The main issue in London is lack of space to extend homes and build new ones. Many property owners have reacted to this by excavating basements. There are now thousands across the capital. They are most common in prime Boroughs such as Kensington and Chelsea, Westminster, and Hammersmith and Fulham. The move has had a big impact on the residential architecture London is home to.

What type of basements are the most popular?

Basement excavations offer some very impressive opportunities. The new space can be used for a wide array of different things, from parking to gyms and even new bedrooms. Newcastle University recently did a study of 4,650 of the basements that got planning approval between 2008 and 2017. It gives a great idea of what people design for the new space.

The most popular addition to a basement is a gym. Just less than 1,000 developments included one. The second most popular choice was a media room (547). Home cinemas (456) were third, wine stores/cellars (381) took the fourth spot, and pools rounded put the top five with (376). Amazingly 115 projects were creating staff rooms, including bedrooms for nannies and au pairs.

There were some really interesting features in some of the basements. One proposal was for a car museum, giving the owner a place to store his collection of vehicles. Another project would have its own subterranean beach.

Sizes

In total the 4,650 projects would have reached a depth of 15,289 metres. The basements can be broken down into three categories:

Standard – a single storey but not extending beyond the existing property
Large – at least two storeys or extending under the garden
Iceberg (Mega) – minimum three storeys or multiple storeys extending beyond the house

The incredible thing is that some of the largest basements are actually bigger than the home above them. In some cases they even extend under neighbouring properties.

The trend is set to continue even if restrictions now limit the size of the developments in many locations. More recently the number of iceberg basements seeking approval has fallen dramatically. Submissions for smaller developments continue to be very popular though.

Coffey Architects takes great inspiration from the residential architecture London is home to. There are plenty of incredible properties, including large mansions as well as small boutique homes. If you would like to discuss a project with us please feel free to get in touch.