Gordon Ramsay’s basement renovation at his £7million London mansion has dragged on for nearly a year after workers were forced to to use ‘non-machinery tools’ to protect the home’s historic trees.
The famous chef, 55, won planning permission in July to build a giant basement with a wine store and a new ‘super-master bedroom’ at his South West London home.
He is believed to be staying at a luxury flat in the new Battersea Power Station development costing about £12,000 a month as the renovations continue.
Construction: Gordon Ramsay’s basement renovation at his £7m London mansion is underway as workers have to use ‘non-machinery tools’ (pictured: Gordon cooking in his home)
The construction team were able to start work on the property in September, but have been restricted to using ‘non-machinery’ tools for parts of the renovation, according to The Sun.
The property is in a conversation area and there is a Purple Beach tree at the front of the home which is said to be under a tree preservation order, while other trees in the garden are in root protection areas.
Work around the protected areas has to be ‘undertaken separate to construction, manually and sensitively’, according to an arboricultural survey.
The survey said demolition and excavation work should be ‘undertaken manually with hand held non-mechanical tools’ and that construction workers would need an ‘induction’ on how to work around the trees.
Impressive: The famous chef, 55, won planning permission in July to build a giant basement (pictured: his children – twins Jack and Holly, 21, Matilda, 19, and Megan, 23)
It comes after reports that Gordon is staying at a luxury flat in the new Battersea Power Station development costing about £12,000 a month.
Gordon and his wife Tana, 47, are adding 76 square metres to their family home by replacing their ground floor extension and expanding their basement to add a bedroom and a boot room.
Plans submitted to the council were approved in July and stated work would begin in September 2021 and end in December 2022. In this time, Ramsay could fork out as much as £180,000 on his temporary accommodation.
The couple bought their family home in 2002 for £2.8million and have carried out a number of renovations, including a single storey outbuilding in the garden and a temporary pig enclosure.
Plans: Gordon and his wife Tana (pictured), 47, are adding 76 square metres to their family home by replacing their ground floor extension
They share the luxury pad in Wandsworth, south London, with their five children – Megan, 24, twins Jack and Holly, 22, Matilda, 20, and Oscar.
Gordon regularly shares glimpses inside his family home to social media, which he splits his time in between his other £4.4million holiday house in Cornwall.
And in the basement renovation, it is believed Gordon plans to demolish the existing ground floor extension and replace it with a ‘more modern design’, which will house his open plan kitchen, living and dining room.
The lower ground floor is said to be getting a ‘light well’, which consists of a glass roof and it allows natural light to feed into the home. According to The Sun, the basement will ‘retain its gym, study and utility room’.
Family: Workers started the renovation in September, but have been restricted to using ‘non-machinery’ tools for parts of the renovation to protect trees (Pictured: Gordon’s twins Jack and Holly in 2018)
Lovely: Gordon’s wife Tana and his children often share looks at their different homes on social media, with youngest son Oscar even having his own Instagram (Megan pictured in 2016)
In the renovations, his ‘super-master bedroom’ will cover the entire entry level of the house with a walk-in dressing room that is larger than the bedroom itself.
Meanwhile, in the huge basement, the celebrity chef will have room for another en-suite bedroom, a study, a plant room, a boot room and a shower room.
As well as altering the entry and basement levels of his property, Gordon will also renovate the second floor of his home by adding a new wall, garage and front gates, plans have shown.
The celebrity chef was careful to pre-warn his neighbours of the large-scale building works.
Lavish: In the renovations, the lower ground floor is said to be getting a ‘light well’, which consists of a glass roof and it allows natural light to feed into the home (Jack pictured in 2019)
Busy: The basement will ‘retain its gym, study and utility room’ and the work started in September and ending in December 2022 (Megan, Jack and Holly pictured in 2017)
Notes from his architects Quartet Architecture revealed in the design statement: ‘Meetings have been held with the owners to discuss the proposals and no adverse comments have been received.’
According to the documents, Gordon’s renovations aim to ‘create a functional layout throughout the house, allowing for greater room sizes while optimising living accommodation and opportunities on the site’.
The refurb will provide the Hells Kitchen star with a ‘modern environment to live, designed and built to the highest standards ensuring longevity and efficiency,’ it claims.
Gordon’s current London home features a state-of-the-art-kitchen which has vibrant purple counters and yellow and lime green stools. He regularly shares glimpses of it while posting updates of cooking videos to his Instagram.
Vibrant: Gordon’s current London home features a state-of-the-art-kitchen which has vibrant purple counters (Oscar pictured in September)
Such fun! The family home also features fun striking artwork which includes a Disney Mickey Mouse canvas that has cartoons on it (Jack and Oscar pictured in 2019)
Other details include a glass balcony from the kitchen that overlooks and goes out onto the sprawling garden, which has an immaculate lawn.
While the family home also features fun striking artwork which includes a Disney Mickey Mouse canvas that has cartoons on it.
This isn’t the first time Gordon has planned work and in 2019 he won his battle to install an ‘igloo’ at his £7million London mansion.
The chic cabins, which cost around £40,000 each, typically have three outside windows, a small door and are clad in spruce shingles and plywood battens.
Sweet: Other details include a glass balcony from the kitchen that overlooks and goes out onto the sprawling garden, which has an immaculate lawn (Oscar pictured in February)
Inside, the luxury pods include a fully functional kitchen, double bed, electric heating, a shower, storage, power points and a TV cable.
Developed in Estonia’s harsh winters, the huts can also be fitted with electric heating and are awash with natural light, thanks to large windows and a half-glazed door.
Under the proposals submitted to the council at the time, the cabin known as the ‘Model 4’, would be positioned at the bottom of a sizeable garden of his eight-bedroom Victorian home.
Wandsworth Council gave the plans the go-ahead but advised Gordon that he had to arrange a meeting with arboriculturalists who will visit to inspect his trees.
Lavish: This isn’t the first time Gordon (pictured in 2019) has planned work and in 2019 he won his battle to install an ‘igloo’ at his £7million London mansion
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-10852923/Gordon-Ramsays-lavish-basement-renovation-7m-London-mansion-continues.html
