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Basement conversion

Got a loft conversion but still need space? How about a basement conversion?

April 16, 2018

Your loft conversion has solved space issues for a while but there’s no such thing as enough space. It’s high time to look into the opposite direction: downwards. In a previous article we showcased several amazing basement conversions the SDA Build London Team have created. Today we give you some more basement conversion inspiration on what you could do with that extra floor below your home.

Private club with a bar

Fancy VIP clubbing in Vegas? Skip the queues and the hassle of the trip and have your own nightclub as close as your basement. With soundproof walls, you don’t have to worry about the noise; you are free to enjoy the best DJ mixes without annoying the neighbours. It can be perfect for basement layouts where a window is not an option; with smart lighting solutions and a well-thought-out ventilation system it creates the perfect nightclub feeling. The club comes complete with poker, roulette and pool tables and (almost) bottomless drinks from the bar.

The coolest parents in town

No more trips to the closest shopping centre on a rainy day: your children can have their own indoor Adventureland in the basement conversion. Safely equipped with web climbs, soft blocks, tunnels and slides this can be the place for them to unwind and play with their friends while you are free to have some quiet time upstairs. Include a PlayStation and you will always know where to find your little (and bigger) ones.

The best gym

The basement is the ideal place to arrange your perfect gym in: with the workout machines best fitting your training needs and style. Add a flat-screen TV to stream fitness or yoga classes online and crown the training with a session in the sauna. With an en-suite bathroom and dressing corner installed you are ready to set off directly from the gym – fresh and energetic.

A flat in the flat

Creating its own external entrance the extra floor can serve as a self-contained unit for a nanny, regularly visiting relative or a teenager longing for more privacy. Basement conversions are also great for Airbnbs. Don’t think of the basement as a windowless, dark place. We can even convert it to the biggest floor of the house with an en-suite bathroom, a kitchen and a nice private garden.

A Wine Cellar

 

If vinery is your thing we can add a rustic wine cellar to your city home. Equipped with shelves to professionally store your valuable collection of bottles, a wine fridge, glassware sets in a stylish display case and a large table to sit around. Invite guests for a tasting or finish dinner there with a good cigar and a book.

Got excited about any of these basement conversion ideas? Let’s talk about turning your dream home into a reality – get in touch here!

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Inspired Ways to Use All That Free Space After a Basement Conversion

March 21, 2018

One of the benefits of a basement conversion – aside from adding an entire new floor to your home of course – is that it suddenly makes the rest of your home…  A bit roomier. The SDA Build London team have worked on some stunning basement conversions, but in this article we’re going to switch focus on the rest of the home — and what some of our clients dreamt up with all the newly available space they found themselves with!

The supreme master bedroom to rule all bedrooms

Undoubtedly top of most basement converters agendas is to free up the top floor of their home and transform it into a “supreme master bedroom”. These open planned living spaces combine a master bedroom with an en-suite luxury bathroom (more akin to a spa!), walk-in wardrobe and even a private seating area. The result? The ultimate private abode to unwind and relax in.

The kitchen to die for

It’s probably no surprise that many Londoners desire a bigger kitchen, with millions of us passionate about food and dining. With amenities like a washroom, storage area and laundry room shifted downstairs via a basement conversion, it allows you to really go all-out with your kitchen and dining area. As we achieved for our client pictured above, the kitchen area is perfect for hosting large parties with friends and family, as well unwind in privately with a glass of wine.

The guest room your guests will be fighting over

Finally, we often find clients want to add an additional room to their ground floor, which is often ideal for older family members or guests that are unable to traverse up and down stairs. The benefit of moving the living room into the basement means you can create a large en-suite bedroom on the ground floor, that can also act as the downstairs washroom too.


Like what you see? Let’s talk about turning your dream home into a reality – get in touch here!

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The SDA Difference: Delta Membrane Systems

January 29, 2018

All of our basement conversions come with a 30-year warranty on Delta Membrane Systems waterproofing.

As experienced builders with many years under our belts, the SDA Team have often been called in to fix many a botched project, and sadly one of the most common botches is poor waterproofing.

It’s shocking how many properties across South West London don’t have the correct waterproofing installed when completing a basement conversion, and sadly homeowners and developers won’t realise this until it’s too late and their basement is water damaged or flooded by ground swell!

For this very reason, SDA Build London is proudly accredited by the UK’s leading waterproofing brand, Delta, with all our basement conversion projects installing their cutting-edge Delta Membrane Systems.

This high-density polyethylene covering is applied to the walls, floors and ceilings of a basement dig out, where it blocks, controls and drains any potential ground water ingress from entering a property. It can be applied to new, existing and retrofit projects, and is flexible and durable so it can cope with movement or vibration in the home – important as this is often the cause of basement flooding! All our Delta Membrane installations come with a 30-year warranty that ensures your basement is protected.


SDA are one of the leading builders in South West London, specialising in the restoration, renovation and refurbishment of London homes. See our award-winning work and get in touch to talk about your property and how we can help you transform its value.

 

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basement conversions way to the bar

Inspired Basement Conversions in South West London

January 23, 2018

As we mentioned in our recent piece on Fulham property trends in 2018, the recent downturn has seen many property owners across South West London maximising their home’s value with extensions and loft conversions. But for many that are unable to extend their homes due to planning applications, building regulations or limited space, there’s only one solution: to build downwards!

