The Bearded Property Co designs and builds loft extensions across Uxbridge UB8, Hillingdon UB10 and Hayes UB3/UB4, using rear dormer, hip-to-gable, mansard and L-shaped formats to add genuine extra volume and headroom to your roof. Structural calculations, planning and Building Regulations are all managed for you, with a written quote agreed before any work begins.
A loft extension is a bigger structural undertaking than a simple conversion, and the right format depends heavily on the roof shape and planning status of the specific street you live on. Across UB8 and UB10, the majority of homes are 1930s semis with hipped roofs, which is exactly the roof shape that benefits most from a hip-to-gable extension, since it recovers width that a hip roof naturally loses at the sides. Streets closer to Hillingdon underground station and the Western Avenue, including Long Lane, Hercies Road and Judge Heath Lane, have denser terraced and semi-detached stock on narrower plots, where a hip-to-gable extension combined with a rear dormer is the standard sequence to maximise the new floor area.
In older parts of Hayes, particularly around the Old Vinyl Factory and Botwell conservation area beside the Grand Union Canal, and in the historic core of Uxbridge around Windsor Street, a larger loft extension is more likely to need full planning permission rather than relying on permitted development, and a mansard format is often the only way to achieve meaningful extra space within a constrained roof shape.
Hillingdon Council also holds a borough-wide Article 4 direction removing permitted development rights for single storey rear extensions beyond 4 metres from the original rear wall. This does not directly restrict roof extensions, but it matters a great deal for the many households who combine a loft extension with a ground floor rear extension in the same project, since the combined scheme can trigger the need for a full planning application where it would not in a borough without this direction.
Every project is managed end to end with a single point of contact, a written programme and a quote agreed before any work starts.
Extends the rear roof slope vertically to give full standing headroom across most of the new floor area.
Converts a hipped roof end into a vertical gable wall, widening the loft footprint on 1930s semis.
The largest additional volume of any format, with a near vertical rear wall set at around 70 degrees.
Wraps a dormer around both the main roof and a rear outrigger roof, common on Victorian terraces.
A full double bedroom with a separate ensuite built into the newly extended roof space.
Loft extension planned alongside a ground floor rear extension, with the Article 4 implications checked upfront.
A loft extension physically enlarges the roof structure rather than simply fitting out the space that already exists. The process starts with confirming which extension format the roof shape and site constraints allow, then checking that against the permitted development volume allowance, which is 40 cubic metres for a terraced house and 50 cubic metres for a semi-detached or detached house. Where the property sits within a conservation area, or where the extension is being combined with a ground floor rear extension affected by Hillingdon's Article 4 direction, a full planning application is prepared instead.
Once approvals are in place, structural steels are designed and installed to carry the new roof loads, the new external wall and roof covering are built up to match the existing house in materials and appearance, and the floor structure is strengthened throughout. Insulation, a fixed staircase and the full fire safety package, escape route, fire doors, mains powered alarms and an escape window, are fitted as standard on every extension, exactly as they would be on a loft conversion.
Every project follows the same clear four stage process. Nothing starts until you have a written quote and a programme you have agreed to.
Contact us on 020 8050 9389 or WhatsApp. Describe the roof and the space you want to add. We will arrange a site visit at a time that works for you.
We assess the roof shape, check remaining permitted development volume and Article 4 implications, and provide a written quote with a programme.
Structural steel design, Building Regulations submission, party wall notices and any planning application are all managed for you.
Roof extension, insulation, staircase and fire safety works are completed, inspected by building control, and handed over with full documentation.
A loft extension can add a genuinely licensable room where a simple conversion cannot, because the extra floor area and headroom the extension provides is often the difference between a room that meets HMO licensing standards and one that falls just short. The Bearded Property Co has extended lofts to a licensable standard for landlords across Cowley and West Drayton, sequencing works so the rest of the property stays occupied and generating rent.
The examples below reflect the same structural, fire safety and finish standard that we bring to every loft extension across Uxbridge, Hillingdon and Hayes.
Hip-to-gable loft extension delivering the floor area and headroom needed to meet HMO licensing standards for an additional room.
New roof structure and external walls built up on a rear dormer extension, matched to the existing house in materials and appearance.
Fixed staircase installed to the required headroom and pitch, connecting the newly extended loft to the existing landing.
Full extra floor delivered through a rear dormer extension, part of our wider portfolio of loft extension projects for landlords.
A loft extension is often the most cost effective way to add a genuinely licensable room to an existing property, since it works with the roof you already have rather than requiring a ground floor build. Landlords across Hillingdon come to The Bearded Property Co because we assess the achievable extension format against licensing floor area and headroom requirements before recommending a design, not after.
For landlords managing multiple properties or a licensed HMO, we offer a coordinated programme approach, sequencing loft extensions and any related refurbishment work to reduce void periods and keep rental income flowing. We work directly with managing agents and can be added to approved contractor lists for licensing related upgrades.
All works are documented with before and after photographs, a written schedule of works completed and any certification required for licensing, insurance or freeholder compliance purposes.
Some properties across Uxbridge, Hillingdon and Hayes need a more carefully designed extension than a straightforward rear dormer. A Victorian terrace with a rear outrigger near Uxbridge old town often benefits most from an L-shaped dormer, wrapping the extension around both the main roof and the outrigger roof to maximise the usable footprint, which requires careful design of the valley junction between the two roof slopes.
Where a loft extension is combined with a ground floor rear extension, we assess the combined scheme against Hillingdon's Article 4 direction on large rear extensions from the outset, rather than discovering the planning implication after a design has already been drawn up. For properties within Ickenham Village, Hillingdon Village or the Hayes conservation area boundaries, we manage the full planning application process, including any heritage statement the council requires for a change to the roof profile.
