House Extensions in Westerham (TN16)
Westerham wears its history on its sleeve, and an extension near the centre has to acknowledge that. Out towards the edges there are substantial family houses with the room to build properly and far fewer complications.
Adding to period property in the old town
On the older buildings round the centre the fabric has to be matched rather than replaced, and matching in Westerham means the local materials — brick and clay tile in the sizes and colours that are already there, with mortar mixed to suit the original rather than a modern mix that will sit harder than the brick around it. Where a building is listed or the setting is conservation-minded, consent comes before work and the design is constrained before it is drawn. There are practical difficulties too: old walls that are neither square nor plumb, floors at levels that do not agree, and a frame that has moved, all of which a new addition has to meet without forcing anything. It is skilled work and priced as such.
The family homes on the edges
Away from the middle, the substantial detached and semi-detached houses have proper plots and take single and double-storey work comfortably. The questions there are the ordinary ones: what the existing foundations will carry if you want to go up, where the light will come from once you have built across the back, and whether the real problem is a shortage of space or a layout that bottlenecks in the middle. We will tell you honestly if we think reorganising what is there would do more than adding to it.
One firm answerable from survey to handover
Our own team does the building work, with specialists for electrics, roofing and decorating brought in and managed by us. One firm answerable throughout.
More in Westerham
Everything we do in Westerham is on the Westerham area sheet, and the full detail of how we approach this trade is on the extensions & renovations page.
Common questions
Q.01Can I extend a listed building in Westerham?
Sometimes, within real limits and with consent obtained before work starts. We will give you a straight view at survey rather than take a fee towards something unlikely to be approved.
Q.02Will the brickwork match?
That is most of the job on a period Westerham property — local brick and tile matched for size and colour, and mortar mixed to suit the original.
Q.03Do you work in Kent as well as Surrey?
Yes. We work across Surrey, Kent and Sussex from our base at 27 High Street, Godstone.
Q.04Is an extension always the answer?
No. On plenty of these houses reorganising the existing layout achieves more for less, and we will say so if that is what we think.
Thinking about extensions & renovations in Westerham?
Tell us what you are planning. We come out, look at the job properly and give you a price for it.