Builders & Renovation Specialists in Kensington
Kitchen extensions, loft conversions, bathrooms and full renovations in Kensington, West London (W8)
NICEIC, FENSA and CHAS accredited. 57+ Google reviews averaging 4.5 stars. Free site visit, fixed-price quote.
About Kensington
Kensington is one of London's most prestigious residential areas, with stucco-fronted townhouses, grand Victorian terraces, and period mansion flats that command some of the highest property prices in the country. Renovation work here demands exceptional attention to detail, heritage sensitivity, and experience working with the Royal Borough's stringent planning requirements.
Postcodes we cover: W8, W14, SW5
Popular Services in Kensington
Property renovation is the primary service in Kensington, with full refurbishments of period townhouses and mansion flats that often involve structural alterations, rewiring, replumbing, and high-specification kitchen and bathroom installations. Bathroom fitting projects in Kensington are at the luxury end, with clients specifying natural stone, bespoke vanity units, and underfloor heating throughout. Painting and decorating work tends to involve specialist finishes and heritage colours appropriate to the period of the property.
Planning & Building Control in Kensington
Kensington falls under the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, which has some of the most stringent planning policies in London. Almost the entire borough is covered by conservation areas, and many properties are Grade I or Grade II listed. Listed Building Consent is required for virtually all internal and external works to listed properties. The council has specific policies on basement development, requiring Basement Impact Assessments and Construction Traffic Management Plans. We work with heritage consultants and structural engineers experienced in RBKC requirements.
Kensington Property Insights
Kensington properties are typically of exceptional build quality, with thick solid brick or stucco walls, high ceilings (3.0-3.5 metres), and ornate original features including plasterwork, ceiling roses, cornicing, fireplaces, and timber panelling. Preserving and restoring these features is essential both for planning compliance and for maintaining property value. The London Clay subsoil requires careful management for any below-ground work, and the concentration of basement conversions in the area means the water table has been affected in some streets.
Common Projects in Kensington
Full property renovation on a stucco-fronted townhouse
The signature Kensington project. Renovation of a Victorian or Georgian townhouse typically involves structural opening-up of the ground floor, rewiring to BS 7671, replumbing, full insulation upgrade where listed status allows, new kitchen and bathrooms throughout, lime-based plaster repairs on original walls, and complete decoration to luxury specification. Cost is from £400,000 depending on size, listed status, and specification. Build time 28-40 weeks with a single project manager and conservation-specialist architect. Listed Building Consent is required for almost all works and runs in parallel with planning at the Royal Borough.
Luxury bathroom renovation
Kensington bathrooms are renovated to luxury specification: bookmatched natural stone (typically Calacatta, Statuario, or Carrara marble), bespoke vanity units with brass or nickel detailing, freestanding cast-iron baths from Drummonds or The Water Monopoly, frameless walk-in showers, premium brassware (Lefroy Brooks, Samuel Heath, Watermark), and underfloor heating throughout. Cost is from £25,000 for a full master bathroom renovation. Build time 6-10 weeks. For listed properties, Listed Building Consent is required for any change to original features and we apply for it before work starts. Conservation-grade lime plaster is used on heritage walls.
Heritage painting and decorating
Kensington decoration involves heritage colours appropriate to the period of the property, specialist finishes including hand-applied distemper or limewash on original lime plaster, and proper restoration of original timber panelling, sash windows, and ornate plasterwork. We use Farrow & Ball, Little Greene, Edward Bulmer, or specialist heritage paint suppliers depending on the property. Cost for a full luxury townhouse repaint is £25,000-£60,000 depending on size, original feature complexity, and paint specification. Lead paint testing under HSE Control of Lead at Work guidance is essential on pre-1992 layers, particularly common on Kensington period properties.
Basement conversion under RBKC requirements
Kensington basement conversions face the most stringent policy requirements in London. RBKC requires Basement Impact Assessments covering hydrogeology, structural impact on neighbouring properties, and traffic management. Construction Traffic Management Plans are required for all but the smallest projects. Single-storey basements are typically permitted; multi-storey basements are restricted. Cost is from £150,000 for tanking and conversion to habitable use, depending on size and complexity. Build time 28-44 weeks. We work with specialist basement contractors and structural engineers experienced in RBKC requirements, and conservation consultants for listed buildings.
Our Services in Kensington
Kitchen Extensions
We design and build kitchen extensions that turn cramped, separate rooms into open-plan spaces you actually want to cook and eat in.
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Bathroom Fitting
Full bathroom renovations, from stripping out tired suites to fitting walk-in showers, freestanding baths, and underfloor heating.
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Side Return Extensions
That narrow alley down the side of your terrace? We turn it into usable kitchen space.
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Loft Conversions
Add a bedroom, en-suite, or home office without moving house.
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Painter & Decorator
Clean lines, sharp edges, and a finish that lasts.
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Property Renovation
Whole-house renovations managed by one team — structural work, rewiring, replumbing, kitchens, bathrooms, and decoration.
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Damp Proofing
Damp ruins walls, damages health, and knocks thousands off your property value.
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Garage Conversions
Your garage is wasted space.
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End of Tenancy Painting
Tenants out Friday, painters in Monday, keys back by Thursday.
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Media Wall Installation
We design and build bespoke media walls — the framework, the joinery, the electrics, and the finish.
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Exterior Painting & Decorating
Exterior house painting that survives the British weather.
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Dormer Loft Conversions
We build rear and L-shaped dormer loft conversions on Victorian and Edwardian terraces across South London, adding full standing headroom and a proper top-floor room.
