Kitchen Extensions in West London
3 min read

The West London kitchen extension
West London's terraces were built with a side return: the narrow strip of yard beside the rear addition that Victorian planning left behind. Claiming it is the classic kitchen extension in these postcodes, because it widens the whole back of the house rather than pushing it deeper into the garden, and it turns a dark galley kitchen into the room the household actually lives in. MVV designs and builds this work as one team, from the first survey to the finished room, and our own office is on Turnham Green Terrace in Chiswick, in the middle of the housing stock this guide is about.
Side return, rear, or wrap around
Three shapes cover almost every West London kitchen extension.
- The side return infill widens the kitchen into the strip beside the rear addition. It gains less floor area than the plans suggest and more usefulness than the floor area suggests, because every gained metre is in exactly the right place.
- The rear extension pushes the back wall into the garden, suits houses without a usable side return, and carries the open plan kitchen and dining room most people are actually after.
- The wrap around combines the two in an L, the largest and most transformative of the three, and the one that asks the most of the planning context and the budget.
Glazing decides how all three feel: rooflights over the side return and generous rear openings are what make the new room bright instead of merely bigger.
What a kitchen extension costs in West London
From real London projects priced in August 2026, all ex VAT: building the new space itself starts at around £80,000, which is roughly £2,400 per square metre, and £2,400 to £2,800 per square metre is a realistic inner London range for new above ground space at a high standard. Most complete extension projects come in from around £100,000 once the knock through, finishes and fittings are included. The kitchen fit out is its own decision on top: a full kitchen diner refit starts from around £27,000 before appliance upgrades. A two storey side return we priced, adding a kitchen extension with a bedroom and shower room above, came to around £188,000. These figures are indicative; the instant estimator prices your own project to your postcode in minutes.
Planning permission in West London
Plenty of single storey rear extensions proceed under permitted development, within the current limits on depth and height, and larger single storey schemes can use the neighbour consultation route. West London complicates this pleasantly: conservation areas cover much of Notting Hill, Holland Park, Chiswick and their neighbours, and side return infills sit close to boundaries and to the neighbours' light. So the honest sequence is planning position first, design second. A scheme drawn to the wrong assumptions costs weeks; checking first costs a conversation. MVV prepares the drawings and manages the application or the permitted development route as part of the design and build service.
Nearby work
MVV builds across these postcodes: a loft conversion with an added storey and full refurbishment in Ladbroke Grove, W10, a residential loft conversion in Chiswick adding a bedroom, bathroom and study, and a two storey ex bank on Kensington High Street converted into a working restaurant, mosaic floor restored and a full commercial kitchen installed. Different briefs, same discipline: one team, one survey to start, and a finished room the household uses every day.
Good to know
Frequently asked questions
- Do I need planning permission for a kitchen extension in West London?
- Not always. Many single storey rear extensions fall under permitted development, and larger ones can use the neighbour consultation scheme. Conservation areas, which cover much of West London, and anything close to a shared boundary change the picture, so we confirm the planning position before design work starts.
- What does a kitchen extension cost in West London?
- From projects we priced in August 2026: the new space from around £80,000 ex VAT at roughly £2,400 per square metre, most complete projects from around £100,000, and the kitchen fit out itself from around £27,000. The instant estimator gives a range priced to your own postcode in minutes.
- Is a side return extension worth it?
- Usually, and for a reason the floor area alone does not show: the gained space widens the kitchen exactly where the house is darkest and tightest. With rooflights over the infill, the whole rear of the house changes character, not just the extended strip.
- Can the kitchen stay in use during the build?
- For part of the programme, often yes, and we plan the sequence with that in mind: the new shell goes up before the old wall comes down wherever the structure allows. There is still a period around the knock through when a temporary kitchen setup is the honest answer.


