This project transforms a large but dated house into a contemporary home. The external walls are stripped of their mock Tudor cladding and replaced with contemporary insulated materials. The ground floor layout is opened up to provide open plan living accommodation that connects with the rear garden and allows more daylight into the interior, and ugly bolt-on extensions are adapted to form contemporary additions. The result will be a warm, modern, and well daylit home which will stand out on the street as an example of what good design can do for an old house.
Category: Renovations & Extensions
Parry’s Lane
When my Clients were looking to buy this house, I was commissioned to provide advise on how the existing house could be adapted to meet their needs. My design concept ignited their imagination and the house was bought. The site has its challenges in terms of access off the main road, parking, the different levels of the front and rear garden of over 2 meters, its existing layout, and it’s location in a conservation area.
I addressed and solved all these issues by firstly designing an up-side-down layout where the day time living accommodation is moved to the first floor. The open plan kitchen/lounge area now flows out onto the private rear garden. Secondly, by reducing the levels to part of the front garden, a large drive area has been created that allows for cars to park and turn around so that they can drive forwards out onto the main road.
Additional floor area has been created by partly sinking a three storey side extension so that the integrated garage is at the same level as the lowered drive, and forming a large rear extension that spans from the existing house onto the rear garden. The existing house has been over clad with render, stone and timber which allows the existing structure to be insulated and for the existing house and extensions to read as a completely new home. Internal spaces have been opened up and feature trussed roof spaces used to create volume and light to the interior.
The Knoll
My Clients bought this large site with a view to radically alter the existing bungalow to create a contemporary home for themselves.
My concept was to open up the bungalow’s layout and to create a two storey bedroom zone with a single storey entrance hall that wraps around a new central courtyard. Circulation within the house flows around and through this courtyard to create a sense of space and volume. Day lit interiors with open flowing spaces have been created with views and links into the large mature gardens that surround the house.
Through the use of concealed sliding doors, the layout can be changed to provide more intimate areas. At first floor level, a roof terrace has been located that creates an area that is completely concealed from the neighbouring buildings
42 Bank Hill
Located in the Nottinghamshire Green Belt on the edge of Woodborough Village, this project involves the remodelling, refurbishment and extension of an existing house and attached outbuildings.
Due to its location in a Green Belt zone, careful consideration and negotiation was needed to be able to increase the habitable floor area above the 50% increase generally allowed over the original house floor area.
The result is a truly beautiful home.
Victoria Crescent
Located in a conservation area, it is important that new development does not harm the character of the area. Careful consideration was taken to create a modern ground floor extension and ancillary out-buildings which were either concealed from the public domain, or presented an appearance that was in-keeping with the area. It was also decided that to create more upper level bedroom space, the attic would be converted without the use of dormer windows which would affect the shape of the existing roof.
The South facing rear garden has been connected to the house via a very contemporary side extension which has large glazed patio doors. This area will form the heart of the living accommodation with the lounge/dining/kitchen areas flowing from the existing house, into the extension, and out onto the patio and garden beyond. The front entrance has also been relocated to bring people into the centre of the house. This opens up the ground floor layout and allows the rather grand central staircase to be major focal point.
Ancillary accommodation is also created on the location of an existing garage to provide a home study and gymnasium area which face out onto the private rear garden.
Claremont Avenue
Due to multiple historic extensions, the existing house was rather jumbled up with little clarity to it’s appearnce. My design has unified and modernised the house’s appearance to create a home that the Clients can be proud of. Internal alterations are also being done to provide a much more usable layout for modern living.
Magnolia House
The Clients bought their house in their ideal location with large gardens to the rear and front. But, the 70’s style house architecture was never their vision for their family home. They asked us to work with the existing building to give it a thorough face lift, both internally and externally, and within the Client’s budget.
We achieved this by over cladding the brick and stone envelope with through colour white render, replaced the existing PVC windows with hybrid metal/wood windows, created a zinc clad front bay window and entrance porch for kerb appeal and to give strength to the front entrance, over clad the existing chimneys with dark grey zinc and created a single level rear extension to connect the garden to the house and enable the living accommodation to be substantially expanded.
Lambley Lane 1
For my Clients, this was the right plot, in the right areas but not the dream house. Prior to purchasing the house, I undertook a feasibility study for the Client and a budget estimate was obtained from a builder to see if the dream house on this plot was financially within reach. It was.
Replanning the interior and a substantial two-storey side extension created the space and layout for this family to enjoy growing into. A contemporary design approach radically alters the appearance of the existing house and creates a balanced form to the enlarged house. A simple palette of white render, large format rainscreen panels and dark grey metal framed windows has transform a tired building into a contemporary and stylish home with real kerb appeal.
