Whole-House Refurbishment, Dormer Loft Conversion and Rear Extension
Project type
Whole-house refurbishment, dormer loft conversion and rear extension
Size
36m²
Loft
Dormer conversion with ensuite bathroom
Structural work
Roof stripped and rebuilt, gable rebuilt.
Location
London
One house, almost nothing left untouched
A Victorian terraced property in London, taken from a three-bedroom house to something substantially larger. Very few projects cover this much ground in a single programme.
A dormer loft conversion with its own bathroom. A 36m² rear extension. And, between and around those, a refurbishment that reached almost every room in the house – replastered throughout, rewired and certified, new bathrooms, a new downstairs WC, fire doors, new flooring, new fencing and a reworked front drive.
Why this isn't a straightforward swap
A Victorian property gives up its problems slowly. Plaster came off the stairwell because it was perished behind the surface. Tiles came off a bedroom wall and took the plaster with them. Supports above a bedroom window were found rotten. None of that is visible when you quote; all of it has to be dealt with when you find it.
The roof came off and was rebuilt. Not repaired – stripped, the gable rebuilt in two skins of block, the front roof reconstructed, the dormer formed, valleys cut at both sides, and the whole thing latted, felted and tiled, with lead work around the chimney stack and tiles bedded into the neighbouring property.
The drainage was worse than anyone could have known. An existing manhole had to be moved. The concrete around it turned out to be twelve inches deep, and moving it meant connecting a new sewer run and a new kitchen waste pipe. That was not visible at quotation and we said so plainly at the time.
How we managed it
Invoiced weekly, itemised, throughout. Every week of the programme was written up line by line – what was done, what it cost, and whether it came off the agreed price or sat outside it. Over a project this long the client could see exactly where the money was going at any point, rather than waiting for a reckoning at the end.
Variations separated from the contract sum, in writing. Additional work was recorded as additional and clearly marked, so the original quotation stayed intact as a reference.
Fire compliance built in. Ceilings plasterboarded in fire board to loft conversion regulations, five fire doors fitted with concrete lintels above, smoke detectors and a heat sensor installed and certified.
One programme across a house in constant use. Loft, extension and refurbishment ran as a single sequence rather than three separate jobs, so the property stayed usable as the work moved through it.
The work
Dormer loft conversion. Gable end rebuilt in two skins of block and insulated; new floor joists throughout; steel ridge beam and pad stones installed; roof stripped and rebuilt; dormer formed and finished in fibreglass; three skylights and a window fitted; staircase built and fitted; insulated in 100mm and 50mm rigid board with multi-foil where needed; plastered and skimmed; ensuite bathroom plumbed and fitted.
Rear extension, 36m². Footings excavated and soil removed from site; soakaway dug and rainwater run installed; walls built in block with insulation; floor constructed; timber roof structure with fibreglass covering; four steel beams including boxed steel to the foundations; dividing wall to the kitchen removed; skylights fitted; walls dot-and-dabbed and skimmed; ceiling fireboarded and insulated; external walls pebbledashed; bi-fold door opening formed.
Structural alterations. Old chimney removed externally; coal bunker demolished and its concrete base broken out; garage roof removed; bathroom wall taken down and relocated; stud walls built for a new downstairs WC; staircase reinforced; concrete lintels fitted across existing cracks to prevent further movement.
Electrical. Full rewire with consumer unit replaced, test certificate issued for old and new circuits, smoke detectors and heat sensor fitted, lighting circuits reworked throughout including island and external lighting.
Plumbing and heating. Bathroom relocated and pipework moved; radiators supplied and fitted throughout including cast iron units; loft bathroom plumbed and connected.
Internal finishes. Replastered throughout. Coving to bedrooms and reception rooms; five fire doors and frames; skirting and architraves; laminate flooring to five rooms; two fireplaces opened up.
Windows. Front window replaced and reformed from half-moon to rectangular with a new support; kitchen window replaced with support fitted.
External works. Fencing and gate supplied and fitted to the rear; front garden reworked with path edging and hardcore base to the driveway.
The Results
A three-bedroom terrace turned into a substantially larger house with an additional bedroom and bathroom in the roof, a full-width rear living space, and an interior renewed from the plaster outwards.
It was delivered as one continuous programme, with the structural design changed twice by building control along the way, and it was completed and signed off.
What this project demonstrates
- Whole-house delivery – loft, extension and refurbishment as one continuous programme
- Dormer loft conversion including roof reconstruction and gable rebuild
- Responding to building control design changes mid-build without stopping work
- Structural steelwork installed by hand where mechanical lifting was not possible
- Drainage alteration including new sewer and waste connections
- Fire compliance across a converted roof space – boarding, doors, detection
- Transparent weekly costing across a long-running project with substantial variations
- Working within a dense terraced street with restricted access
Why D&M Building Services
Eighteen years delivering extensions, loft conversions, structural work and full refurbishment. Our work today is concentrated across the East Midlands.
Director-led. Our directors are involved in the detail of every project, not just the sale of it.
Costed openly. You will know what is included, what is a variation and why, before it is done.
One team, one programme. Groundworks, structure, roofing, first and second fix and finishes, coordinated by us.
FMB Master Builder. Independently vetted and inspected.
Construction Company of the Year 2025, Central England Prestige Awards.
Planning a whole-house project?
Loft, extension and refurbishment together is a different proposition from any one of them alone – the sequence, the structure and the cost control all have to be worked out as a whole. We’ll come and look, and tell you honestly what it involves.