Romford and Havering

Builders in Romford

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

BXC Developments works as builders in Romford and across Havering on roofs, loft conversions and extensions, from a slipped ridge tile to a full re-roof with a dormer on the back. We are based in Barking, we cover RM1 to RM7, and every job starts with a free site visit and a written, itemised quote.

Romford's roofs are a big part of why people call a builder here. Havering's own housing guide describes the borough's interwar semis as typically having plain clay tiled roofs with wide overhanging eaves and a central chimney, with Victorian houses in slate or terracotta. Harold Hill was built by the London County Council in the late 1940s and 1950s, and the guide shows its semis in brick with clay tiled, gable-ended roofs. On roofs of that age, a re-roof is also a sensible moment to plan a loft, because the scaffold is already up.

Your planning authority is the London Borough of Havering, working to its Local Plan 2016 to 2031, adopted in 2021, with the Residential Extensions and Alterations SPD of March 2011 still on its list of adopted guidance. A Romford postcode does not always mean Havering, though. Parts of RM6 around Chadwell Heath sit in Barking and Dagenham, whose Chadwell Heath Anti-aircraft Gun Site is one of that borough's four conservation areas. If your council tax goes to Barking and Dagenham, our Dagenham page is the better guide.

We also cover nearby

Builders in Romford for roofs, lofts and extensions

Roofing comes first here. Every service below is the same team, so a re-roof and a loft can be planned as one job on one scaffold.

  • RoofingClay and concrete tile re-roofs, flat roofs, lead valleys and chimneys.
  • Loft conversionsRear dormer, hip-to-gable and mansard lofts.
  • House extensionsSingle and double storey rear and side extensions.
  • BricklayingChimney rebuilds, repointing, new walls and structural openings.
  • Home renovationsWhole house refurbishments managed by one contractor.

Questions Romford homeowners ask

Do I need planning permission to re-roof my house in Romford?
Usually not. The Planning Portal says roof work such as re-roofing that does not materially change the outside appearance will usually not need planning permission, and alterations must not stick out more than 150 millimetres from the existing roof slope. The exceptions are houses where an Article 4 direction has removed those rights, which in Romford mainly means Gidea Park, and listed buildings. We check which applies before we price.

I live in Gidea Park. What does the Article 4 direction stop me doing?
It depends on whether your house is in level 1 or level 2 of the 2015 direction, and level 2 covers a wider range of works. The council wrote to owners setting out which classes of work need permission for each property. The direction does not ban those works: it means you apply first. General repair and maintenance is still allowed, and an application has needed a fee since 17 January 2018.

Where does Havering want a dormer to go?
On the back, facing the garden, so it cannot be seen from the street. The council's 2011 guide says a dormer should sit well within the roof: set back from the eaves, set in from gables and party walls, well below the ridge, with windows that line up with the ones below. Dormers on the hipped end of a roof will not normally be accepted, and pitched dormer roofs are preferred.

Can I have a dormer on the front of my Romford house?
Only where the council accepts it will not harm the house or the street, and then the 2011 guide sets tight limits. A front dormer should be no wider than 1.2 metres, and no wider than it is tall. If you need more light, it asks for two smaller pitched dormers spaced apart, and all the front dormers together should not exceed half the width of the roof at mid-height.

Can I extend an ex-council house on Harold Hill?
Usually, and Havering's own guide says the spacious layout of Harold Hill has let many houses be extended well. If it was bought from the council, check the title for covenants and check whether permitted development rights were removed by a condition. Landlords should note that the old Gooshays and Heaton wards, like Romford Town and Brooklands, fall under an Article 4 direction that makes turning any home into an HMO need planning permission.

What does a mansard or hip-to-gable loft cost in London?
We do not publish prices; you get a written, itemised quote after the visit. As outside benchmarks, Build Team's London guide of 25 June 2026 puts a hip-to-gable at £50,000 to £90,000 and a mansard at £60,000 to £100,000 or more, including VAT. MyJobQuote's October 2026 London figures put a 30 square metre mansard at £70,000 to £90,000, without saying whether VAT is in.

My postcode is RM6. Is that Havering?
Not necessarily. Romford postcodes run from RM1 to RM7, but parts of RM6 around Chadwell Heath are in Barking and Dagenham Each council has its own conservation areas, Article 4 directions and design guidance, so the borough matters more than the postcode. Your council tax bill will tell you which one is yours, and that decides which rules we design to.

Can you repair lead valleys and flat roofs as well as tiles?
Yes. The roof photos on this page are from one of our London jobs: a clay plain tile roof with new lead valleys, half-round ridge tiles, lead flashing where it meets a flat roof, and a new felt flat roof with a roof window. Where a pitched roof meets a flat roof or a dormer is where most leaks start, so we look at those junctions first on a survey.

Get a free quote for your Romford roof or loft

Send your postcode, whether you are in Gidea Park, and a photo of the roof if you can. Bes will give you a straight answer on what needs permission before a visit is booked.

Get a free quote Call 07448 465880

Roof and building work from our London jobs

Roofs first, then the rooms. All photographed on our own London jobs, and none captioned as Romford, because the borough was not recorded.

  • Clipped half-round ridge running down a new clay tile roof towards the street (London job)
    Clipped half-round ridge running down a new clay tile roof towards the street (London job)
  • New clay plain tile roof with a lead valley, seen from the scaffold (London job)
    New clay plain tile roof with a lead valley, seen from the scaffold (London job)
  • Lead valley and ridge tiles meeting the lead flashing of a flat roof (London job)
    Lead valley and ridge tiles meeting the lead flashing of a flat roof (London job)
  • New felt flat roof next to clay plain tiling and a roof window (London job)
    New felt flat roof next to clay plain tiling and a roof window (London job)
  • Rear extension and loft conversion finished in render, with a paved side return (London job)
    Rear extension and loft conversion finished in render, with a paved side return (London job)
  • Finished hallway and staircase with painted newels and stone floor tiles (London job)
    Finished hallway and staircase with painted newels and stone floor tiles (London job)
  • Grey gloss kitchen with a double oven and marble-effect splashback (London job)
    Grey gloss kitchen with a double oven and marble-effect splashback (London job)
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