We love doing basement excavation, especially in London. This is for a good reason: we’re generally able to build roomy open areas that give our clients the freedom to create their perfect living space, while keeping the structural integrity of the building. Better yet, moving certain rooms into the basement (like the utility room or downstairs bathroom) allows the ground floor of a home to expand out. In conjunction with even the smallest of rear or side extensions, it can completely transform a modest home into a spacious abode.

The SDA Build team have picked some of our favourite London basement projects below – and if you feel inspired by any of them or want to talk to a project manager about what we can do with your home (we can even add swimming pools!), get in touch here!


Basement Cinema and Wine Cellar Conversion

Our most recently completed project in Chelsea saw the team really showcasing our skills in designing and excavating to create a stunning basement space. In addition to a full refurbishment of the home, the client wanted to create an environment designed to entertain guests. We began by reinforcing the property with an internal steel frame, allowing us to dig out the basement to create two large rooms: a wine cellar that also acts as a second living room, and a cinema room designed to be accommodate up to 10 people. The spaciousness of the basement is further amplified with the long walls, bright decor and an open staircase allowing plenty of natural light into the wine cellar.

Basement Bar in the Garden

The brief for this project in Wandsworth was to add a private bar area to the garden of this home that felt like a natural extension of the garden. With no permission to extend the property above ground, SDA Build London dug underground. We ensured the basement bar never felt detached from the rest of the garden by allowing natural light from the garden to always shine through, with an open design that utilises the same colour palette as the garden itself.

Entire Floor Dig Out – a Brand New Basement Building

The most extensive basement conversion of them all, this type essentially adds an entire floor to a property that can extends out the entire length of the home and garden. For the Fulham terrace property in the images below, the basement conversion allowed the owner to relocate their living room, a home office and a luxurious en-suite guest bedroom to the basement, freeing up the ground and 1st floor to become more spacious.


SDA are one of the leading builders in South West London and an experienced basement conversion company. We specialise in the restoration, extension and refurbishment of London homes. See our award-winning work and get in touch to talk about your property and how we can help you transform its value.

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chidding stone

Trends in 2018 – Fulham

December 22, 2017

living room area property renovation

South West London is home to some of the most inspired property renovations, restorations and refurbishments in Europe, where homeowners, architects and builders often have to overcome the challenge of limited space through genius design and creativity. In the first of a series of articles looking at 2018 property renovation trends across South West London, we take a closer look at Fulham:

The Fulham property market is in the process of change
2017 saw London facing a dip in the property sales market, as foreign investors began to exercise caution when investing in the Capital. Fulham was no exception to this, with a 10% dip year-on-year in sales, 4% higher than the London average. Almost in immediate response, the Fulham market has since shifted away from luring foreign investment to instead trying to accommodate for London’s growing demand for family-friendly homes.
With desirable mortgage rates and adjusted house prices, Fulham is seeing the first post-recession spike for 3+ bedroom prime residential properties between £0.8M and £1.5M. New builds across the river stretch – like the Fulham Reach and Fulham Riverside projects – are aiming to transform the area in the “new Chelsea”, where properties with more rooms and living space command higher valuations. This has seen the whole area change attitude, where existing homeowners and developers are now looking at how to maximise room count and space! There has also been a cultural shift in Fulham, with areas like Parsons Green and Walham Green seeing the young-and-hip residents of yesteryear settling long-term in the area as they now raise their families.

Rear extensions
Easily the most common type of property renovation in Fulham, many of our clients in the area look to capitalise on the relaxed permitted development rights. The majority of detached and semi-detached homes in Fulham are allowed to add 6 to 8 metre single-storey rear extensions to their properties without requiring planning permissions. Some exceptions apply – speak to us if you’re unsure of your home’s status – but the additional space can be truly transformational.

modern living room area property renovation
house staircase property renovation

We’ve noted savvy homeowners are relocating their kitchen, dining area and living space to their rear extension, typically as an open-space, freeing up the former front room into an office space or additional guest room.

Basement conversions and loft conversions
For homes unable to do a full rear or side extension, homeowners are instead opting to build up – and down! Loft conversions are fairly standard in Fulham, converting typically wasted loft space into a master bedroom with en-suite, however many homes are now going underground. By expanding existing cellar space or digging out a new basement entirely, you add a floor to your property without needing to dramatically change the exterior of the home (which planning permission always likes to hear).

Our project on Dolby Road saw us transforming a terrace home in all directions, with the basement allowing the homeowner to move their utility room and downstairs bathroom into the basement. This freed up more space for a large party-friendly kitchen space, expanded with a small rear extension. With the loft conversion, the home transformed from a tightly compact 3 bedroom house to a spacious 4 bedroom luxury home.

Restoring multiple flats back into a single home
One of our most exciting projects in 2017 was restoring two flats on Quinsmill Road back into a single property. This was indicative of the trend in the area, where property value comes from having bigger homes, and it’s something SDA will be doing more of in 2018.

Converting commercial properties into residential homes
Recent years have seen Hammersmith and Fulham Council grant more permissions to convert typically abandoned or rundown commercial properties (often factory warehouses from Fulham’s industrial revolution past) into spacious homes and flats. This is something we see continuing in 2018, to meet the new demand.


SDA are one of the leading builders in Fulham, specialising in the restoration, renovation and refurbishment of homes across South West London. See our award-winning work and get in touch to talk about your home and how we can help you transform its value.

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