Renovation advice, written plainly.
Budgeting, planning permission and local guides for homeowners renovating across South West London.
How Much Time Does Project Managing Your Own Extension Actually Take?
A plain count of the hours behind a London extension if you run it yourself — calls, quotes, site decisions and evenings — and when that second job is worth handing over.
Read more →Builder Variations Explained: What an Extra Should Cost, and What to Refuse
How extras on a London extension get priced, which ones are real, which ones were already in the quote, and how to agree them in writing before they are built.
Read more →What to Do When Your Builder Goes Quiet
A practical sequence for when a London builder stops answering — what to write, what not to do, and how to keep leverage while the job is still yours to steer.
Read more →Payment Schedule for a London Extension: How Much to Pay, and When
A sane stage-payment sequence for a house extension — deposit, structure, weathertight, first fix, second fix, completion and retention — and what to check before each payment.
Read more →Snagging and Retention: What to Hold Back at the End of an Extension
How to snag a London extension properly, what a retention is for, and how to get the list closed without a last-week argument.
Read more →Side-Return Extension Cost in South West London (2026)
What a side-return or side-infill extension costs on a South West London terrace in 2026, what moves the price, and the two decisions that add cost and pressure.
Read more →VAT on a House Extension: When the Quote Is Ex VAT
Most London extensions are standard-rated at 20%. When a quote might be ex VAT, when 5% can apply, and the questions to ask before you compare prices.
Read more →Managing a Renovation While You Are Abroad
What has to be decided in London when you are not — payments, variations and site questions — and how a client-side project manager runs a South West London build remotely.
Read more →Building Control Fees for an Extension in London (2026)
Every extension and loft needs Building Regulations approval, and each council sets its own charges. Here are the 2026 fees for Wandsworth, Richmond, Lambeth, Hammersmith & Fulham and Merton side by side, what pushes them up, and why regularisation costs more than the fee.
Read more →How Long Does Planning Permission Take in London? (2026 Borough Data)
The target is 8 weeks. The government figures for the year to June 2026 show how often each borough meets it: from 71% in Richmond to 30% in Hammersmith & Fulham. What that means for your extension, LDC or prior approval, and how to plan around it.
Read more →Do I Need a Project Manager for My Extension?
There is no legal requirement to have a project manager on an extension, and plenty are built well without one. Here is an honest test for when your builder or architect is enough, when independent help pays, what it costs, and a middle route if you only want help before you sign.
Read more →How to Find a Good Builder in London
The best builders rarely advertise and choose which jobs to price. From someone who used to run a building company: where good London builders actually come from, how to run a tender they want to take part in, the checks before you sign, and the red flags to walk away from.
Read more →How to Choose an Architect in South West London
A neutral guide to choosing an architect in Fulham, Hammersmith, Chelsea, Kensington, Wandsworth, Battersea, Putney or Clapham: architect or technologist, where to find good ones (including the council planning register trick), local conservation area knowledge, the questions to ask and how far to take them.
Read more →Do I Need Planning Permission? Permitted Development in Hammersmith & Fulham, Kensington & Chelsea, Wandsworth and Lambeth
The national permitted development limits for rear extensions, lofts, outbuildings and porches, then what changes locally in Hammersmith & Fulham, Kensington & Chelsea, Wandsworth and Lambeth: conservation areas, Article 4 directions and basement rules. Sourced from the legislation and each council, checked 28 September 2026.
Read more →Problem-Solving on Site: What a Project Manager Actually Catches Before It Costs You
The value of having someone experienced on site isn’t abstract — it’s specific, recurring problems caught early instead of found expensive and late.
Read more →How Much Contingency for a UK Renovation or Extension?
Contingency is your client-held buffer against works — not a provisional sum and not an architect fee. This 2026 guide explains typical industry ranges with caveats, when to raise or lower the figure, and how to keep it visible on Wandsworth and Fulham jobs.
Read more →Provisional Sums & PC Sums in a Builder’s Quote — Plain English
PS and PC lines are where tidy builder totals quietly stop being firm. This 2026 guide explains provisional sums vs prime-cost allowances in plain English, how homeowners get burned, and how to compare quotes before you sign.
Read more →Architect Fees UK & London: What You Actually Pay For on an Extension or Renovation
Architect fees are not one number. This guide separates drawings-only from full service (including contract administration), explains RIBA stages without jargon, and shows where a client-side project manager fits on SW London jobs — without telling you to skip the architect.
Read more →Do I Need an Architect for My Extension — or Is There a Third Option?
Most homeowners think there are two ways to run a build: pay the architect to carry on, or manage it yourself. There is a third — and on the right project it pays for itself.
Read more →Project Manager vs Architect Contract Administration — Who Controls Your SW London Extension?
Architects often administer the building contract. That is not the same as sitting in your seat on quotes, programme and provisional sums. A clear comparison for SW London homeowners.
Read more →When to Hire a Renovation Project Manager for a Wandsworth or Fulham Extension
The useful question is not “is my budget over £X?” It is complexity, like-for-like quotes and whether you can be the site’s default decision engine.
