Double Storey Extension Drawings in Hammersmith & Fulham
Fixed-fee, MCIAT-chartered double storey extension drawings for Hammersmith & Fulham homeowners — London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham validation and local constraints handled from the start.
Hammersmith & Fulham is classic terraced West London. Long Victorian and Edwardian grids across Fulham and Shepherd's Bush make side-return and rear extensions, loft conversions and basements the most requested projects, and the council's design expectations for these house types are well established. Around them sit the distinctive red-brick 'Lion houses' of the Peterborough Estate, Edwardian mansion blocks, and newer riverside development along the Thames through Sands End, with Parsons Green, Brook Green, Hammersmith and White City each adding their own grain to the borough.
The controls that matter here are layered. The council operates a basement policy requiring a basement impact assessment for below-ground works, covering structural stability, drainage and groundwater, and Thames-side flood-zone considerations apply near the river. Strong conservation control runs across Bishops Park, Peterborough Estate, Brackenbury, Ravenscourt Park, Bradmore and Crabtree, and Article 4 directions remove permitted development for HMO conversions and, in conservation areas, some basement and frontage works. We confirm exactly which of these apply to your exact address before drawing.
We draw Hammersmith & Fulham planning applications to the borough's residential extension and basement guidance, coordinating structural calculations in-house so party-wall-sensitive terraces and below-ground schemes are handled cleanly and are complete when submitted. On the dense grids we check permitted development first and confirm it with a Lawful Development Certificate where a side-return or rear extension qualifies, and on the Peterborough Estate we design to the 'Lion houses' character. The fee is fixed and agreed up front, typically around 30% below an architect's charge for the same council-accepted drawings, with free redraws until the council approves. Most householder applications are decided within the statutory eight-week period once validated, so we submit validation-first.
Planning in Hammersmith & Fulham: what to know before you apply
Hammersmith & Fulham applies a basement policy requiring a basement impact assessment for below-ground works, and controls design closely within its conservation areas and on the Peterborough Estate. Article 4 directions remove permitted development for HMO conversions in parts of the borough. We confirm the constraints for your exact address before drawing.
Typical Hammersmith & Fulham housing stock
Long grids of Victorian and Edwardian terraces across Fulham and Shepherd's Bush, the distinctive red-brick 'Lion houses' of the Peterborough Estate, Edwardian mansion blocks, and newer riverside development along the Thames.
Areas we regularly draw for in Hammersmith & Fulham
Fulham · Shepherd's Bush · Hammersmith · Parsons Green · Sands End · Brook Green · White City
Double Storey Extension Drawings for Hammersmith & Fulham homes: the package and the process
Every double storey extension drawings we prepare for a Hammersmith & Fulham property is drawn to London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham’s validation standards and tuned to the local constraints above. Here is what the drawing package covers and how the process runs from first survey to approval.
A double storey extension builds a second floor above a single-storey side or rear addition, typically adding a bedroom and bathroom upstairs over a widened kitchen or reception room below. Because the foundations and roof of a single-storey extension already carry most of the fixed cost of building, adding a floor on top is often the most cost-effective way to gain two rooms rather than two separate projects. The trade-off is scrutiny: a two-storey addition sits closer to eye level with neighbouring windows and gardens, so councils examine massing, roofline and boundary distance more closely than they would a single-storey extension.
DrawingsDirect draws double storey side and rear extensions for full planning and building regulations, with structural calculations for the additional floor load and foundations produced in-house by our MCIAT-chartered team, on a fixed fee. If a single storey is enough, see our Rear Extension and Side Return Extension pages, or combine both with a Wraparound if you are extending sideways as well as up.
Do I need planning permission for a double storey extension in London?
Almost always. Permitted development rights for two-storey extensions are far more restrictive than for single-storey work, particularly on how close the new structure can come to a boundary and how closely its roof pitch and eaves height must match the existing house, so most double storey projects are drawn and submitted as full householder planning applications rather than relying on permitted development.
Where the property sits in a conservation area or is subject to an Article 4 direction, any remaining permitted development allowance for a second storey is typically removed entirely, reinforcing the need for a full application. We check your property's status and your borough's design guidance before drawing.
How do councils control the impact of a double storey extension on neighbours?
Because a second storey introduces new windows and massing at first-floor level, London boroughs apply design guidance aimed specifically at protecting neighbouring light, privacy and outlook.
- The 45-degree rule, tested at neighbouring windows, to check the extension does not block an unreasonable amount of daylight
- A common design expectation that a two-storey side extension is set in roughly 1 metre from the shared boundary, rather than built hard against it
- A first floor commonly set back from the ground floor front elevation, so the upper storey reads as subordinate to the main house from the street
- Obscure or high-level glazing on flank walls facing directly into a neighbour's garden or windows, to limit overlooking
| Option | What it adds | Typical fee |
|---|---|---|
| Single-storey rear extension | A ground-floor kitchen-diner only, may qualify for permitted development | see Rear Extension Drawings, from £1,100 |
| Double storey side or rear extension | Two rooms across two floors, usually needs full planning | Full Planning pack ~£1,600–£2,400 |
| Double storey + Building Regulations (structural) | Combined pack including structural calculations for two-floor loads and foundations | Planning + Building Regs pack ~£2,200–£3,850 |
| Wraparound (rear + side return) | Combines two single-storey extensions into one L-shaped ground floor | see Wraparound Extension Drawings, from £2,200 |
Double Storey Extension Drawings across Hammersmith & Fulham
Double Storey Extension Drawings in Hammersmith & Fulham — FAQs
How much does a double storey extension cost to design in London?+
Do I need planning permission to add a second storey?+
Will a double storey extension overlook my neighbour's garden?+
Do I need an architect for a double storey extension?+
How long does it take to get double storey extension drawings?+
Do I need planning permission for a side-return extension in Hammersmith & Fulham?+
Will I need a Basement Impact Assessment for a basement in Hammersmith & Fulham?+
What is special about the Peterborough Estate 'Lion houses'?+
How long does Hammersmith & Fulham take to decide?+
How much do planning drawings cost in Hammersmith & Fulham?+
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