Renovating a Bathroom in a Kensington Home: What to Check

Start with the type of home

Kensington includes mansion blocks, converted flats, mews houses, terraces and larger period homes. The questions change with the building: a managed block may have shared access and services, while a mews house can make stairs, entrances and delivery dimensions the limiting factor.

Managed buildings: agree the rules before dates

Where there is a porter, lift or managing agent, ask about permitted working hours, lift use, protection of shared spaces and any approval process before agreeing a start date. If the lease or freeholder requires written approval or a licence to alter, establish that route before products are ordered.

Read the mansion-block bathroom guide.

Conservation areas and listed buildings

Do not assume that an internal bathroom refit and a change visible from outside have the same planning position. The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea says that listed building consent is required for alterations that affect the fabric of a listed building. For a new external vent, grille or duct, check the actual property and proposal with the relevant council before work starts.

Council guidance: RBKC — check if you need permission. For West Kensington properties in Hammersmith & Fulham, see H&F — urban design and conservation.

Drainage and older floors

The soil-stack position and the direction and depth of floor joists can determine whether a WC or shower can move without creating an impractical waste route. That is why a proposed layout should be checked against the building before it is treated as final.

Hot water before brassware

Before specifying showers and taps, check how hot water is produced and what supply is available at the property. Product choice should follow what the system can support rather than the other way round.

Measure the route, not only the room

Stone, baths, screens and long boards have to reach the bathroom. Stairs, lift dimensions, turns in corridors and mews entrances should be considered before ordering large items.

Questions to answer before design is fixed

• Where is the soil stack and what route could new waste pipework take?
• What is the existing hot-water arrangement?
• Does the building have a porter, managing agent, lift booking or working-hour rules?
• Will any part of the proposal be visible from outside?
• Can the largest bath, stone piece, screen or board physically reach the room?
• Which bathroom must remain usable while work is under way?