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Stamford Brook W6 · House refurbishment

House refurbishment in Stamford Brook

Gabled houses by the common, listed villas on Stamford Brook Road

A house in Stamford Brook answers to one of two councils. South of the common, Hounslow’s appraisal of January 2021 lists what it sees as threats to the houses, from roof extensions to overpainted timber, and its 2024 design guidance sets out the detail. On Hammersmith and Fulham’s stretch of Stamford Brook Road, the council’s directions and register of past decisions show how the listed villas and their neighbours have been handled. Start from the guidance for your own address.

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House refurbishment in Stamford Brook at a glance

Hounslow’s appraisal of its Stamford Brook Conservation Area has no management plan. In its place, a list of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats names roof extensions that can affect heights and skylines, the loss of spaces between buildings, overpainted timber and windows, and roof coverings replaced in inappropriate materials; for extensions, Part A5 of the council’s 2024 design codes has replaced the 2017 guidelines the appraisal cites. On Hammersmith and Fulham’s stretch of Stamford Brook Road, the legal text of Direction No. 4 itself lists 2–10 (even) and 9–25 (odd), and the register shows extensions at the listed houses refused in 1991 and consented since.

Hounslow: Stamford Brook Conservation Area Appraisal, adopted January 2021 · Hounslow: supplementary planning documents and guidance · Hounslow SPD Part A5: Residential Extension Guidelines, May 2024 · LBHF: Ravenscourt and Starch Green (No. 4) Article 4 direction summary · LBHF: planning, building control and licensing applications search

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

Approved guide prices

What does a house refurbishment cost in Stamford Brook?

Cost in Stamford Brook 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

The houses south of the common and on Stamford Brook Road

Stamford Brook’s houses fall into two groups under two councils: the early twentieth-century streets of Hounslow’s conservation area, and the listed villas and other houses on Hammersmith and Fulham’s stretch of Stamford Brook Road.

On Prebend Gardens, Hounslow’s appraisal records that the houses at the north end of the eastern side carry on Pleydell Avenue’s large decorative roofs, gables and perforated tiles, and that the remainder were built in the 1920s, plainer but, as it found in 2021, still keeping the integrity of their original design. Across the conservation area, it judged boundary and front-space treatments to be in fair to very good condition, and the front spaces, particularly of the earlier houses, too shallow to suit conversion to parking. Street and garden trees, it says, are a major feature of the built-up part.

Hounslow: Stamford Brook Conservation Area Appraisal, adopted January 2021

The appraisal counts the spaces between houses among the area’s strengths and their loss among its threats, alongside very high property values that lead to a wish to extend into backland. It does not discuss side extensions as such. Its Appendix 1 recommended a comprehensive survey for further local listing and named good-quality housing throughout the conservation area as a possible inclusion. That was a recommendation as at January 2021, not a designation, so check Hounslow’s current local list rather than assuming either way about a particular house.

Hounslow: Stamford Brook Conservation Area Appraisal, adopted January 2021 · Hounslow: the local list

Across the boundary, Hammersmith and Fulham’s Ravenscourt and Starch Green profile, approved in 1997, described the Grade II paired villas at 9–11 and 17–23 Stamford Brook Road as then in varying states of repair, and No. 15 as a mid-nineteenth-century “Cottage Orne” of urns and flints with brick quoins and dressings. The council’s Article 4 list, last amended in October 2011, gives Direction No. 1 as served on this stretch on 8 May 1979 and Direction No. 4 on 2 January 1985; owners were told in January 1986 that No. 4 had taken effect.

LBHF: Ravenscourt and Starch Green Conservation Area character profile, part 4: Starch Green, Askew Road and the Victorian housing north of Goldhawk Road · LBHF: properties affected by Article 4 directions, list last amended 1 October 2011 · LBHF: Ravenscourt and Starch Green (No. 4) Article 4 direction summary

Permissions and local rules

Outside the house: what each council asks

Roofs and dormers in Hounslow’s conservation area

What does Hounslow’s guidance say about roof work?

Hounslow’s appraisal lists, among its threats, roof extensions that can affect overall heights and skylines and roof coverings replaced in inappropriate materials. Its 2024 Part A5 guidance says that in conservation areas a rear dormer should as a rule be less than half the width of the original roof, set one metre below the ridge and one metre above the eaves; that roof extensions over rear outriggers and hip-to-gable extensions will normally be refused; and that matching materials are required where natural slate or tiles dominate the street, though imitation tiles may be acceptable on a roof hidden from view.

