Our services
Basement & Cellar Conversions in Brighton & Hove
Plenty of Brighton and Hove houses have a cellar or lower ground floor used for nothing but storage. Converted properly it becomes a usable room, and it is space you already own.
The work that matters here is the part you cannot see afterwards: getting the structure right, controlling water and getting enough head height. Skip any of those and you get a damp room nobody uses.
What’s involved
What the job actually includes
Survey and structure
Working out what the existing structure can take, and what has to be strengthened or underpinned before anything else happens.
Lowering floor levels
Digging down where head height is short, with the structural support that requires.
Tanking and damp proofing
A proper waterproofing system, whether that is tanking, a cavity drain membrane, or both, specified for the actual conditions.
Drainage and pumps
Sump and pump arrangements where water needs somewhere to go.
Light and ventilation
Lightwells, windows and mechanical ventilation so the space is habitable rather than just dry.
Fit out
Floors, walls, electrics, plumbing and finish.
Local knowledge
Chalk, water and Regency vaults
Brighton sits on chalk, and many of the older Regency and Victorian properties have vaults running out under the pavement. Both change the job. Chalk behaves differently from clay when you excavate next to existing foundations, and pavement vaults bring the highway authority into the conversation. We look at what is actually under your house before quoting, because basement work is the least forgiving thing we do and the worst place to be surprised.
Common questions
Basement Conversions: your questions answered
Is my cellar worth converting?
It comes down to head height, how dry it is, and what the structure above is doing. Some cellars convert easily, others need the floor lowering and underpinning, which is a much bigger job. We will tell you which one yours is at the site visit.
Will a converted basement be damp?
Not if it is waterproofed properly. That means specifying a system for the conditions on site rather than painting something on and hoping. This is the part of a basement conversion worth spending money on.
Do I need planning permission for a basement conversion?
Converting an existing cellar often does not need planning permission, but excavating to create new space, adding a lightwell or altering the front elevation usually does, particularly in a conservation area. We check your address.
Does it need underpinning?
Only if you are lowering the floor below the existing foundations, or the structure needs support. It is not automatic, and we will not recommend it unless the job genuinely needs it.
Planning a project? Let’s talk.
Free quotes and honest advice. No pressure, no obligation.