Bluebird Spaces
    Loft conversion and extension project in Richmond by Bluebird Spaces
    Richmond TW9

    Builders in Richmond for Lofts, Extensions & Renovations

    Victorian terraces, Edwardian semis and family homes across TW9, TW10 and SW14.

    07564 041115Request a quote

    Richmond upon Thames has some of London's most varied housing, from Victorian terraces off Kew Road to Edwardian semis in East Sheen and large family houses on Richmond Hill. It is also one of the most protected boroughs. We plan every loft, extension and renovation around the individual house and its planning position before we fix the price.

    Local project guide

    Planning a Richmond loft or extension

    Richmond projects need a careful balance between extra space and the character of the existing house. We review roof geometry, trees, drainage, previous alterations and the relevant conservation-area guidance before recommending a planning and build route.

    What to check before choosing a contractor

    • Check the council map for conservation-area and Article 4 controls at the individual property.
    • For lofts, resolve stair position, fire strategy and head height before finalising the room layout.
    • For extensions, coordinate structure and glazing early so openings, costs and lead times are understood.
    Check Richmond upon Thames Council guidance

    Completed work

    Relevant projects for Richmond homeowners

    View all projects →
    Completed Richmond loft conversion by Bluebird SpacesCompleted Richmond loft conversion by Bluebird Spaces — view 2Completed Richmond loft conversion by Bluebird Spaces — view 3
    In this area

    Richmond Loft Conversion with En Suite

    Loft conversion · 500 sq ft added

    View project
    Completed East Sheen rear extension by Bluebird SpacesCompleted East Sheen rear extension by Bluebird Spaces — view 2Completed East Sheen rear extension by Bluebird Spaces — view 3
    Nearby example

    Richmond Rear Kitchen Extension, East Sheen

    300 sq ft added · 13 weeks

    View project
    Completed Chiswick townhouse renovation by Bluebird SpacesCompleted Chiswick townhouse renovation by Bluebird Spaces — view 2Completed Chiswick townhouse renovation by Bluebird Spaces — view 3
    Nearby example

    Chiswick Period Townhouse Renovation

    3,200 sq ft

    View project

    Two jobs in Richmond borough

    We've finished two projects in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames that you can look at on this site: a loft in TW9 and a rear extension in East Sheen. Same council, very different houses.

    A principal bedroom suite in the roof

    In TW9 we built a principal bedroom suite in the loft, about 500 sq ft with an en suite, a walk-in wardrobe and rooflights to get light deep into the new floor.

    Lofts rarely go exactly to plan once the roof is open. What you find under old slates and floorboards isn't always what the drawings assumed. The owner put it better than we could.

    “They constantly work to find solutions to unforeseen problems and work with my husband and I to get the look/design we want.”
    Jane Farrelly-Ward, Richmond loft conversion

    See the Richmond loft conversion →

    An open-plan extension in East Sheen

    Over in East Sheen, still in Richmond borough, we added about 300 sq ft at the back of a house for an open-plan kitchen and dining room. Floor-to-ceiling glazing and bi-folds tie the room to the garden, with structural work behind it. The build took 13 weeks on site. There's more on our Sheen page.

    See the East Sheen extension →

    Skips and parking bays in Richmond

    Richmond issues skip licences to the skip company, and the application needs that company's registered reference number. If the skip is going in a controlled parking zone, the council wants five calendar days to put up the bay suspension signs. So the skip gets booked well ahead of the start date.

    Bathrooms in the roof

    An en suite in a loft is mostly a plumbing puzzle. The waste has to fall to the existing soil stack, so where the stack is often decides where the bathroom goes. We usually look at that early, along with headroom over the new stairs, because those two things shape most loft layouts.

    Planning reading

    The planning section above covers the borough-wide picture. If your house might be in a conservation area or under an Article 4 Direction, our Richmond Article 4 guide is the place to start. If you're still deciding what to build, have a look at extension ideas by house type.

    Service pages for Richmond borough

    Building work in Richmond: what to know before you design

    Two Richmond houses on the same street can have completely different planning routes. One may sit inside one of the borough's 85 conservation areas or carry an Article 4 Direction. The one next door may not. Richmond also has its own detailed design guidance for extensions and roofs. The notes below are what we check first when a homeowner in TW9, TW10 or SW14 asks us what's possible.

    The houses we see most in TW9, TW10 and SW14

    Around Richmond town centre, the Vineyard and the streets off Kew Road and Sheen Road, the typical house is a two-storey Victorian or Edwardian terrace with a rear back addition. That shape suits a side infill at ground floor and a rear dormer, sometimes with an L-shaped section over the back addition. Further out, in East Sheen, North Sheen and parts of Kew, there are more Edwardian and inter-war semi-detached houses. On these, the usual questions are how far a rear extension can project and whether the hipped roof can change. Richmond also has a lot of converted flats and maisonettes. Flats don't have householder permitted development rights, so almost any external change needs an application. We confirm which type of property it is legally before anything else.

    Read more: Richmond loft conversion project · Sheen rear extension project

    85 conservation areas and a long Article 4 list

    Richmond Council says the borough has 85 conservation areas. In a conservation area, national permitted development rules no longer allow roof extensions such as dormers, side extensions, or rear extensions of more than one storey, so each of those needs a householder application. On top of that, the council uses Article 4 Directions street by street. Some cover only certain house numbers, and the council says "any home in the borough can be subject to an Article 4 Direction". Directions can bring extensions, windows and doors, painting brickwork, removing chimneys and replacing front gardens under planning control. Our Richmond Article 4 guide lists examples from Barnes, East Sheen, Mortlake, Kew, Richmond and Twickenham, and explains how to check the council register for your address.