Images below will show completed loft extension projects carried out by The Bearded Property Co across Uxbridge, Hillingdon and Hayes.
Every project is delivered against a written programme with a single point of contact. When we say a loft extension starts on Monday, it starts on Monday. We check the remaining permitted development volume, conservation area status and Article 4 implications on every property before quoting, so you know exactly what format and route the extension needs from day one.
Three projects that show this in practice. We completed a hip-to-gable and rear dormer extension on a 1930s semi near Hercies Road in UB10, adding significant extra width and a full double bedroom within a ten week programme. In Hayes, we secured full planning permission for a mansard extension near the Old Vinyl Factory conservation area, managing the heritage statement so the client never had to deal with the council directly. In Ickenham, we flagged early that a combined loft and rear extension would trigger Hillingdon's Article 4 direction, saving the client from submitting a permitted development notification that would have been refused.
The Bearded Property Co. Registered address: 85 Uxbridge Road, Ealing, London, W5 5BW. Email: info@mrplumbsingh.co.uk.
The Bearded Property Co is based at 85 Uxbridge Road, Ealing W5 5BW, a short drive along the Uxbridge Road corridor into Hillingdon. Our team are local West London tradespeople, not a franchise operation dispatching contractors from across the M25.
We cover rear dormer, hip-to-gable, mansard and L-shaped loft extensions across Uxbridge UB8, Hillingdon UB10, Hayes UB3 and UB4, Ickenham, Cowley, West Drayton, Yiewsley and Harefield. Contact 020 8050 9389 to arrange an assessment visit.
The Bearded Property Co covers all of the following areas directly for rear dormer, hip-to-gable, mansard and L-shaped loft extension projects.
Answers to the most common questions from homeowners and landlords across Uxbridge, Hillingdon, Hayes and the surrounding areas.
A loft conversion covers any project that turns existing roof space into a usable room, which can be as simple as fitting rooflights into an unaltered roof. A loft extension specifically means physically enlarging the roof structure, through a dormer, hip-to-gable, mansard or L-shaped format, to add extra volume and headroom that the existing roof does not provide. Most loft extensions are also loft conversions, but not every loft conversion needs the structural extension work that a loft extension involves.
Permitted development allows up to 40 cubic metres of additional roof volume on a terraced house and up to 50 cubic metres on a semi-detached or detached house. This is a cumulative allowance, so if a previous owner has already extended the roof, your remaining allowance is reduced by whatever volume was used. A rear dormer must also be set back at least 20 centimetres from the eaves and cannot exceed the height of the existing roof ridge.
Hillingdon Council has a borough-wide Article 4 direction that removes permitted development rights for single storey rear extensions that go beyond 4 metres from the original rear wall. This does not apply to the roof extension itself, but if your loft extension project is being combined with a ground floor rear extension, as many are, the combined scheme may need a full planning application because of this direction, even where the loft element alone would qualify as permitted development. We check this at the assessment stage for any combined project.
A rear dormer extends vertically from the rear roof slope, creating a flat roof section with vertical walls that gives full standing headroom across most of the new floor area. It is the most common loft extension format on the 1930s semis and Victorian terraces found across Uxbridge, Hillingdon and Hayes, and in most cases qualifies as permitted development provided the volume and set-back rules are met.
A hip to gable extension replaces a sloped hip end of the roof with a vertical gable wall, widening the usable floor area at the side of the loft. It suits the many 1930s semi-detached properties across Ickenham, Hillingdon and Uxbridge that were built with a hipped roof, and is very often combined with a rear dormer to maximise the total additional space.
A mansard extension replaces most of the rear roof slope with a near vertical wall set at around 70 degrees, delivering the greatest additional volume of any loft extension format. Because of the scale of the change to the roof shape, mansard extensions generally fall outside permitted development and need a full planning application, particularly on properties within or near a conservation area such as Hayes Village, Hillingdon Village or Ickenham Village.
Standard loft extensions within the permitted development volume allowance do not require neighbour consultation through the council. However, if your extension is combined with a larger rear extension using the Larger Home Extension prior approval route, neighbours are formally notified and have 21 days to raise an objection before the council decides the application. This is separate from the Party Wall Act notice, which is a legal requirement in its own right for most semi-detached and terraced loft extensions.
In most cases yes. A hip-to-gable, dormer or mansard extension on a semi-detached or terraced property in Uxbridge, Hillingdon or Hayes almost always involves structural work at or near the party wall shared with your neighbour. Written notice must be served at least two months before that stage of work begins, and your neighbour then has 14 days to respond. We handle the notice and any resulting surveyor process as part of every loft extension we quote.
Yes, this is one of the most requested outcomes of a loft extension. A rear dormer or hip-to-gable extension typically provides enough additional floor area and headroom for a double bedroom with a separate ensuite bathroom, with plumbing extended from the existing stack and full waterproofing and tiling applied. The exact layout depends on the roof format chosen and the existing stack position, which we assess on site before designing the layout.
A loft extension that qualifies as permitted development typically takes 8 to 12 weeks on site once approvals are in place, though the design and Building Regulations submission stage adds time before work starts. A project needing full planning permission, such as a mansard extension or one affected by Hillingdon's Article 4 direction, should allow 8 to 10 weeks for the planning decision alone before the build programme begins. An exact programme is confirmed at the written quotation stage.
The Bearded Property Co provides written quotes before work begins, checks planning, conservation area and Article 4 status on every property, and is available Monday to Saturday.
View us on Google Business Profile →
The Bearded Property Co. 85 Uxbridge Road, Ealing, London, W5 5BW. Tel: 020 8050 9389. Email: info@mrplumbsingh.co.uk. Covering Uxbridge, Hillingdon, Hayes, Ickenham, Cowley, West Drayton and the London Borough of Hillingdon.
