Ealing, London W5
Oak Slatted Rear Extension
Rear extension, sliding glazing & slatted ceiling
The project
A contemporary rear extension with full-width sliding glazing and an oak slatted ceiling that runs unbroken from inside to the external soffit.
The effort behind it
Carrying the slats through the glass line meant coordinating three trades to a single datum: the joiners set out from the glazing head, the glaziers held their frame to 2mm, and the roofers built a thermal break so the internal and external timber never touch. The slats were pre-finished with a UV-stable oil after a sample was left on the roof for eight weeks to check colour.
Challenges faced
Working in Ealing, London W5 brought the classic London constraints: party walls on both sides, no lay-down area, and neighbours two metres from the scaffold line. The Oak Slatted Rear Extension programme had to absorb structural discoveries made only after opening up, and every delay risked cascading into the finishing trades booked behind us. Weekly look-ahead planning and a just-in-time delivery schedule kept the site moving without ever blocking the road.
Team & involvement
Delivery was led by a working site manager with a core crew of our own trades, supported by structural engineers, building control and specialist subcontractors we have worked with for over a decade. Morning briefings, a live programme on the wall and photographic records of every concealed stage meant the client in Ealing, London W5 always knew exactly where their project stood.
A successful outcome
Oak Slatted Rear Extension was handed over on programme and within the agreed budget, with building control sign-off at the first inspection of every notifiable stage. The client moved back in on the date we gave them at tender — and the aftercare visit twelve months later found nothing to put right. That is the standard every DBS project is measured against.
