Case study SD / 02 · Residential

Rear Extension & Loft —
Wanstead, London

Two interventions on a much-loved family semi: a single-storey extension that reaches into the garden, and a previously empty loft turned into a calm new bedroom suite under the eaves.

Project: SD / 02
Location: Wanstead, London
Property: Edwardian semi-detached
Scope: Rear extension & loft conversion
Status: Designed & submitted

The existing semi-detached house from the street, before works — The house as found — works concentrated entirely at the rear and within the existing roofline.

The brief

A bigger home without
a bigger footprint outside.

The owners loved the house but had outgrown it — the kitchen felt narrow, the connection to the garden was awkward, and the loft above their heads sat completely empty.

We worked across both ends of the home in parallel: a modest single-storey rear extension to open up the kitchen and create a new garden room, and a full loft conversion to bring a generous bedroom and a private bathroom out of dead roof space — all without touching the street-facing elevation.

Ground floor

Reaching into the garden.

New garden room at the rear, 3 m deep within permitted limits.
Reworked kitchen & utility arrangement for a cleaner working layout.
Reception room, hallway and front of the plan retained intact.
Original outbuilding kept in place at the bottom of the garden.

Existing and proposed ground floor plans side by side, with new garden room highlighted — Existing (left) & proposed (right) ground floor plans.

Loft conversion

A bedroom under the rafters.

New double bedroom taking advantage of the full ridge height.
Compact en-suite bathroom tucked beside the new staircase.
Winding stair from the existing landing — no loss of bedrooms below.
Roof extension set back 200 mm from the original eaves to keep the rear roofline calm.

Existing roof plan and proposed loft conversion plan side by side — Existing roof plan (left) & proposed loft conversion (right).

Section

Both moves,
in one cut.

Rear extension 3 m deep, eaves at 2.9–3.0 m — well within permitted development limits.
Loft conversion contained within the existing ridge — no part rises higher than the original roof.
External materials matched to the existing brick, timber and tile palette.
No balconies, no side-facing windows, no front-facing change — neighbour-friendly by design.

Technical section drawing through the rear extension and loft conversion — One section, both interventions — extension below, loft above.

In summary

"Two small moves, one transformed home —
and a street elevation that won't ever know the difference."

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Rear Extension & Loft —Wanstead, London

A bigger home withouta bigger footprint outside.

Reaching into the garden.

A bedroom under the rafters.

Both moves,in one cut.

Rear Extension & Loft —
Wanstead, London

A bigger home without
a bigger footprint outside.

Both moves,
in one cut.