Frequently Asked Questions
- Do I need permission?
Yes, absolutely, you need the following but we will take care of all this for you.
- Planning: even if it is a permitted development certificate you still need to go through the process.
- Building Control Approval: an engineering design with all structural calculations must be submitted to the local authority for their approval. They will ultimately issue a completion certificate signifying that your basement has been constructed in accordance with the approved drawings.
- Part Wall Agreement: to protect you and your neighbours you both must enter into a Party Wall Agreement; they cannot refuse to comply as it is mandatory in law that they cannot prevent you undertaking any works to your property that involves a party wall.
- Is it financially worth it?
Depends where in London you are and how much your property is worth. If your home is worth more than £400 per square foot or £4000 per square meter than YES it is definitely worth it! If you don’t know how much or how big you your house is then get an estate agent to value it for you and remember to ask him for how much per square foot he could sell it for with a basement. - How much will it cost?
Each project is unique. The cost of the structure is likely to be between £150 - £200 per square foot and the cost of the internal finishing of the basement is dependent on the specification but is likely to start at around £70 per square foot. - Will it de-stabilise my house or my neighbour’s house?
Quite the opposite, it adds longevity to your home; we remove the crumbling old foundations and construct new reinforced concrete walls under them with further reinforced concrete foundations under them. Remember the same technique used to construct your basement called underpinning is used to repair subsidence in properties where the foundations have already failed. Remember we offer a 12 year guarantee to cover structural works. - How big or deep could I make it?
As big and deep as you like subject to planning permission; if you want big high ceilings like you have in the rest of the house, that should be no problem. - Can I get natural light into it?
Yes, we can add as many light wells to the design as you like or have space for! - Will I need to move out whilst you build it?
No, not even if you have a solid or concrete ground floor. We can tunnel under any floor type as long as we have enough space at the front for our conveyor!
- Will it be dark, damp and dingy?
Absolutely not, modern technology keeps your basement like any other part of the house. Ideal for that media room or home cinema, billiards table, gym, sauna, even if it’s just for extra space for utilities. You will barely know you are underground!
Invest underground
