Builders in Clapton.

Clapton is mostly Victorian and Edwardian terrace stock, similar in age and material to Walthamstow but with a different street pattern — denser, more diverse, busier with commercial activity threaded through. The clients are typically design-led and the projects skew towards detail rather than scale.

The conservation areas — Clapton Square, Stoke Newington Common, parts of Lower Clapton Road — affect a meaningful part of the postcode. The same material rules apply as in Walthamstow: lime mortar on solid walls, sash windows refurbished where possible, front elevations protected.

The stock is mostly two- and three-storey London-stock terraces with bay-fronted ground floors. Many were converted to flats in the 70s and 80s and are now being put back to single dwellings — that's a project type we see often. It involves removing partitions, rebuilding the staircase, replumbing properly, and dealing with the planning consequences of changing use class.

The other recurring project in E5 is the restoration of features that previous owners ripped out. Cornices put back, picture rails reinstated, fireplaces opened up, original floorboards stripped and waxed.