Backland Development
0800 088 6248Free to call Free plot appraisal

Build a new home in your garden in Wandsworth

If you own a house in Wandsworth with a long or wide garden, you don’t have to sell the land to benefit from it. We can design a separate new home for the plot, apply to the London Borough of Wandsworth for planning permission, and build it while you carry on living next door.

When it’s finished, the house is yours to sell, let or keep for family. As a new name in the S&K Group we don’t trade on past jobs; every project starts the same way: a free, no-obligation appraisal of your garden, then a measured survey and design, then a written quote once the real costs are known.

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Timber-frame house under construction with scaffolding at the bottom of a back garden, seen from the patio
Planning authority
London Borough of Wandsworth
Postcodes
SW11, SW15, SW17, SW18
Noon sun, 21 March
About 39°
Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
About 6.3 m
Planning plan
Local Plan
County
Greater London

Before you decide in Wandsworth

Wherever your house sits across SW11, SW15, SW17 and SW18, a new home behind it needs water, power and two kinds of drainage — one for waste, one for rain. We contact the utility providers early, because a long cable run, a sewer at the wrong depth or a public pipe under the lawn can change both the layout and the cost.

Rain from the new roof and drive has to be dealt with on site, and the London Borough of Wandsworth will want to see how. Where a public sewer crosses your garden, the water company may also need a build-over agreement before work starts, so we check sewer records at appraisal stage.

Section showing noon sun and shadows in Wandsworth: about 39 degrees on 21 March and 15 degrees on 21 December21 m21 Mar, noon: sun 39°, shadow 6.3 m21 Dec, noon: sun 15°, shadow 18.5 mExistingNew home
Noon sun in Wandsworth on 21 March sits about 39° above the horizon, so a typical two-storey eaves line (about 5 m) throws a shadow of roughly 6.3 m. In December the sun is only about 15° up and shadows stretch much further. Drawn for a garden facing north, where it matters most.

From first call to decision

Getting started in Wandsworth takes one step from you: send your address and a few photos of the garden, or call us. We check the title plan, access and planning constraints from our desk, then talk the plot through. If it looks viable we arrange a visit, discuss whether you want to sell, let or keep the new home, and set out the survey and design stage in writing before you commit.

  1. Free plot appraisal

    We check the title plan, access, constraints and planning policy from our desk, talk the plot through with you, and visit if it looks viable. There’s no cost and no obligation.

  2. Survey and design

    A measured survey records levels, boundaries, trees and neighbouring windows. We then design a layout and house that suit the plot, the street and your budget, and decide whether pre-application advice is worth seeking.

  3. Planning and approvals

    We submit the planning application and manage it to a decision, then deal with conditions, Building Regulations approval, the structural warranty, any build-over agreement and the new utility connections.

  4. Handover

    You receive the completion certificate, warranty documents, Energy Performance Certificate, manuals and utility details, so the new home is ready to move into, let or put on the market.

Worth checking early

  • Your own garden gets smaller and the new home will be visible from your house, so screening and separation matter for both homes.
  • Building and selling a new home can change your tax position compared with selling only your house; take advice from a tax adviser first.
  • Planning can be refused, and money spent on surveys, design and the application isn’t recovered if it is — which is why we start with an appraisal.

Questions about garden plots in Wandsworth

Can I build a house in my garden in Wandsworth and keep the land?

Yes. On our design and build route you remain the owner while we design the home, apply to the London Borough of Wandsworth for planning, deal with Building Regulations and build it. The finished house can be sold, let or kept for family. Whether your plot can take a house depends on access, space, neighbours and local policy, and the decision rests with the council.

Who decides planning for a garden house in Wandsworth?

The London Borough of Wandsworth decides applications for addresses in Wandsworth, using the council’s Local Plan, national policy and its own design guidance. Neighbours and consultees such as highways officers can comment, and the decision is made by the council’s planning officers or, where the rules allow, its planning committee. Pre-application advice from the council can help test a scheme before the formal application is submitted.

How long does planning take for a new home in a Wandsworth garden?

The statutory period for deciding a minor application, such as a single new home, is 8 weeks from the date the council receives a valid application, in both England and Wales. In practice many applications take longer, and the council may ask you to agree an extension in writing. Surveys and design before submission add time, and conditions may need approving afterwards.

Can the new home in my Wandsworth garden connect to the main sewer?

Usually, yes, but the route and depth decide how easily. The new home needs its own foul connection, agreed with the water company, and gravity drainage is simplest where the sewer sits lower than the new floor. If it doesn’t, a pumped connection may be needed. Where a public sewer runs under your garden, a build-over agreement or diversion may also be required.

Other options in Wandsworth

Build in your garden near Wandsworth

Find out what your garden could become

Free garden plot appraisal. No cost, no obligation, and a straight answer if it won’t work.

Get my free appraisal 0800 088 6248