Basements come in many forms which generally fall into 2 categories: Retrofit – where a basement is developed under an existing building and New Build – where a basement is built on a new piece of land.
In recent years, basement development has really taken off in Hampstead; why?
Depending on where you are in Hampstead, it’s cheaper to develop the space under your house than it is to move. What’s more, most of the time it’s an investment, as the space you gain adds extra value to your property.
Basement Refurbishment Hampstead
If you’re thinking of having a new basement, the questions you should be asking are:
- Can we use the space we already own?
- How much will it cost?
- How long will it take?
- Do we have to move out to do the work?
- Is it worth doing or shall we just move?
Common Basement Questions
Can you develop the space under your property into a basement?
To answer this, the first thing you should do is have someone (hopefully us) take a look (free initial inspection and consultation). We look at the basic layout, drains, ground and surrounding buildings. Without doing invasive investigations, we can still give you a good indication of how you can develop your basement.
How much is it likely to cost?
This is subject to invasive inspections.
How long will it take to develop?
Again, the time taken for a project like this is dependent on so many factors:
- Size of the proposed basement
- Quality of the finished environment
- Actual required height of the development
- Any underpinning needed
- Requirements for light wells
- Extent of proposed plumbing and electrical service
Will you have to move out or not?
Normally this is not necessary, but there will obviously be some inconveniences i.e., noise and dust. We’d be excavating away beneath your property without any physical disruption to you, until breaking through, which is normally at the later stages of basement construction.
Is it worth the cost of developing a basement?
You should really do your calculations and make sure the basement would work for you. In my experience, the equation factors are:
- Cost of moving
- Removal fees
- Stamp Duty
- Hassle factor!
These are the costs of buying a new, larger property to provide the equivalent area to what you would achieve by developing a basement in your current property. Set those costs against the cost of doing the basement and the anticipated property re-sale value after the work is complete. If, after these calculations and cost comparisons, you want to go ahead, then you’ll need to invest in trial holes and fees for drawings etc.
Interested in a Hampstead Basement Conversion?
If we haven’t put you off and you still want help, give us a call and we’ll discuss your options. You may want to have a look at some of our videos showing works we’ve carried out in the past.
Please note that the videos you’ll be watching were originally taken as reference materials to go in the file of the relevant jobs. I started to put the material together as small videos for reference about two years ago, and so far they’ve helped potential customers to understand just how the works progress, and the process of forming a basement under an existing property. You can leave feedback, which is always welcome, for each video via the YouTube site, or by clicking here. Your feedback is very useful and helps to drive us forward, so help us to help you.