Hounslow: Stamford Brook Conservation Area Appraisal, adopted January 2021 · Hounslow SPD Part A5: Residential Extension Guidelines, May 2024

Windows, doors and front walls south of the common

Can I replace windows, a front door or a front wall?

The appraisal encourages keeping and reinstating historic windows and doors, and says historic timber windows can often be repaired rather than replaced. Hounslow’s conservation-area questions and answers list new windows or doors of a different appearance on a single house as needing planning permission. Part B10, the 2024 Chiswick guidance that names the Stamford Brook Conservation Area among those shaping its neighbourhood, asks for replacement windows to match the originals in design and material. Under Part A5, removing a front wall or railing that forms part of a consistent enclosure to a terrace or pair of houses will be refused.

Hounslow: Stamford Brook Conservation Area Appraisal, adopted January 2021 · Hounslow: conservation areas FAQ · Hounslow SPD Part B10: Chiswick, May 2024 · Hounslow SPD Part A5: Residential Extension Guidelines, May 2024

Extensions and roofs at the listed houses on Stamford Brook Road

How has Hammersmith and Fulham decided extensions there?

Hammersmith and Fulham’s register records, among the listed houses at 9–23 Stamford Brook Road, a two-storey side extension refused at one and a two-storey rear extension refused at another in 1991; listed building consent for single-storey side or rear extensions at several between 1993 and 2025; and, in 2026, approval of a part one, part two-storey rear extension at one, which also covered replacing artificial roof slates with natural ones. A new rear dormer and rooflight were approved at another in 2020, again with natural slates in place of artificial. These are decisions of their dates, not rules.

LBHF: planning, building control and licensing applications search

Front gardens, basements and garden buildings on the road

What about crossovers, lightwells and outbuildings there?

The register shows vehicular crossovers approved at three of the listed houses at 9–23 in 1996, 2005 and 2007, but Hammersmith and Fulham’s 2018 Planning Guidance SPD resists destroying planted front gardens for crossovers and hard standings in conservation areas. In 2014 the council approved a front-garden lightwell with an enlarged basement at a house on the road, before its borough-wide basement direction took effect in 2018. Outbuildings were approved at two of the listed houses in 2018 and 2020; the SPD says outbuildings should comprise only one storey.

LBHF: planning, building control and licensing applications search · LBHF Planning Guidance SPD, adopted 28 February 2018 · LBHF: Article 4 directions, including the borough-wide basement direction

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

What the work covers

What a whole-house refurbishment here covers

Repairing the outside first

Survey roof coverings, gables, decorative or perforated tiles, timber windows, brickwork and front walls, and price their repair apart from new work. Hounslow’s Part A5 says secondary glazing and draught proofing can improve traditional windows, and Hammersmith and Fulham’s retrofit guide says slim double-glazed units can be fitted into existing timber sashes or casements. On a listed house, ask the council about consent before any glazing is ordered.

Hounslow SPD Part A5: Residential Extension Guidelines, May 2024 · LBHF climate change and planning: replacement double and triple glazing windows

Services planned inside the walls

A whole-house job usually renews wiring, heating and plumbing together, so draw their routes on one plan before any floor is lifted. Keep cables and pipes inside the house where you can: in conservation areas, Hammersmith and Fulham’s SPD says cables should be routed internally and original rainwater goods must be replaced in their original form and material, though powder-coated aluminium may sometimes be acceptable.

LBHF Planning Guidance SPD, adopted 28 February 2018

An extension designed to current guidance

Design any rear addition to today’s guidance, not to a neighbour’s past consent. In Hounslow’s conservation area, Part A5 says original rear projections that form a feature of a building or the rhythm of a terrace, such as a two-storey outrigger, must be preserved, and that two-storey and first-floor rear extensions will normally be refused where clearly visible from the public realm or harmful to the area’s character. Part B10 adds that extensions must be proportional to the existing building and avoid losing important greenery in front and back gardens.

