Design & build in Earl's Court
MVV is a design and build contractor working on homes across Earl's Court and SW5. We design and build flat refurbishments, house renovations and extensions with one accountable team, from first ideas to the finished home. Earl's Court is a well-connected neighbourhood of tall Victorian terraces and garden squares, most of them now divided into flats. It offers generous period rooms close to South Kensington and Chelsea, and projects here are about making those rooms work beautifully for modern life.
Earl's Court homes and what they need
The area was developed largely in the second half of the nineteenth century, with long terraces of stucco and brick houses around squares such as Earl's Court Square, Nevern Square and Bolton Gardens. Most of these houses were later converted into flats, often more than once, leaving layouts that do not always make the best use of the space.
Typical projects rework flat layouts to create better kitchens and living spaces, add or renew bathrooms, improve storage and upgrade heating, electrics and insulation, while keeping cornicing, fireplaces and sash windows.
Planning and leasehold considerations
Earl's Court lies within the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, and much of it is covered by conservation areas. External changes, including windows and roof alterations, are carefully controlled, and flats have no permitted development rights.
Most flats are leasehold, so a licence from the freeholder is usually required for alterations, and managing agents set rules on working hours and protecting the common parts. We plan these approvals from the start.
The projects we take on in SW5
In Earl's Court we refurbish flats of every size, reconfigure former conversions, design kitchens, bathrooms and bespoke joinery, and restore period features. For whole houses, we also design extensions and loft conversions where planning allows.
Shared buildings need calm, well-organised sites, and we coordinate closely with neighbours and building management.
Local experience: Bolton Gardens
On Bolton Gardens in SW5, we designed and built a two-bedroom flat with strategic layout alterations to accommodate a new kitchen, an integrated seating bench by the windows to make the most of the natural light, bespoke joinery for the TV unit, custom storage and wardrobes in each bedroom, and two fully renovated bathrooms.
The MVV approach
MVV is a team of 35 designers, builders and project managers based in Chiswick. One contract covers design and construction, so you have one point of responsibility. We carry £10M public and employers' liability cover.
What we do in Earl's Court
Good to know
Frequently asked questions
- Can you rework the layout of a converted flat in Earl's Court?
- Yes. Many SW5 flats have layouts left by earlier conversions. We redesign them to create better kitchens, living spaces and bathrooms, subject to structure and the lease.
- Do I need the freeholder's permission to refurbish?
- Usually yes, for anything beyond redecoration. We help prepare the drawings and information the freeholder needs and plan the work around their approval.
- Can you add a bathroom to my flat?
- Often yes, provided drainage, ventilation and the flats below can be accommodated. We check feasibility at the design stage.
- Is Earl's Court a conservation area?
- Much of Earl's Court is within conservation areas in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, which controls external changes. Internal works to flats usually do not need planning permission unless the building is listed.
- How long does a flat refurbishment take?
- It depends on the size of the flat and the scope of work. As an example, our Belsize Park flat refurbishment was delivered in three months. We set out a realistic programme in your proposal.