Rear Elevation
Whole house refurbishment, garage conversion and extensions
Cambridge

This unusual project wrapped the existing house with ground floor extensions on three sides to improve and increase the accommodation in line with its location on a large plot close to the city centre.

To the front, the hall was extended into the old porch, increasing the size of the entrance area whilst doing away with the old draughty construction. A new canopy at the front provides cover and relief to the symmetrical front façade.

To the rear, the existing living and kitchen areas were swapped to fit a new large kitchen within the wider room, and both areas extended out across the rear of the house to increase the space as well as forming uninterrupted connections with the large rear garden on the private side of the house. Both natural and artificial lighting have been used to ensure well-lit spaces throughout.

A cosy snug has been created in place of the old utility room, accessed off the main living area to provide a TV room separate from the larger living room.

Circulation was reordered throughout the ground floor plan to provide better relationships between the living areas and views through from front to back and side to side incorporated to connect the spaces internally.

Utility accommodation was relocated to the front of the house to free up the rear of the house for maximising views onto the garden from the living and dining areas. To either side of the house, a new workshop/bike store and garage have been constructed to provide the ancillary service spaces for the house.

At first floor, the rooms were reorganised within the existing envelope of the external walls, retaining four bedrooms but reordering these and the bathrooms to provide better relationships between the bedroom and bathroom accommodation, to suit the client’s and their guests needs.

Within the loft, a new bedroom suite with en-suite and eaves storage was designed to provide additional bedroom accommodation commensurate with the extended ground floor living.

Alongside the extended areas, the whole house was refurbished with insulation fitted throughout the existing ground floor. Externally, new aluminium windows were fitted and the whole house was re-rendered to freshen up the overall appearance. Solar thermal panels were fitted and there is provision for a future electric car charger. A rainwater harvesting tank has also been fitted with rainwater now serving the external taps and WC’s.

The gardens were landscaped at the same time to suit, and show off, the new layout of the extended house.


Kitchen/ Dining
Kitchen
Living
Rear Elevation
Corner window
Front elevation
Entrance Porch
Flitch post
Entrance Porch
Dining-view onto garden
Living