Basement conversion

[Andy Burns]

Who's been digging one then?

[GB]

You mean this?

[newshound]

Poles rather than Irish doing the basement? Surprising?

[Andy Burns]

Yes, seems to be number 3 that's gone down the hole

But number 4 is the one with approved planning permission for a basement extension, and another application pending decision for an extra level of basement excavation

I wonder if they'd started work on the basis of forgiveness rather than approval?

[Dave Plowman (News]

Going to be quite an insurance claim. Same thing happened near here years ago. A terrace with shops and housing above. A restaurant decided to add to their covers by converting the basement. Rumoured to be a DIY job.

But there are so many firms around these days specialising in basement conversions you'd expect one of those to be used in Chelsea.

[newshound]

Are we allowed to express schadenfreude? It's quite amusing how far that basement extends front and back beyond the presumed original locations of the foundations. And the floor joists of the two layers of bedroom seem a bit saggy.

[Andrew]

teams of woodworm ?

[williamwright]

Thanks Andy. Really interesting.

Bill

[williamwright]

Looks like they're been like that a while! You'd roll our of bed!

Bill

[Peter Burke]

[The Natural Philosopher]

Nah. the house is worth at most a couple of hundred k..the plot however is another matter.

In fact the plot may well be worth more with the house gone

[Andy Burns]

Looking in more detail at the applications, the second level basement had been approved for number 4, it was only alterations to the windows that are pending approval.

Number 3 had approval to extend the original basement to the rear, but not for a second level of basement.

[Peter Burke]

[newshound]

It will be listed, won't it? Surely we can rely on the local council to insist that it is properly reinstated.

Oh, perhaps not.

[Nikki Smith]

Indeed.... the collapse seems to have been caused by the collapse of the old party wall between Nos 2 and 3 (now all part of the same house).

Bet Kapital Basements are not enjoying the free publicity though...

[newshound]

Oh I don't know. Theirs has stayed up.

[Nikki Smith]

True, but I bet most people would associate them with the work? Admittedly, the average client who can afford such work probably doesn?t read the English papers.

RBKC are the original sticklers for checking that basements are constructed correctly. They were the first to insist on full BIA reports to be included in the planning documents, and there is one for the work to No 4. Looks like the new basement required double underpins and resin grouting of the gravels to keep it temporarily watertight. Must have been pretty expensive!

[polygonum_on_google]

A great pity their stickler-ism didn't seem to apply to cladding tower blocks.

[Andrew]

Well it will make the digging out of an iceberg basement a lot easier. All they need now is lateral support for the adjoining properties. Hope they had party wall agreements :-(

[The Natural Philosopher]

No. houses that fall down in 'accidents' are outside their remit.