Greenwich Loft and Ground Floor Extension involves the transformation of a semi-detached Victorian terrace through a modest rear extension and a carefully designed loft conversion. Lofts in Greenwich present particular challenges, as the borough’s design guidance is notably restrictive - discouraging box dormers, full-width additions, and outrigger lofts. To work successfully within these limitations, the project adopts a “vanilla planning strategy”: a permitted development approach paired with a targeted planning application for key detailing enhancements.

To achieve the desired headroom and spatial quality, the design includes lowering the first-floor ceilings and carefully integrating flush rooflights to meet the 150 mm projection limit. The new loft adds a generous bedroom and reconfigures the staircase to improve vertical circulation, creating a light-filled spine through the centre of the house. Using architectural features such as arches, refined balustrades, and new rooflights, the stair becomes a bright, cohesive link between floors - a defining interior moment for the home.

At ground level, a small but significant extension strengthens the connection between the front living spaces and the rear kitchen-dining room, bridging the traditional and modern halves of the plan. Generous glazing brings light deep into the plan and frames garden views, while modest spatial increases transform the layout from functional to truly comfortable family living.