Builders in Havering: Extension & Loft Conversion Specialists in RM1, RM2, RM11 & RM14

Often not. Havering has just 11 conservation areas and only one confirmed Article 4 Direction, covering Gidea Park, so most standard single-storey rear extensions elsewhere in the borough can go ahead as permitted development within national size and height limits. Inside a conservation area, or in Gidea Park specifically, permission is normally required. We check your specific address before any design work starts.

Havering has 11 conservation areas: Corbets Tey, Cranham, Gidea Park, Havering-atte-Bower, Langtons, North Ockendon, RAF Hornchurch, Rainham, Romford, St Andrews and St Leonards, one of the lowest counts of any London borough.

The borough takes its name from Havering Palace, a royal residence at Havering-atte-Bower used by English monarchs from Edward the Confessor through to Elizabeth I over nearly a thousand years, before falling into decline. Bower House, built in 1729, incorporated materials salvaged from the palace ruins.

Parts of it, yes. The River Ingrebourne rises within the borough and flows its full length to the Thames at Rainham, and a flood alert area covers low-lying land near Harold Wood, Hornchurch, Upminster and Rainham. The Ingrebourne Marshes, a Site of Special Scientific Interest, run alongside the river through Hornchurch.

A single-storey rear extension typically costs £2,200 to £3,200 per square metre, among the more affordable rates of any London borough. A dormer loft conversion typically costs £40,000 to £60,000, and a mansard conversion £60,000 to £95,000.

Havering's average time from validation to decision runs to 9.7 weeks, and a realistic timeline for a straightforward householder application typically runs 12 to 16 weeks including pre-application advice. The borough's approval rate, 79.3 percent since 2020, sits around 9 percentage points below the national average.

Often, yes, even on the borough's dominant semi-detached streets. A semi-detached house still shares a party wall with next door, so most side extensions in Hornchurch and Elm Park, and rear extensions on Romford's terraces, still need a Party Wall Agreement. Notices need serving at least two months before work starts, and we handle this as part of the project.

We cover the full London Borough of Havering, including Romford, Gidea Park, Hornchurch, Elm Park, Upminster, Harold Hill and Rainham, across postcodes RM1, RM2, RM3, RM11, RM12 and RM14.

Havering Palace was a royal residence at Havering-atte-Bower used by English monarchs from Edward the Confessor in the 11th century through to Elizabeth I, before falling into decline over the following centuries. It gave the borough its name, and Bower House, built nearby in 1729, incorporated salvaged materials from the palace ruins.

Compared to many London boroughs, yes, in terms of the regulatory framework: Havering has only 11 conservation areas and a single confirmed Article 4 Direction, covering Gidea Park, so a larger share of the borough keeps standard permitted development rights than in more heritage-dense boroughs. That said, the council's overall approval rate still sits below the national average, so a well-prepared application still matters.

Gidea Park, also known as the Romford Garden Suburb, was developed from the early 1900s with Arts and Crafts and exhibition houses once the railway reached the area. It's now a conservation area with its own Article 4 Direction, removing permitted development rights that apply more freely elsewhere in the borough.

Yes. Upminster Windmill is an 1803 Grade II listed smock mill, restored to full working order in a £2.5 million project completed in 2023, and it's open to the public as a museum run by the Friends of Upminster Windmill.

Generally yes. The borough's dominant 1930s semi-detached stock in Hornchurch and Elm Park, and the larger Victorian cottages around Upminster, both typically have the roof pitch and plot depth needed for a straightforward dormer conversion, at build costs of £40,000 to £60,000.