Replacing a conservatory can change how the whole ground floor works. At Sanderstead Road in Leyton, our design pairs a five-metre rear extension with a hip-to-gable loft conversion, creating more space for shared daily life and a bedroom with its own bathroom upstairs.
The project received two positive decisions from Waltham Forest Council: a prior-approval outcome for the rear extension and a Lawful Development Certificate for the roof alterations. The design brings the two parts together, considering the kitchen, living space, stairs and bedrooms as one home.
A living area connected to the kitchen and garden
The existing conservatory sits beyond the kitchen and dining room. In the proposed layout, it makes way for a more generous living area, with aluminium sliding doors opening onto the patio and garden. Placing the main seating here gives the home a comfortable destination at the rear, connected to the kitchen rather than separated from it by the old conservatory arrangement.
The kitchen occupies the centre of the ground floor, with an island providing a place to sit and talk while food is prepared. Full-height cupboards accommodate the principal appliances, and a pantry adds storage close to the working area. These details help the kitchen serve both everyday cooking and time spent together.
At the front, the bay-windowed room becomes a separate dining room. Wide sliding doors between this room and the kitchen allow the spaces to connect when wanted, while keeping the option of a more contained room. A ground-floor WC and a slim coat cupboard make useful use of the space beside the hall.
Bringing light further into the house
Rear glazing provides garden views, but light is also needed where the extension meets the original house. The design uses roof glazing at this junction, alongside a rooflight over the living area, to bring daylight into different parts of the ground floor.
This arrangement is intended to support the deeper layout: a bright seating area at the back, with light reaching the kitchen closer to the centre. Matching render connects the extension to the existing building, while the broad glazed doors give the rear elevation a simple, open character.
A loft bedroom with space around it
The hip-to-gable alteration and rear dormer create room for a loft bedroom, an en suite and a landing. The layout places storage within lower parts of the roof, reserving the more usable height for moving around and using the rooms.
The new staircase is considered alongside the first-floor landing and bathroom. That connection matters: a loft conversion should work with the floors below, as well as provide additional accommodation at the top. An en suite gives the new bedroom greater independence from the shared bathroom, offering flexibility as a household’s needs change.
The two planning outcomes
On 5 May 2026, Waltham Forest Council confirmed that prior approval was not required for the larger rear extension under application 260787. This decision completed the prior-approval process; it was not a full planning permission or confirmation of every permitted-development requirement.
A separate Lawful Development Certificate, application 260788, was issued on 14 May 2026 for the hip-to-gable roof extension, rear dormer and three front rooflights. The drawings shown here illustrate the proposed home as a whole.
Considering an extension and loft conversion together? Explore our house extension design service and loft conversion services, or arrange a call to discuss the space you would like to create.
Project Gallery
