Hornchurch, Elm Park and Upminster

Builders in Hornchurch and Upminster

Get a free quote Call Bes on 07448 465880

Bes Cuni: Registered Building Inspector (Class 2), MCIOB, AssocRICS

BXC Developments works as builders in Hornchurch and Upminster on rear extensions, loft conversions and roofs, across RM11, RM12 and RM14. We are based in Barking, we give every job a free site visit and a written, itemised quote, and we design to Havering's rules from the first drawing.

Much of this part of Havering went up in the 1930s, and you can see it in the houses. The District line services were extended to Upminster in 1932, Upminster Bridge station opened in December 1934, and in the same year Hornchurch Urban District took in Upminster, Cranham and Rainham. At Elm Park, Richard Costain and Sons bought farmland in 1933 for a planned garden city, the station opened on 18 May 1935, and by 1939 the estate had more than two thousand houses. Havering's own guide says two-storey semis are the most typical interwar house in the borough, with terraces and bungalows among them.

Emerson Park is older and looser. William Carter bought land there in 1895 and named the estate after his eldest son, Emerson, building everything from bungalows to family houses with servants' rooms, and Emerson Park Halt opened in 1909. Bigger detached houses on bigger plots raise different questions to an Elm Park semi: side extensions, two-storey rears and keeping the gaps between houses.

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Extensions, lofts and roofs in Hornchurch and Upminster

Most of what we are asked for on 1930s semis is a rear extension, a loft, or both. Every service below is the same team, so the steelwork, brickwork and roof all sit with one contractor.

  • House extensionsSingle and double storey rear extensions, side extensions and wraparounds.
  • Loft conversionsHip-to-gable, rear dormer and rooflight lofts for semis and bungalows.
  • RoofingPlain clay tile re-roofs, flat roofs, lead work and chimneys.
  • BricklayingBrick matching on 1930s fronts, new walls and structural openings.
  • Home renovationsWhole house refurbishments from one contractor.

Questions from Hornchurch and Upminster homeowners

How far can I build a rear extension on a Hornchurch semi?
Under permitted development, 3 metres on a semi or terrace and 4 metres on a detached house, or up to 6 and 8 metres through prior approval. If you need planning permission, Havering's 2011 guide takes 4 metres as the general limit for a semi or detached house and 3 metres for a terrace, with anything deeper kept within a 45 degree line from that point on the boundary.

Can I build a two-storey rear extension in Havering?
Yes, with planning permission, and Havering's 2011 guide is specific. A two-storey rear extension should be set in at least 2 metres from the boundary with the attached house and project no more than 3 metres. Up to 4 metres may be accepted where it suits the area, or similar extensions already exist next door. A pitched roof with a hipped end is the form the guide shows.

Can I do a hip-to-gable loft on my Upminster semi?
Often, yes, where the house keeps its permitted development rights. If it needs an application, it gets harder: Havering's guide says converting one half of a pair of semis from hip to gable can unbalance the pair, and where hipped roofs are part of the street's character, a gable end will not be accepted. That is why we check the planning position before the design is fixed.

I live in Cranham. What does the Article 4 direction cover?
Havering lists the Cranham Article 4 direction as requiring planning permission for gates, walls, fences and other means of enclosure. Cranham is also a conservation area, designated in 1968, so loft permitted development rights do not apply there and changes to the roof need an application too. A garden wall rebuild there is a planning job as well as a bricklaying one.

Is my house in a conservation area?
If you are near Hornchurch town centre, the old RAF Hornchurch site, Corbets Tey or Cranham, it might be. The five here are Langtons, St Andrews and RAF Hornchurch in Hornchurch, and Corbets Tey and Cranham around Upminster. Havering's heritage pages carry an appraisal and boundary map for each. Send us the address and we will check it as part of the free site visit.

What does a rear extension cost in London?
We do not publish prices; you get a written, itemised quote after the site visit. As an outside benchmark, Build Team's London guide, updated 12 October 2026, puts a single-storey rear extension of 15 to 30 square metres at £80,000 to £150,000 and a double-storey rear at £120,000 to £220,000 or more, both including fees and 20 percent VAT.

Can I extend a detached house in Emerson Park to the side?
Havering's guide says a side extension on a detached house can go to the full height of the house if it reads as part of the original rather than an add-on. It should not run up to the side boundary, because that closes the gap between houses and the access to the back. A garage giving rear access, with space kept at first floor, can get around that.

Do I need building regulations approval as well as planning?
Yes, for an extension or a loft, whether or not it needs planning permission. Bes is a Registered Building Inspector (Class 2), but no inspector signs off his own work, so your job is checked by the council's building control service or an independent approved inspector. What he brings as your builder is knowing what that inspector will want and having it ready.

Free quotes from builders in Hornchurch and Upminster

Send your postcode and a line about the job, and say if you think you might be in a conservation area. Bes will tell you the planning route before a visit is booked.

Get a free quote Call 07448 465880

Finished rooms and roofs from our London jobs

Photographed on our own London jobs. We have not captioned any as Hornchurch or Upminster, because the borough was not recorded.

  • Fitted kitchen with grey gloss handleless units and a double oven (London job)
    Fitted kitchen with grey gloss handleless units and a double oven (London job)
  • Rear extension and loft conversion with a rendered finish and new paving down the side (London job)
    Rear extension and loft conversion with a rendered finish and new paving down the side (London job)
  • Finished bathroom with a freestanding bath and wall-hung WC (London job)
    Finished bathroom with a freestanding bath and wall-hung WC (London job)
  • Hallway finished with stone floor tiles and a new staircase with a runner (London job)
    Hallway finished with stone floor tiles and a new staircase with a runner (London job)
  • The new staircase at first fix, with fresh treads, risers and newel posts (London job)
    The new staircase at first fix, with fresh treads, risers and newel posts (London job)
  • New clay plain tile roof and lead valley above the rear gardens (London job)
    New clay plain tile roof and lead valley above the rear gardens (London job)
  • Half-round ridge tiles running down a new clay tile roof (London job)
    Half-round ridge tiles running down a new clay tile roof (London job)
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