Doubling Up

DOUBLING UP

2024: Rear Ground-Floor Extension & Garden Refurbishment

In 2021, we were delighted to return to work with our clients to further enhance their home. With a growing family, they required additional living space to meet their evolving needs. This led to the design of a rear ground-floor extension that integrated seamlessly with the existing property.

The extension features a spacious new boot room and an expansive lounge/dining area, designed to provide ample space for family gatherings while remaining functional and comfortable. The layout steps in and out to respect the existing drainage systems and minimize any overshadowing of the neighbouring property, ensuring harmony within the local context.

As part of the design, the garden was also transformed into a beautiful, welcoming outdoor space that complements the new living areas. To preserve the overall garden size, an existing garage was removed, maintaining the balance of green space while enhancing the aesthetic and functional value of the home.

The new addition incorporates sustainable design practices, including energy-efficient glazing and high-performance insulation, significantly improving the thermal efficiency of the entire home and reducing energy consumption. The extension respects the architectural language of the original house and the previous extension, ensuring a cohesive design that enhances the character of the neighbourhood.

Internally, the open-plan layout maximizes flexibility, while large sliding doors seamlessly connect the interior with the newly refurbished garden. This creates a sense of openness, ensuring natural light and ventilation flow freely throughout the home. To improve connectivity with the garden, we adjusted the level change internally, making the outdoor space more accessible and engaging. Construction was completed in 2024.

2014: Whole-House Refurbishment & Extension

It’s rare to seek permission for less space! But that was the perfect solution for this whole-house refurbishment and extension in 2014. Despite planners desiring a full gable end to the house, the solution of a gable roof and triangular window perfectly suited this corner plot. The quirky triangular window floods the stairway with natural light. This was vital with the staircase becoming internal due to the new side extension.

Internal alterations created an open-plan kitchen/dining/living space through removing internal walls fitting with the modern family lifestyle in contrast to the more traditional Victorian house model of individual room spaces.

This clever refurbishment and extension turned a three-bedroom house into twice that, a six bedroom modern home! With a two-storey side addition giving a new utility room next to the kitchen, and further ground floor space, an enlarged small bedroom and new study bedroom at first floor level as well as a modern family bathroom created by combining the existing bathroom and separate toilet, and two new bedrooms and a bathroom at second floor level, this extension accommodated the family far better.

Not only creating space and light, the full refurbishment included re-wiring, re-plumbing, a new boiler and re-roofing.

Conclusion

This ongoing collaboration with our clients is a testament to how thoughtful, sustainable design can evolve to meet a family’s changing needs. The 2021 rear ground-floor extension and garden refurbishment have greatly enhanced the home’s functionality and connection to the outdoors, while the 2014 whole-house refurbishment provided a solid foundation for modern family living. Together, these projects have transformed the house into a contemporary, flexible home that balances style, sustainability, and liveability, making it a perfect fit for the family’s needs today and in the future.

Photo credits:
2024: Limelight Interiors Photography
2014: Dominic Cole