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Mansard Loft Conversions
A mansard loft conversion rebuilds the rear roof slope to a near-vertical wall at around 70 degrees, which gains the most floor space and headroom of any loft type.
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Hip to Gable Loft Conversions
A hip to gable loft conversion squares off the sloping hip end of a roof into a vertical gable wall, gaining real width and head height across the loft.
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Velux Loft Conversions
A rooflight loft conversion keeps the existing roof shape and fits skylights into the slope.
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Bungalow Loft Conversions
Turning a single-storey bungalow into a two-storey home by building into the roof space, usually with a hip-to-gable and rear dormer that add bedrooms and an en-suite upstairs.
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Wet Room Installation
A fully tanked, level-access wet room built around the drain: gradient floor, membrane carried to ceiling height and cured, then tiled.
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Walk-in Shower Installation
Walk-in showers built with frameless glass, a low-profile tray or level access, recessed tiled niches and proper tanking behind every tile.
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Microcement Bathrooms
A microcement bathroom gives you one continuous polished cement surface across walls and floor, with no grout lines for mould to colonise.
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Luxury Bathrooms
High-specification bathrooms built around natural stone, large-format porcelain and quality brassware, with freestanding baths, underfloor heating and layered lighting set out at the design stage.
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Interior Painting & Decorating
Interior painting and decorating across South London, from a single room to a full house.
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Commercial Painting
Commercial painting for offices, shops and communal areas across South London.
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Spray Painting & Kitchen Respray
Spray painting that gives a factory-flat finish brush and roller cannot reach.
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Handyman & Property Maintenance
A reliable local handyman backed by a proper building firm.
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Gutter Cleaning
We clear blocked gutters and downpipes on terraces, semis and larger houses across South London, then check the falls and the joints while we are up there.
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Furniture & Flat-Pack Assembly
Flat-pack wardrobes, beds, chests and units built square and solid, with every fixing seated so nothing wobbles and tall pieces anchored to the wall.
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Fence Repair
Storm-damaged and rotten fences put right across South London.
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TV Wall Mounting
A TV mounted properly, fixed into studs or masonry to hold the weight, set level at the right height, with the cables run out of sight rather than left hanging down the wall.
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What Customers Say
“So happy with the work done by Les and Richard!! We bought a house that needed new paint, cracks filled, a new bathroom fan and some mold removal and they did it all. The quality of the work is phenomenal; it looks like a brand new house. We’ll definitely be hiring them for our future projects!”
Brenna Bodine
3 months ago
“So happy with Joel’s work in refurbishing my flat. There was no job too big or small for him and all done to a high standard. I won’t hesitate to use him again!”
Callum Stone
4 months ago
All Well has completed 100+ projects across 25 London boroughs since 2020. We are NICEIC approved for electrical work, FENSA registered for glazing, and CHAS certified for site safety, with Public Liability insurance to £5 million. 57+ Google reviews average 4.5 stars. All Well Property Services® is a UK registered trademark, Companies House no. 12721034, operating from Unit 1 Limes Avenue, Anerley SE20 8QR.
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Frequently Asked Questions
- What's involved in working on a listed Kensington property?
- Substantial planning preparation. Many Kensington properties are Grade I or Grade II listed, requiring Listed Building Consent for virtually any change including internal layout alterations, removal or alteration of original features, replacement of original windows or doors, render colour, roof material, and even paint type changes. Application takes 12-16 weeks at the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. We work with conservation-specialist architects on listed projects and use heritage materials (lime mortar, slate, timber, conservation-grade glass) matched to the original. Listed Kensington work typically costs 40-70% more than equivalent work on a non-listed property and takes longer.
- Why are Kensington basement conversions so heavily regulated?
- Because of the cumulative impact of basement excavation in concentrated areas. RBKC introduced strict basement policy following neighbour complaints, structural concerns, and water table impacts in streets with multiple basement conversions. Requirements now include a Basement Impact Assessment (covering hydrogeology, structural impact, and ground conditions), a Construction Traffic Management Plan, and a Construction Management Plan covering hours of work, vehicle movements, dust, and noise. Single-storey basements are typically permitted; multi-storey basements are restricted in most streets. Application costs and timelines are significantly higher than for above-ground extensions.
- Why do Kensington renovations cost so much more than other London boroughs?
- Five reasons. First, listed building requirements add 40-70% to the cost of equivalent work. Second, RBKC's planning fees and application requirements are higher than most boroughs. Third, the local market expects luxury specification — natural stone, bespoke joinery, premium fixtures and finishes — which is significantly more expensive than mid-range trade specifications. Fourth, basement projects face strict regulatory requirements adding £20,000-£50,000 in assessment and management costs. Fifth, the trade rates in Kensington are at the top of the London market because of access constraints and high-end client expectations.
- Can I extend a Kensington townhouse?
- Yes, but with significant constraints. Almost the entire Royal Borough is covered by conservation areas, and many properties are listed. Front-facing changes are virtually never approved. Rear extensions on non-listed properties may be possible with appropriate design — typically traditional materials, sympathetic proportions, and limited size. Listed properties need Listed Building Consent for any extension and the application process is longer and more uncertain than for non-listed properties. RBKC's pre-application advice service is essential before committing to designs. We work with heritage consultants for all listed building extension work.
Get a Free Quote in Kensington
Tell us your project and we will book a free site visit, then send a fixed-price quote in writing. No obligation.