Hounslow SPD Part A5: Residential Extension Guidelines, May 2024 · Hounslow SPD Part B10: Chiswick, May 2024

How we work

How we run a Stamford Brook 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 Stamford Brook. 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. Check the number on both councils’ lists

    Look up the house number on Hounslow’s conservation-area map and in Hammersmith and Fulham’s Article 4 list and the statutory list. On Stamford Brook Road, note whether Direction No. 1, No. 4 or both name the number, and whether the house is listed or on the Buildings of Merit register. For the red-brick Edwardian streets north of Stamford Brook Road, see our Shepherd’s Bush pages instead.

  2. Record what the house still has

    Photograph the roof, gables, tiles, chimneys, windows, front door, front wall and path, and note which parts are original and which have been replaced. For a listed house, this record becomes the starting point for any heritage statement the council asks for.

  3. Decide the extent before the finishes

    Say whether the work stays inside the existing house or adds a rear addition, roof room or garden building, because that choice sets which applications come first. List the rooms, the services to renew and the features you want kept, so every quotation prices the same scope.

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 Stamford Brook: questions

Does Hounslow’s appraisal include a management plan?

No. The January 2021 appraisal says it could be expanded in future to include a management plan with more specific design guidance, and offers its SWOT analysis in the meantime. For extensions it still refers to the Residential Extension Guidelines of 2017, but Hounslow’s SPD page says the 2024 Character, Sustainability and Design Codes SPD supersedes them, so work from Part A5 of that document.

Hounslow: Stamford Brook Conservation Area Appraisal, adopted January 2021 · Hounslow: supplementary planning documents and guidance · Hounslow SPD Part A5: Residential Extension Guidelines, May 2024

Can I paint or render the brickwork of a house on Stamford Brook Road?

Check the number first. Hammersmith and Fulham’s 2018 Planning Guidance SPD says that in conservation areas external brick or stone walls should not be painted, rendered or clad, and that repointing is usually in lime-based mortar with a flush finish. On the numbers Direction No. 1 names, painting unpainted brickwork is brought under planning control, and on a listed house ask about listed building consent too.

LBHF Planning Guidance SPD, adopted 28 February 2018 · LBHF: Ravenscourt and Starch Green (No. 1) Article 4 direction summary · LBHF: statutory listed buildings

Can I put a satellite dish on a listed house there?

In 1996 Hammersmith and Fulham refused listed building consent for a satellite dish on the rear elevation at first-floor level of one of the listed houses at 9–23 Stamford Brook Road, and that year granted consent at one of them for a dish on the rear of a chimney stack. Those decisions set no rule. The council’s 2018 SPD says dishes are not permitted in conservation areas where they would be visually obtrusive and another location is available.

LBHF: planning, building control and licensing applications search · LBHF Planning Guidance SPD, adopted 28 February 2018

What does Direction No. 4 cover on Stamford Brook Road?

Its legal schedule names 2–10 (even) and 9–25 (odd) Stamford Brook Road and brings under control enlarging, improving or altering those houses insofar as the work would alter their external front appearance. The council lists Nos. 5 and 7 under Direction No. 1 only. The Secretary of State approved it with modifications on 6 December 1985, so read the approved direction and ask Hammersmith and Fulham before changing the front of the house.

LBHF: Ravenscourt and Starch Green (No. 4) Article 4 direction summary · LBHF: Ravenscourt and Starch Green (No. 1) Article 4 direction summary · LBHF: properties affected by Article 4 directions, list last amended 1 October 2011

Can I fit solar panels or a heat pump to a house here?

In Hounslow’s conservation area, Part B10 encourages solar panels, air source heat pumps and secondary glazing in Chiswick provided they are placed discreetly, and Part A5 says solar panels should go discreetly on the rear roof slope or a flat roof and heat pumps at ground level in a rear or side garden. For a Hammersmith and Fulham address, or a listed house on either side, ask the council before choosing equipment.

Hounslow SPD Part B10: Chiswick, May 2024 · Hounslow SPD Part A5: Residential Extension Guidelines, May 2024

Could a garden building or extension become a separate home?

Hounslow’s adopted Local Plan sets out to prevent that. Its Policy SC7 says an extension or outbuilding should be subordinate to the existing building and not overdevelop the site in mass and density, and the council uses planning conditions to stop outbuildings or extensions being used as self-contained dwellings. Keep any garden building ancillary to the house, modest in footprint, and describe its use plainly in the application.

Hounslow Local Plan 2015–2030, Volume One

How much does a house refurbishment cost in Stamford Brook?

It depends on scope. In Stamford Brook, 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 Stamford Brook house

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

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

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