IcyHomes installs air conditioning across Hendon and the surrounding NW4, in the inter-war semis and detached houses that make up most of the area and in the mansion blocks around Hendon Central.
The Hendon house
Most of Hendon went up between the wars: bay-fronted semis and detached houses on wide roads, solidly built, with generous rooms and, by modern standards, a lot of south-facing glass at the front. A great many have since gained a loft conversion, a rear extension, or both.
These houses are comfortable for most of the year and difficult for a few weeks of it. The heat arrives through the glazing and through the roof, and the rooms that suffer are nearly always the top floor and whatever was built on the back.
Loft conversions
A converted loft sits directly beneath the roof covering with the least ventilation in the building, and the insulation that makes it usable in winter is exactly what holds the heat in July. If the conversion has rooflights rather than dormer windows, it gains heat faster still.
One wall-mounted unit generally handles a single loft bedroom. Where the conversion produced two bedrooms and a shower room, a multi-split running two indoor units from a single outdoor condenser is usually neater and cheaper than two separate systems. Our loft conversion page covers this in detail.
Rear extensions and open-plan kitchens
A rear extension with bifold doors or a lantern rooflight is the room everyone wants and the room that becomes unusable first. Glazing facing south or west will collect heat from mid-morning and hold it well into the evening.
Where the extension has a ceiling void, a ducted system hides the unit and shows only a slim linear grille, which tends to suit a kitchen that has just been finished to a high standard.
Mansion blocks and flats
Hendon has a good number of purpose-built blocks, and in a leasehold flat the obstacle is usually consent rather than the building. Fixing a condenser externally or running services through common parts will normally need written permission from the freeholder or managing agent. Start that early, because it takes longer than the work itself.
Where the outdoor unit goes
Inter-war semis and detached houses are among the easier properties to work on, because there is usually a side elevation, a garage roof or a flat roof over an extension. That keeps the condenser off the front of the house and away from bedroom windows, and keeps pipe runs short. We work this out at survey so you know before booking exactly what will be visible.
Noise and neighbours
Where houses are semi-detached the outdoor unit is close to someone else's wall. We site units to discharge away from boundaries and bedroom windows and fit anti-vibration mounts as standard.
Planning
If your property is listed or in a conservation area, confirm the position with Barnet Council before work is booked. It usually affects which elevation the outdoor unit may go on rather than whether you can have one. We will raise anything we spot at survey.
Cost
A single-room installation starts from GBP 1,500 to GBP 1,800 including VAT, subject to survey, and is normally a day on site. Multi-room and ducted systems are quoted individually. Our cost page explains what the figure covers.
Book a survey in Hendon
Surveys are free and carry no obligation. Get in touch or call 020 3488 4657.