The Sherrards
When my Clients bought this house, neither the house or gardens had been touched for decades. Essentially, it was a two bedroom house with three small and dark ground floor rooms. The task was to turn this house into a 4 bedroom family home with open plan ground floor living space. The complication was that it is located within a Green Belt area where strict planning restrictions on volume and floor area increases are imposed.
By raising the roof just over a meter, two large bedrooms and an En-Suite where added in the roof space. As this added very little to the impact the building had on the Green Belt area, I was then able to maximise the floor area increases to the ground floor level.
By creating a curved extension on the corner of the existing house, a large open plan living area was created which provides wide sweeping views of the garden. Smaller existing rooms where kept to provide a snug area, an entrance foyer, and utility/WC/storage facilities.
Wood Lane
Initially I was commission to design a double garage to the side of the house. However, this project evolved into the complete remodelling of the house’s exterior with a two-storey extension to the rear. On top of that, the grounds were also completely landscaped. The end result is a home that the Clients have really put their stamp on.
The exterior of the house was unified and modernised by the use of low maintenance and crisp looking materials to create a contemporary house. Diamond shaped zinc cladding is incorporated to create an impressive first impression to the house’s main entrance. To the rear, the garden was connected to the house by the addition of a garden room with a fully opening glazed wall. Above this room is the new master bedroom that looks down onto the patio area and out onto the garden.
Oh, and there’s a double garage to the side of the house too.
Willow Brook – Keyworth
We visited this house long before our Client’s purchased it so that we could assess whether it could be modernised and extended to provide them with the family home they dreamed of. It could.
The front entrance is being relocated to the existing gable to create a far more spacious and dramatic welcome home feeling. The rear is being extended to provide a substantial amount of open plan ground floor living space. Three new bedrooms are located to the first floor with the master bedroom having a walk-in wardrobe and en-suite shower room.
Part of the brief was to modernise the building in a sensitive manner so that it remained understated when viewed from the street. The real WOW factor starts when you open the front door and continues through to the large rear garden where the pitched roof extensions can be viewed.
Main Street – Woodborough
My Clients asked me to create something special to the rear of their beautifully decorated and appointed house which is located in a conservation area.
Here, I’ve taken the existing lead clad pyramid roof structure and repeated it. Placed a frameless pitched roof light in between. I’ve then framed the area with solid Oak beams and posts with fully glazed infills to create visual strength, order and visual/physical connection between the interior and exterior spaces. Finally, the rear elevation is to have all it’s existing windows replaced with aluminium framed double glazing. The existing brick is also to be finished in a low maintenance through colour white render.
The effect will be to create a completely modernised rear appearance with additional internal floor area to the open plan kitchen/ dining/ day lounge area.
Lambley Lane 3
This project involves the recladding and an additional storey extension to an existing bungalow. Located in a Green Belt zone, there are restrictions to the area / volume increase to the original building permitable under the Planning Policies covering Green Belts. We put a case forward for an increase in area that was greater than that allowance and successfully gained planning consent.
This project involves the complete modernisation of a traditional red brick bungalow. The transformation will create a contemporary family home with 5 bedrooms, en-suites, a walk-in wardrobe, a snug, a home study, and a large open plan kitchen / dining / living area with views over the open countryside surrounding the property. Accessed from the first floor master bedroom, a balcony is included which will provide spectacular views across the country side and also a shaded cover to an area linking the garden to the ground floor living area. An existing modern conservatory and front porch has been retained and integrated into the design.
Lambley Lane 2
Our Clients had just bought this property when the cold winter weather descended. One winter was enough and they decided the house needed renovating and remodelling to create a warm and inspiring home.
The house will be over clad with insulated render and the existing plan reorganised to connect with their substantial garden which is located to the South. Unfortunately, the existing first floor accommodation only looks to the North so some major changes where required here. We plan to flip the bedrooms over and create two contemporary dormer windows and a feature glazed gable that will overlook their garden and allow sunlight into their home.
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Magnolia House Annex
After remodelling and extending our Clients house a few years ago, they have now asked us to design a annex extension for them to be able to look after a elderly member of their family.
We designed an integrated structure which replaced an old conservatory to the side of the house. A key element of the design was to create an extension that was sympathetic to the main house in appearance and form, and not simply a bolt-on box. We achieved this by using the same pallet of materials and geometries. The extension was broken down into elements so that the pitched roof line wasn’t too high and so that the structure had it’s own strength. An existing Wisteria plant will be trained to grow over an Oak pergola structure at the front of the extension.
The result is an annex that is both integrated and sympathetic to the house while and forming a strong addition to it.
Drury Park
For this project, I was asked to remodel a 1980’s bungalow to create a home that is an attractive welcome home from the front, and opened up to the rear so that the views over the river and countryside can be enjoyed.
Internally, walls were removed to create an open plan kitchen/living/dining zone with separate rooms for a utility, pantry and watching sports television programs. Decking to the rear of the house will be level with the internal floor level so a seamless link between the interior and exterior can be enjoyed through the large folding sliding doors.
