East London & Essex
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Kitchen Extensions in Hackney
One bright room for cooking, eating and family life, opening onto the garden. Designed, approved and built by one team.
Kitchens in Hackney houses
Hackney’s Georgian and early Victorian terraces were built with the kitchen on the lower ground floor, often dark and below the level of the garden.
What works here
Side return and lower-ground rear extensions are the usual answer here, often with a glazed link so the original back wall stays readable. On listed houses the design is agreed with the conservation officer before anything is submitted.
Planning a kitchen extension in Hackney
Most of Hackney’s terraced streets are conservation areas, so side and rear extensions there need planning permission. Listed houses also need listed building consent, and the original rear wall is usually expected to stay readable. Applications go to the London Borough of Hackney. We handle them for you.
How it works
Visit
We look at the house, the garden and how you use the kitchen now.
Design
Layout, glazing, roof and kitchen designed together, with drawings you can follow.
Permissions
Planning or permitted development, building control and party wall notices handled for you.
Enjoy
One team builds it and fits the kitchen. You enjoy the new room.
Roads we work on
Kitchen extensions that suit Hackney
Side return extension
Most Hackney terraces in De Beauvoir, London Fields and Clapton have a back addition and a narrow side yard. A glass-roofed side return keeps the yard readable as a later addition, which is what conservation officers ask for, and leaves the original back wall as exposed brick inside. Where the kitchen is on the lower ground floor, the glass roof is also the main source of daylight.
Glass box extension
On listed houses and tightly protected terraces, a small glass or dark metal box at the end of the back addition is often the most that will be approved, and the best-looking answer. It adds a dining space and a full-height door to the garden without touching the original walls.
Questions
Can I lower the garden to open up a lower ground kitchen?
Often, yes. Lowering part of the garden to meet the kitchen floor, with steps back up to the lawn, is a common way to bring daylight and a garden view into a Hackney lower ground kitchen.
Do you design the kitchen as well as build the extension?
Yes. Our interior designers plan the kitchen, lighting and finishes alongside the architecture, and our own workshop can make bespoke cabinetry.
Do I need planning permission for a kitchen extension in Hackney?
Not always. Many single-storey rear extensions are permitted development, up to 3 metres deep on a terraced or semi-detached house and 4 metres on a detached house. Wraparound extensions, listed buildings, flats and houses under an Article 4 direction need planning permission.
Do I need a party wall agreement for a kitchen extension?
Usually, if you build on or beside the boundary or dig foundations within three metres of the neighbouring house. We serve the notices for you.
From our completed projects
Join the waiting list.
We take a limited number of houses each year. A director reviews every enquiry.