Croydon is one of the most populous boroughs in London, and the houses change a lot between the town centre and the southern edge. Around East Croydon, Addiscombe and South Norwood you find Victorian and Edwardian terraces and villas. Sanderstead, Selsdon and Shirley are mostly 1930s semis, and Purley and Coulsdon mix both with larger detached plots. We survey, quote and build in all of them.
London Building Contractors
Trusted Builders in Croydon, Delivering Quality You Can See
What We Do
Building Services from Croydon Builders
Every service below is delivered by our own in-house tradespeople, fixed-price and fully insured, so you get dependable builders in Croydon from survey to handover.
Loft Conversions in Croydon
Transform your home with expert loft conversions in London by Alpha London Builders. From design and planning to construction, we deliver quality loft conversions tailored to your needs.
Learn more →House Extensions in Croydon
Rear, side return, wraparound and double storey extensions designed and built to fit seamlessly with your London home.
Learn more →Basement Conversions in Croydon
Cellar conversions, basement lowering and full new excavations, engineered and waterproofed to BS 8102 by our in-house team.
Learn more →Garage Conversions in Croydon
Integral, attached and detached garage conversions into bedrooms, offices and annexes, most without planning permission.
Learn more →Property Refurbishment in Croydon
Cosmetic updates through to full structural refurbishments, managed under one dedicated site manager from start to finish.
Learn more →General Building in Croydon
Repointing, roof repairs, damp treatment, brickwork and small structural alterations, carried out by our own trades.
Learn more →Design & Build in Croydon
One team, one contract, one fixed price for design, planning, structural engineering and construction on your project.
Learn more →New Builds in Croydon
New homes and replacement dwellings built from foundation to final finish, with zero-rated VAT on construction costs.
Learn more →Commercial Building in Croydon
Office, retail and restaurant fit-outs across London, delivered around your trading hours with minimal disruption.
Learn more →Residential Building in Croydon
The full range of residential building work, from a single repair to a new build, delivered by one London contractor.
Learn more →Building Demolition in Croydon
Safe, fully licensed demolition work across London, from internal wall removal to complete house demolition ahead of a new build.
Learn more →Why Choose Us
Why Choose Our Croydon Builders
Planning checked before the quote
We look your address up against Croydon's Article 4 areas and conservation area maps first, so you know early whether you need an application.
Lofts for 1930s semis
Hip-to-gable and rear dormer conversions are the usual route on Sanderstead and Selsdon semis, and our own carpenters and bricklayers do the structure.
Terrace and side-return experience
Narrow Victorian plots around Addiscombe and Thornton Heath mean steel, drainage and party wall planning, and we handle all three from the survey.
One person to call
A named site manager runs your Croydon job day to day, so you are not chasing separate trades for answers.
Local Knowledge
Building & Planning Considerations in Croydon
Croydon has 21 conservation areas. Chatsworth Road, The Waldrons and Kenley Aerodrome have Article 4 directions, which take away some of the usual permitted development rights, so work that would normally need no application there, such as changes to roofs, windows or front boundaries, may need planning permission. Outside those areas, most houses in Croydon keep their standard rights for single-storey rear extensions and rear dormers, but flats and maisonettes never have them. We check your exact address against the council's maps before we price anything.
As Croydon builders, every quote we provide for a Croydon property starts with a check against Croydon Council's conservation area maps and Article 4 register, so you know exactly which route your project needs before any design work begins.
Local Guide
Building in Croydon: what to know before you start
The houses you are most likely to be working with
The Victorian and Edwardian terraces around Addiscombe, Thornton Heath and South Norwood sit on narrow plots, often with a rear outrigger. That points to a side-return extension for the kitchen and a rear dormer for the loft. In Sanderstead, Selsdon and Shirley the 1930s semis usually have hipped roofs, which is why a hip-to-gable loft with a rear dormer is such a common conversion there. Purley and Coulsdon have more detached houses, where a wraparound extension or a garage conversion is realistic.
Which project suits which house
On the interwar semis, a loft conversion in Croydon is usually the most practical way to add a bedroom and bathroom. On the terraces, a house extension is more often about kitchen and dining space. If you only need one more room, a garage conversion is quicker still. An older house that needs rewiring, replastering and a new layout is a job for full refurbishment, where a single site manager running every trade matters most.
Three things to settle before work starts
First, whether your street is inside Chatsworth Road, The Waldrons or Kenley Aerodrome, the three Article 4 areas. Second, whether you share a wall with a neighbour: if you do, the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 applies and notices have to be served before anything starts. Third, whether the plot has protected trees or an old planning condition on it, such as a garage that must stay a garage. We pull the planning history as part of the survey so none of this comes as a surprise.
What we do in Croydon: Loft conversions in Croydon · House extensions in Croydon · Basement conversions in Croydon · Garage conversions in Croydon · Property refurbishment in Croydon
Worth reading first: Do you need planning permission for a loft conversion? · How long does a house extension really take?
Nearby: Builders in Bromley
Ready to talk? Book a free site survey and we will tell you in writing which planning route your address needs.
Areas We Cover
Areas We Cover in Croydon
Croydon Town Centre
Sanderstead
Selsdon
Purley
South Norwood
Addington
Shirley
Coulsdon
Don't see your street listed? Our builders in Croydon cover the whole borough and the surrounding area — get in touch to check.
Our Work
Recent Croydon Projects
A look at recent work carried out for clients in and around Croydon.
Mansard Roof Loft Conversion
An under-used loft transformed into three light-filled bedrooms and a family bathroom, with a full mansard roof extension built to Building Control standards from start to finish.
View Project →
Rear Extension — Open-Plan Kitchen & Living Space
A single-storey rear extension that opened up a cramped, closed-off floor plan into one bright, open-plan kitchen and living space.
View Project →What Clients Say
Reviews from Croydon
“Alpha converted our loft into two bedrooms and a bathroom without a single hiccup. They turned up when they said they would, kept the site tidy, and the finish is better than we hoped for.
”
Priya Shah
Loft Conversion, Walthamstow
Common Questions
FAQs About Builders in Croydon
Which parts of Croydon have extra planning restrictions?
Chatsworth Road, The Waldrons and Kenley Aerodrome conservation areas have Article 4 directions, which remove some permitted development rights. Croydon has 21 conservation areas in all, and homes in the others still face the standard conservation area limits, such as needing planning permission for a side extension. Your address decides, and we check it before we quote.
Can I do a hip-to-gable loft on a 1930s semi in Sanderstead or Selsdon?
Usually, yes, provided the house is outside a conservation area or Article 4 area and the added roof volume stays within the permitted development limit of 50 cubic metres for a semi-detached house. A hip-to-gable and rear dormer together often fit inside that, but the survey confirms the measurements. Building Regulations approval is needed either way.
Do I need a party wall agreement for a side-return extension in Croydon?
If you build on or next to the boundary, or dig within three metres of a neighbour's foundations, the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 requires you to give them notice. Terraces and semis nearly always trigger it. Notices go out before work begins, and we line them up with your programme.
Can I convert my garage in Croydon without planning permission?
Often yes, because converting an integral or attached garage is usually an internal change. It still needs Building Regulations approval for insulation, ventilation and fire safety, and it can be blocked if the original planning permission has a condition keeping the garage for parking. We check the planning history first.
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