Treetops
Here I was asked to reinvent and extend a 70’s house located in The Park area of Nottingham.
The concept is to remove the horizontal emphasis of the windows and the typical materials used in the 70’s period. I achieved this by reorganising the window locations and by over cladding the building with modern, low maintenance materials that creates a less symmetrical appearance with strong vertical elements. The interior is also opened up to create open plan living areas that flow into each other and, importantly, connect the house to its South facing landscaped gardens via a rear single storey extension that opens up onto the garden.
Pine Lodge, East Leek
Located in a secluded plot with a large south facing rear garden, my Client’s asked me to reinvent this dormer bungalow to provide modern living open plan ground floor accommodation and larger bedrooms to the first floor.
By reconfiguring the roof on top of the original ground floor walls, a series of gables were created to give the house a strongly defined character. Balconies and a roof terrace to the master bedroom on the south elevation creates great places to sit and connect with the garden from the first floor.
The roof to the garage was also altered so that a home office is created with a staircase internally linking the office back to the house.
The existing and new walls will were finished in through-colour render, timber cladding and Oak frames to create a home that looks brand new and very smart.
Cropwell Bishop
The owners of this beautiful Victorian house wanted to reconfigure the internal kitchen space and create a modern and contemporary extension for the family to enjoy.
The key design requirement was to connect the house with their enclosed garden in as light and transparent a manner as possible. So with some early input from a structural engineer, I designed a glass-walled extension with only one small section of wall to hang the TV on.
An extended roof overhang is located over the south facing glass patio door elevation to provide solar shading to the interior on the hot summer days we occasionally get. The metal trimmed roof is also extended over the existing rear door to provide a porch area and to tie the extension back to the original house.
Low energy down lighters are located in the roof overhang to the 3 sides of the extension so that the building sparkles even on our long winter evenings.
Willowbank
This project involves the complete internal and external renovation on an existing bungalow to create a modern and functional home for our Clients.
Internally, the central area of the layout is being opened up to create better linkages between the rooms and to create a spacious entrance hall with a new full height porch. The gardens to the front and rear are being connected to the house by creating an orangery off the main living room to the front and wide folding sliding doors to the rear.
A side extension will provide an en-suite to the master bedroom and a rear side extension will relocate the central utility room to remove noise and create more space internally. The whole house will be over clad with insulated render and timber cladding to create a warm and damp free home.
A timber clad garden pod is also being created to provide a home office, garden room and a place for their children to do their school studies.
Hollies Drive
Purchased as a final home for retirement, my Clients wanted to modernise this dormer bungalow to provide a home that was functional, aspirational and low maintenance.
The warmth of sunlight and natural lighting to the interior were important factors so the internal room locations where carefully considered and an angled rear extension designed to capture the late evening sun. A simple pallet of through-colour render, untreated timber cladding which will naturally silver, and large areas of glass will help to achieve their requirements. A new entrance to the front of the house with reshaped windows and cladding creates a far more contemporary home, providing a more welcoming approach home and far more presence on the street.
Alexandra Park
This involved the ground floor remodelling and extension of two Victorian terraces, at the same time, but owned by two separate Clients. By undertaking the works to both properties at the same time, money was saved by sharing costs required to the foundations, party wall, roof construction and rainwater drainage works.
Both properties had the majority of the ground floor walls removed to open up the typical Victorian layout of individual rooms connected by a long corridor. Large skylights were inserted to bring daylight right into the centre of the homes.
The result has been to create large open plan spaces that connect to their garden.
Carnaby Close
Initially, my Clients were unsure about what could be done to open up their house and make it more family friendly. After a couple of design meetings, a plan and form was developed that achieved all their aspirations for how they wanted to live in the house.
By using natural materials such as stone and timber, a contemporary addition to this regular house has been designed. Light will flood into the interior via roof lights and high level strip windows that give the impression that the roof is floating above the walls. A deep roof over hang has been incorporated to shade the interior from direct sunlight to avoid over heating. The roof over hang also acts as a shelter to the veranda for the clients to sit outside even on rainy days. Internally, the rear and an internal wall was removed to open up the interior of the house and link it with the extension and the garden to the south.
Scout Hut
As a second phase development to the The Knoll project, we were commissioned to convert an out building that historically had been the centre for the local scouts and cubs. The out building is to be converted to provide ancillary accommodation to the main house for guests and family to stay on an occasional basis.
To create the spaces required, two of the existing trusses have been strengthened to allow the bottom ties to be removed to create head height to a raised level bedroom which has the integral garage located below. The remainder of the accommodation is full height to expose the timber trusses and create volume. Reflecting the location existing trusses, the external wall has been opened up and large panels of oak framed glass inserted to bring light into and views out of the interior. By carefully considering design choices, this project is being done under Permitted Development Rights which means the Client could start the refurbishment straight away.
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