Read more →Why a Project Manager’s Industry Contacts Are Worth More Than They Sound
"Industry contacts" sounds vague until you see what it actually gets you: better prices, shorter waits, and tradespeople who show up because the relationship matters to them too.
Read more →How Product Knowledge Saves Money on a Renovation (Without Compromising the Result)
The biggest savings often aren’t about price at all — they’re about knowing which part of a spec is actually worth paying for, and which part isn’t.
Read more →Independent Project Manager vs Your Builder’s PM / Design-and-Build
Both options can include “project management.” The useful question is who appointed them, who pays them, and what happens when cost and programme pull in different directions.
Read more →What a SW London Extension Project Manager Does Week by Week
Not a brochure list — a practical sequence of what client-side management looks like across a typical SW London extension, from quote review to handover.
Read more →Does a Project Manager’s Fee Actually Pay for Itself? A Worked Example
Not a sales pitch — an honest, itemised look at where the savings actually come from on a real-sized project, and where a fee genuinely wouldn’t be worth it.
Read more →Living in Your House During a Renovation: What Actually Works
Staying put during a build is possible, and often the right call financially — but it goes much better with a bit of planning than without.
Read more →JCT Contracts Explained: What Homeowners Need to Know Before Signing
A builder’s quote isn’t a contract. Here’s what a proper JCT agreement covers, and why it matters more than most homeowners realise until something goes wrong.
Read more →How to Check Out a Builder Before You Sign: A Due Diligence Checklist
You are about to hand six figures to a company you met three weeks ago. Here is the day of checking that stands between you and the most expensive mistake in a renovation.
Read more →Do You Need a Structural Engineer for Your Extension or Loft Conversion?
Almost every extension needs one, but few homeowners know what a structural engineer actually does or when to bring them in.
Read more →Loft Conversions in Wandsworth: Planning, Costs and What Catches People Out
Permitted development, 46 conservation areas, eight Article 4 directions and a housing stock that has often been converted once already — what a Wandsworth loft conversion actually involves.
Read more →Basement Conversions in London: Realistic Costs and What the Planning Process Involves
The most expensive way to add space, and the most heavily scrutinised by planners. Here’s what a basement conversion really costs and involves.
Read more →Do You Need Planning Permission for a Loft Conversion?
A rear dormer is usually permitted development. A front dormer never is. Here is exactly where the line sits — and the volume limit that catches most terraces out.
Read more →How Long Does a Kitchen Extension Really Take? 17–18 Weeks, Not 12
Builders routinely promise a 12–13 week kitchen extension. It almost never happens — and the gap between the promise and the reality is where the tension starts.
Read more →How Long Does a House Extension or Loft Conversion Actually Take?
The build is only part of the timeline. Here’s a realistic month-by-month picture from first design meeting to the day you get your kitchen back.
Read more →Party Wall Agreements: What Homeowners in South West London Need to Know Before You Dig
Rear extensions, side-returns and loft conversions on a terrace almost always trigger it — what the process actually involves, and what it costs.
Read more →12 Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Renovation Project Manager
"Project manager" isn’t a protected title. Here’s what’s worth asking before you hire one, and why each answer matters.
Read more →How Much Does a House Extension or Loft Conversion Cost in London in 2026?
Real current price ranges for extensions and loft conversions in London — and why three quotes for the same job rarely agree.
Read more →Renovating in Wandsworth, Battersea, Clapham and Balham
Victorian terraces, conservation areas and a lot of side-return extensions. What actually comes up when renovating across these four areas.
Read more →Extending a Period Home in Chelsea, Kensington, Notting Hill and Belgravia
Listed buildings, conservation area consent and a higher specification throughout. What’s genuinely different about renovating here.
Read more →What Does a Client-Side Project Manager Actually Do?
The role explained: what a client-side project manager covers, what it doesn’t, and why it’s different from hiring an architect or a builder.
Read more →Fulham, Putney, Earlsfield and Earl's Court: What a Project Manager Catches
A mix of terraces, mansion blocks and riverside properties — each with a different set of things worth checking before work starts.
Read more →How to Compare Builder Quotes Without Missing Hidden Costs
Three quotes for the same job can look wildly different — because they rarely cover the same scope. Here’s what to check before you sign.
Read more →Hammersmith, St John's Wood, Richmond and Wimbledon: What to Expect
From riverside conservation areas to leafy conservation villages — what actually differs about renovating across these four areas.
Read more →Trade Prices vs Retail: Where the Real Savings Are
Retail markup on renovation materials is often invisible until you know where to look. Here’s where trade pricing makes the biggest difference.
Read more →How Much Contingency Does a Renovation Need — and What Still Causes Overruns?
Most budget overruns follow the same handful of patterns. Here’s what to watch for before they turn into an unplanned extra £20,000.
Read more →Loft Conversion or Rear Extension: Which Adds More Value?
Both add space and value, but for different reasons and at different costs. Here’s how to weigh them up for a South West London terrace.
Read more →Do You Need Planning Permission for a Side-Return Extension?
Permitted development rules can be generous — until an Article 4 direction removes them. Here’s what actually applies in London.
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