Builders & Renovation Specialists in Sydenham
Kitchen extensions, loft conversions, bathrooms and full renovations in Sydenham, South East London (SE26)
NICEIC, FENSA and CHAS accredited. 57+ Google reviews averaging 4.5 stars. Free site visit, fixed-price quote.
About Sydenham
Sydenham is gaining popularity with families priced out of Dulwich and Forest Hill, and the Victorian villas and Edwardian terraces along Sydenham Road and Kirkdale offer excellent renovation potential. The hillside setting gives many properties good views and natural light, and the larger Victorian villas have generous footprints that lend themselves to ambitious extension projects.
Postcodes we cover: SE26
Popular Services in Sydenham
Kitchen extensions are the most popular project in Sydenham, particularly on the larger Victorian properties where rear extensions of 5-6 metres can create impressive open-plan spaces. Loft conversions are also in demand — the Victorian villas often have steep pitched roofs with excellent headroom for dormer conversions. Property renovation is a growing category as more buyers discover Sydenham and invest in full refurbishments of period properties.
Planning & Building Control in Sydenham
Sydenham falls under Lewisham Council. The Sydenham Hill and Jews Walk conservation areas have design requirements for visible alterations, but most of Sydenham is outside conservation zones and standard permitted development rights apply. Lewisham Council is generally supportive of rear extensions and loft conversions that meet the standard criteria. The council operates an online planning portal and pre-application advice service.
Sydenham Property Insights
The hillside topography in Sydenham creates interesting challenges for extensions — sloping gardens may require stepped foundations and retaining walls, which add to the build cost. However, the slope also means many properties have elevated rear aspects with good natural light, making kitchen extensions particularly rewarding. The mix of London Clay and sandy subsoil on the hillside means ground conditions vary from property to property — we always investigate before finalising foundation designs.
Common Projects in Sydenham
Rear kitchen extension on a Victorian villa
The signature Sydenham project. The larger Victorian villas along Sydenham Road, Westwood Hill, and Kirkdale have generous rear gardens and substantial rear walls that suit single-storey extensions of 5-6 metres. The hillside means the rear aspect is often elevated above the garden, which gives strong natural light into the new space. Cost is from £55,000 including structural steelwork, stepped foundations where needed, retaining walls if the garden slopes significantly, glazing, electrics, plumbing, and finishes. Build time 12-16 weeks. The longer rear extensions in SE26 typically need full planning rather than permitted development.
Dormer loft conversion on a Victorian terrace
Sydenham's Victorian terraces have steep pitched roofs with excellent standing height — typically 2.4 metres or more at the ridge. Dormer conversions create a full-size bedroom with en-suite without raising the existing roof, which simplifies planning and Building Control. Cost is from £45,000 including dormer construction, staircase, en-suite plumbing, electrics, plastering, and decoration. Build time 10-14 weeks. Properties within the Sydenham Hill conservation area face restrictions on front-facing dormers; rear dormers are usually approved without issue.
Full property renovation on a period property
Sydenham attracts buyers who couldn't afford Dulwich or Forest Hill but want similar period housing stock. Full renovations typically include rewiring, replumbing, knocking through the ground floor, new kitchen and bathrooms, plastering, and complete decoration. Cost is from £80,000 depending on size and specification. Build time 16-22 weeks with a single project manager. Sydenham villas often have original cornicing, ceiling roses, and tiled hallway floors that add £15,000-£25,000 to property value when restored — we protect these during structural work.
Hillside extension with stepped foundations
A Sydenham-specific project type. Properties on the steeper streets (particularly the upper slopes around Sydenham Hill and Wells Park Road) have rear gardens that drop noticeably from the house. Standard strip foundations don't work on slopes — we use stepped foundations or short retaining walls to create a level base for the extension. The structural engineer specifies the foundation depth based on a trial hole investigation. Adds £4,000-£8,000 to typical extension cost compared with a flat-site equivalent. The result is an extension that sits level with the original ground floor and accesses the garden via shallow steps or a deck.
Our Services in Sydenham
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
- How does the Sydenham hillside affect extension costs?
- It usually adds 10-20% to the build cost depending on the gradient. Sloping gardens often need stepped foundations or retaining walls (£4,000-£8,000 above flat-site costs), and scaffolding setup is more involved. The mix of London Clay and sandy subsoil on the hillside means foundation depths vary from property to property — a trial hole at the survey gives the structural engineer the data needed to specify the right foundation. We firm up the foundation cost before issuing the contract so there are no surprises mid-project.
- Are Sydenham properties in conservation areas?
- Some are. The Sydenham Hill conservation area covers the upper slopes and includes some of the largest Victorian villas. The smaller Jews Walk conservation area is centred south of Sydenham High Street. In both, exterior changes (window replacement, render colour, front door style, dormer position) need sympathetic design and Lewisham Council can refuse retrospective consent for inappropriate alterations. Most of Sydenham — including most streets in SE26 — sits outside conservation areas and has full permitted development rights. We check before quoting.
- Can I extend higher than the standard permitted development limits in Sydenham?
- Yes, with full planning permission. Sydenham villas often suit extensions larger than the 3-4 metre permitted development limit — 5-6 metres on the larger properties is common. A full planning application takes 8-12 weeks at Lewisham Council and costs £206. We handle the application, drawings, design and access statement, and the council's conservation officer involvement where needed. Lewisham's pre-application advice service is useful for confirming feasibility before committing to designs on more ambitious projects.
- What's a typical timeline for a Sydenham renovation project?
- Depends on scope. Full property renovations of a Victorian villa take 16-22 weeks with one team. Kitchen extensions of 5-6 metres take 12-16 weeks. Dormer loft conversions take 10-14 weeks. Bathroom renovations take 3-5 weeks. We give a detailed programme of works at the contract stage and photo updates throughout the build throughout. Hillside projects can have weather-dependent groundwork on the early phases — we recommend starting between March and October where possible to avoid winter delays on foundations and external structure.
Get a Free Quote in Sydenham
Tell us your project and we will book a free site visit, then send a fixed-price quote in writing. No obligation.