14 April 2016 (guidance)

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

What the work covers

What a North Kensington house refurbishment covers

The rear addition and the roof, drawn with the terrace

The survey records the closet wing or outrigger, the eaves and parapet lines, the roof form and the rear additions on both neighbouring houses, and any extension or roof change is then drawn against the whole run of the terrace. That lets the design answer the subordination, building-line and rhythm tests before it reaches RBKC, and shows early whether a valley roof, a mansard or a square cottage plan leaves room to add anything at all.

Windows, doors and front details

Fronts are specified piece by piece: sashes, panelled doors, railings, front walls and paintwork. Among the harmful changes it lists, the Avondale appraisal notes replacement windows in uPVC or aluminium that lose glazing bars, traditional putty and painted finish, and double glazing that quite often distorts the panes. The Oxford Gardens - St Quintin appraisal names non-original windows and front doors, different roof coverings and rooflights as harming its area. Where repair is possible, the scope prices it first.

RBKC: Avondale and Avondale Park Gardens conservation area appraisal, adopted 14 December 2015 · RBKC: Oxford Gardens - St Quintin conservation area appraisal, edition dated October 2021

Lower floors, plant and services

An existing lower ground floor is refitted as it stands, with damp, drainage and ventilation dealt with together; a new basement is a planning matter of its own. The Basements SPD advises that a basement’s plant and machinery should ideally sit inside the building, and that external plant calls for a noise survey and report by a competent acoustician. Heating, wiring and pipework for the whole house are planned once, so that later rooms do not need new routes cut through finished walls.

RBKC: Basements Supplementary Planning Document, adopted 14 April 2016 (guidance)

How we work

How we run a North Kensington 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 North Kensington. 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. Name the conservation area

    Tell us the full address and which RBKC conservation area, if any, covers it: Colville, Avondale, Avondale Park Gardens, Oxford Gardens - St Quintin or Kensal Green Cemetery. If you are not sure, the council’s map settles it; the postcode does not. The appraisal for that area is the first document to read.

  2. Picture the back of the terrace

    Send pictures of the rear of your house and its neighbours from the garden, and of the roof from an upper window or the street behind. Mark the height of each rear addition against the main eaves, and note any roof terrace, dormer or infill already built.

  3. List each outside change on its own

    Write the roof, rear, front and lower-floor changes as separate lines, each with the consent it may need, so that one refusal or delay does not hold up the rest of the refurbishment inside the house.

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 North Kensington: questions

Would a roof terrace or rear balcony suit a Colville house?

Plan one with care. The Colville appraisal says rear balconies and high-level terraces are a modern addition to some terraced houses and, unless carefully sited, can harm the character and appearance of the conservation area; it lists cluttered high-level and roof terraces among the area’s negative elements. Policy CD13 also resists a conservatory at roof level or significantly above garden level, and Policy CD9 requires no harmful increase in the sense of enclosure to neighbouring gardens, balconies and terraces.

RBKC: Colville conservation area appraisal, adopted 17 February 2015 · RBKC: Local Plan 2024, adopted 24 July 2024 (the council’s Local Plan page)

Can I add a basement under a North Kensington house?

Only through a planning application, within the limits of Policy CD11. RBKC’s Oxford Gardens - St Quintin appraisal records increasing basement development as a feature of recent change, which can affect the area’s appearance as vegetation is lost below ground, and the Neighbourhood Plan estimated that the main increase in its area’s housing floorspace would have come from loft extensions and basements. Policy GB11 also requires a site-specific flood risk assessment for all basement development, whatever the risk of flooding.

RBKC: borough-wide basement Article 4 direction, confirmed 2 March 2016 · RBKC: Oxford Gardens - St Quintin conservation area appraisal, edition dated October 2021 · St Quintin and Woodlands Neighbourhood Plan 2015–2030, July 2018 · RBKC: Local Plan 2024, adopted 24 July 2024 (the council’s Local Plan page)

Do I need permission to paint the front of my house?

It depends on the address. When the St Quintin and Woodlands Neighbourhood Plan was written in 2018, painting front brickwork was still permitted development in its area, so check today’s position with RBKC. The Oxford Gardens - St Quintin appraisal calls painting a particular problem in parts of the conservation area, where painted brick-fronted houses interrupt a terrace’s uniformity, and paragraph 6.126 of the Local Plan lists rendering or painting a brick-faced building among changes that can cause harm.

St Quintin and Woodlands Neighbourhood Plan 2015–2030, July 2018 · RBKC: Oxford Gardens - St Quintin conservation area appraisal, edition dated October 2021 · RBKC: Local Plan 2024, adopted 24 July 2024 (the council’s Local Plan page)

Is my Latimer Road house in a conservation area?

Check RBKC’s current conservation area map. The Oxford Gardens - St Quintin appraisal says Latimer Road was developed mainly with modest two- and three-storey workers’ houses in yellow stock brick, and calls groups on Latimer Road and Snarsgate Street good survivals of considerable charm. In 2021 RBKC proposed adding the Latimer Road terraces to the conservation area. An address west of the railway is in Hammersmith and Fulham instead: check the council, and see our Shepherd’s Bush pages.

RBKC: Oxford Gardens - St Quintin conservation area appraisal, edition dated October 2021 · RBKC: proposed extension of the Oxford Gardens - St Quintin conservation area, analysis, March 2021 · RBKC: Oxford Gardens conservation area designation map, 2021 · Find the council for the property

How should a new front lightwell be guarded?

With as little on show as possible. RBKC’s Basements SPD, as guidance, says railings and balustrades often make lightwells more conspicuous, that grilles can be flush with the ground, and that where lightwells are not part of the street’s character a new one is more discreetly placed at the back. In its own area, the Neighbourhood Plan says glass bricks or flat conservation-style metal grilles provide an alternative to railings.

RBKC: Basements Supplementary Planning Document, adopted 14 April 2016 (guidance) · St Quintin and Woodlands Neighbourhood Plan 2015–2030, July 2018

My house is near Notting Hill, Holland Park or Kensal Green. Which pages apply?

The ones for the conservation area your address is in. The Ladbroke and Pembridge conservation areas are covered on our Notting Hill pages, and Norland on our Holland Park pages. Kensal Green Cemetery is an RBKC conservation area whose appraisal is still a May 2017 draft. Brent’s Kensal Green and Kensal Rise conservation areas are covered on our Kensal Rise pages, so check which council your address falls under first.

RBKC: Kensal Green Cemetery conservation area appraisal, draft, May 2017 · Find the council for the property

How much does a house refurbishment cost in North Kensington?

It depends on scope. In North Kensington, 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 North Kensington house

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

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

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