Kitchens 
House Extensions 
Loft Conversions 
Full Home Refurbishments 
Bathrooms 
What we do in Blackheath
Lewisham’s own conservation area page describes the village as containing many well-preserved shops in buildings of varying Georgian and Victorian styles, and the streets that followed the railway in 1849 as high quality Victorian houses, some of them designed as architectural set pieces, grouped in pairs or in formal uniform terraces, often on a grand scale.
That is lovely to live in and unforgiving to work on. Behind the plaster you find lath, lime and timber rather than block and skim, floors that run out of level across a room, and services that were added in layers over a century. The wet room on this page came back to bare joists and stripped walls before a single new thing went in, which is normal here and should be priced as normal, not discovered halfway through.
So we survey properly before quoting. What the walls are actually made of, where the joists run and which way, whether the floor can take a stone or a screed, and where the damp is coming from. On a period house that hour is the difference between a fixed price that holds and a fixed price that does not.
Two boroughs across one village
How we run a job in Blackheath
Two jobs in Blackheath itself
What it costs
See the full cost guide
Questions we get in Blackheath
Which council do I apply to, Lewisham or Greenwich?
It depends on the street. The village and the area south of it are Lewisham. Blackheath Park, Westcombe Park and the heath are Royal Greenwich. The postcode does not tell you, so we check the address against both boundaries before anything is drawn. It matters for more than paperwork: the two councils have different local directions and, as below, very different skip arrangements.
Do I need planning permission for an extension in Blackheath?
More often than in most places, because almost every street here is inside a conservation area. A single-storey rear extension can still be permitted development within the tighter limits that apply in a conservation area. What is removed is a side extension, a two-storey rear extension, a roof addition such as a dormer, and cladding. If the house is listed, consent is needed for work that would not require it elsewhere. We tell you which of those you are in on the first visit.
Is my street covered by an Article 4 direction?
On the Lewisham side there are directions inside the Blackheath conservation area covering Belmont, Collins Street, 52 Lee Terrace and Quentin Road, which restrict alterations, improvements and enlargements to dwellings. Lewisham says other streets in the area may be covered and should be checked, so we check rather than assume. On the Greenwich side, no Article 4 direction is listed for Blackheath, Blackheath Park or Westcombe Park.
What does a skip cost here?
This is the clearest example of the boundary mattering. Lewisham charges £88 for thirty days and a registered skip company applies on your behalf. Greenwich charges £114 for thirty days, only approved skip companies may apply, and a householder cannot apply at all. We arrange it either way and it appears in the quote.
Will I need a party wall agreement?
On a Victorian terrace, usually two notices, one to each neighbour you share a wall with. On a semi, one. The notices go out under the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 before work starts, and on these houses it is worth doing early because the walls are shared more intimately than in newer stock.
Why does work on a period house cost more?
Because the first stage is bigger. Lath and lime rather than block and skim, floors that run out of level, and a century of services added in layers. The wet room on this page went back to bare joists and stripped walls before anything new went in. We survey for that up front and put it in the quote as its own line, so the price you agree is the price that holds.