    Read more: Richmond Article 4 guide

    What Richmond's extension and roof guidance says

    Richmond's House Extensions and External Alterations SPD (2015) is the design guide officers use. It applies whether or not a scheme needs permission. For single-storey rear extensions it says the effect is usually acceptable if the projection is no more than 3m for a terraced house, 3.5m for a semi-detached house and 4m for a detached house. It also says site circumstances can justify more. For the side infills that are common on Victorian houses, it suggests keeping the eaves to about 2.2m where the infill runs deeper than those figures. On roofs, the SPD says converting a hipped roof to a gable "is not desirable and will not be encouraged". Dormers shouldn't rise above the ridge and should be smaller than the windows below. Two small dormers can work better than one large one. The council adopted a new Local Plan in October 2025, so older approvals on your street aren't always a reliable guide.

    Read more: House extensions in Richmond · Richmond house extension ideas

    Permitted development, certificates and when to apply

    Outside conservation areas and Article 4 streets, many Richmond houses can still use national permitted development rights. These allow a single-storey rear extension of up to 3m on an attached house (4m detached), or up to 6m/8m through the prior approval process. A loft can add up to 40 cubic metres of roof space on a terrace and 50 on a semi or detached house, subject to the rules on height, the front roof slope and materials. If a scheme fits, we normally recommend a Lawful Development Certificate before building, so a future buyer's solicitor has written proof. If it doesn't fit, a householder application has an eight-week target. Party wall notices can run alongside either route.

    Read more: Loft conversions in Richmond · Lawful Development Certificates for lofts

    Our Services in Richmond

    Loft Conversions

    Dormer, mansard, hip-to-gable, and L-shaped conversions for period properties in Richmond.

    • Around 13-15 weeks as a realistic target; larger or complex schemes take longer
    • Typical rear dormer with en-suite £80,000–£90,000 ex VAT
    Learn more →

    Extensions

    Rear, side return, and wraparound extensions. Open-plan living designed for homes in Richmond.

    • Around 13 weeks on site
    • Typical side return £90,000–£100,000 ex VAT
    • Planning route checked by address
    Learn more →

    Richmond Cost Guide

    TypeTypical CostPlanning?
    Typical loft conversion (rear dormer with en-suite)£80,000–£90,000 ex VATOften no
    Typical kitchen / side return extension (build price; kitchen and flooring supplied by you)£90,000–£100,000 ex VATOften no
    Velux / Rooflight loftPriced at site visitUsually no
    L-Shaped DormerPriced at site visitCheck with us
    MansardPriced at site visitYes
    Rear ExtensionPriced at site visitOften no

    Typical project build prices, excluding VAT and professional fees (design, structural engineer, Building Control, party wall and planning fees). Prices are the same across every borough we cover; access and logistics (parking, skips, scaffold, restricted access) can affect the final price. Your fixed quote follows a site visit.

    Next step

    Discuss your Richmond project

    Tell us what you are considering and choose a callback or site visit. We will review the property, scope and likely approval route before preparing a clear, itemised proposal.

    • Federation of Master Builders member
    • No deposit upfront; weekly payments for completed work
    • Itemised quote with VAT and exclusions stated clearly

    Request a Richmond callback or site visit

    We'll confirm your callback or site visit within 24 hours.

    Common Questions

    It depends on the address. Outside conservation areas, many single-storey rear extensions fall within permitted development or the prior approval route. Inside one of Richmond's 85 conservation areas, side extensions and rear extensions of more than one storey need a householder application, and an Article 4 Direction can remove further rights. We check the council's conservation area map and Article 4 register for the exact property first.

    Yes, but it needs a householder planning application, because roof extensions aren't permitted development in conservation areas. Richmond's design guidance prefers dormers on the rear slope that sit below the ridge, are set well in from the sides of the roof, and are smaller than the windows below.

    Richmond's 2015 extensions SPD says a single-storey rear extension is usually acceptable up to 3m on a terraced house, 3.5m on a semi and 4m on a detached house, with site circumstances sometimes justifying more. Permitted development limits are separate and depend on whether the house is in a conservation area.

    Sometimes, under permitted development outside conservation areas and Article 4 streets. Where planning permission is needed, Richmond's design guidance says converting a hip to a gable is not desirable, especially where the pair is symmetrical, so a rear dormer that keeps the hip is often the more realistic option.

    Look up your street and house number on the council's Article 4 conservation area page and the Article 4 register PDF, then confirm with the planning team if it's unclear. Some directions cover only part of a street.

    A typical loft conversion with us, a rear dormer with an en-suite, costs about £80,000–£90,000 to build, and a typical kitchen or side return extension about £90,000–£100,000 (build price; kitchen units, flooring and other second-fix items are supplied by you). Both exclude VAT and professional fees. Prices are the same across the boroughs we cover, though access and logistics can affect the final figure. You get a fixed quote after a site visit.

    Nearby areas we cover

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    Free site visit, then a fixed-price quote. No deposit upfront.

    Reach Out07564 041115