Real Homes_April 2014 - Apropos Conservatories

Extreme
transformations
property update
Large windows and foldingsliding doors dominate the
back extensions of this
detached home, which help
to merge the indoors with
the outdoors and provide
wonderful views of the
newly landscaped garden
Whether you choose a renovation, extension or
an exterior facelift, give your home wow-factor
with ideas from these impressive projects
T
FEATURE LUCY SEARLE
here are so many reasons
why you should improve
your existing house rather
than moving on. Perhaps
you want to lift your
property out of the negative
equity trap, or you love its location but
dislike its looks? Maybe you need more
space indoors and would rather spend
money on a large extension or reworking
of the layout than on stamp duty and
legal fees accrued by moving? Or perhaps
you want to transform an unsightly wreck,
sell up for a profit and start your next
project? Whatever your reasons, you can’t
fail to add value, both in terms of cash and
quality of life, as these extreme property
transformations show.
‘Many buyers won’t look at a house
without kerb appeal, but clients who want
to add value are often delighted to find out
what a simple facelift can achieve,’ says Sue
Carne, buying agent and director of The
County Homesearch Company’s Kent and
Sussex office. ‘If you can see beyond the
surface, buying a less attractive property in
a good location offers an opportunity to
add considerable value. Exterior cladding,
rendering, adding new windows or a porch
or simply painting a property can transform
its appearance. And a good architect can
raise an ugly duckling to a whole new level.’
before
From drab rooms to a contemporary space
The house before
The results
The Smiths’ detached 1960s house
in Surrey had three bedrooms, a
linked garage and a large garden.
The original narrow hallway led into
a living room and kitchen, both of
which suffered from a lack of light.
With the help of a local architect, the
house was transformed in under a year.
‘On entering the house now, there is
a bright, double-height entrance hall,
which leads to the reception room and
kitchen-diner at the back of the property.
The main feature of both is folding-sliding
doors that run along the back of the house
and open on to the garden,’ says Lisa
Slann of estate agency Howard Cundey.
‘The fabulous living room extension
has skylights, a wood-burning stove and
oak flooring, and leads to the open-plan,
luxurious kitchen-diner, which has taken
the place of the dingy single-storey,
flat-roofed extension originally there. A
useful utility space is at the back of the
The brief
The Smiths’ 1960s
detached house
had cramped rooms,
but plenty of room
for expansion
40 APRIL 2014 REAL HOMES
Jane and Oliver Smith wanted their
house extended upwards and outwards
at the back and modernised, with a
largely open-plan layout downstairs and
a master suite upstairs. It was important
to them that the transformation would
bring lots of light into the new rooms,
and that in summer the indoor space
could merge seamlessly with the outdoors.
kitchen, as is access to the garage, which
has been widened to take two cars.
‘At the front of the house, where the
original living room was, a stud wall has
created a neat, quiet home office that is
separated from the open-plan reception
areas. There’s also a useful downstairs
cloakroom off the hallway.
‘Upstairs, there are now four double
bedrooms. The master bedroom, which is
within the new double-storey extension
where the old flat-roofed extension once
stood, has high ceilings, floor-to-ceiling
windows overlooking the garden, a
walk-in dressing room and an en suite
bathroom. At the front of the house,
where the original master bedroom was,
there is now a guest suite with an en suite
shower room. There are two further
double bedrooms and a family bathroom.
‘Outside, the garden has been
landscaped with a raised decking area,
lawns and vegetable beds. At the front
of the house, there is now a double
garage. The exterior of the property
has been totally transformed, with the
original brickwork and aged render
now hidden beneath a new, bright
white render. All the windows have
been upgraded, while the front door
and garage doors now have a smart,
contemporary wood finish.‘
What it cost
The work to transform the house
cost £100,000.
REAL HOMES APRIL 2014 41
photograph (ABOVE) howard cundey
fact file
u
before
fact file
The house before
The Campuses’ dated
Victorian house in south
London was in desperate
need of renovation. The
old kitchen at the back
of the house in particular
made
little use of the
FRONT
EXTERIOR
An existing,
outside
space, while,
poorly-built rear
inside,
the
room felt
and side extension
provided
dark and
narrow.
floorspace, but it
lacked character
Thebrought
brief very
and
little
into thewere
Thelight
architects
back of the house
From cramped lean-to
to glazed living area
asked
to reconfigure and refurbish
the house to create a stylish,
modern home. The existing
extension to the rear and
side return of the house
was to be demolished, and
rebuilt with a contemporary
glazed and timber-clad
wraparound extension.
The results
The footprint of the new
glazed extension is no larger
than the original, but the
glazing in the new room
makes a world of difference.
‘The transparency allows
the new open-plan kitchen
and living space to blend
seamlessly into the new
hard landscaped garden,’
says Robert Wilson of Granit
Chartered Architects. ‘The
use of cedar timber cladding
internally and externally
accentuates this blurring
of boundaries between
inside and out.
‘The existing front
reception rooms and their
Victorian features have been
retained, but opened up to
the hallway and refurbished
with new walnut flooring,
joinery and lighting.
‘As well as refurbishing the
basement, we upgraded the
master bedroom, en suite
and bathrooms on the upper
floors to create a house fit
for 21st-century living.’
What it cost
Around £220,000.
The back of the house
is now brighter and
its open-plan layout
makes it a flexible
family living space.
The ground floor is
filled with light and
encased in soft wood,
creating a warm space
for living, dining,
playing, cooking
and entertaining
42 APRIL 2014 REAL HOMES
photograph (left) andrew beasley
An existing, poorly built
rear and side extension
provided floor space, but
lacked character and
brought little light into
the back of the house
u
From run-down farmhouse
to a modern home
before
THE NATIONAL
HOMEBUILDING &
RENOVATING SHOW
NEC, BIRMINGHAM
27-30 MARCH 2014
STAND E142
fact file
The house before
With an old-fashioned
conservatory, the Bensons’
house also had limited views
and access to the garden,
while the indoor living space
was dark and cramped.
The brief
‘The Bensons had recently
purchased this dilapidated
farmhouse in Somerset when they
came across Apropos,’ says its
director Michael Barnes. ‘Needing
to replace the old-fashioned
conservatory, and hoping for
something more modern and
dramatic, they were looking
to extend the entire back section
with a large orangery-type design
in order to create a bigger living
space and brighten up the
previously dull and dark house.’
The results
‘Our designer suggested two slightly
differing structures for each annexe
at the back of the home,’ explains
Michael Barnes. ‘One of these
would include shallow brick
foundation walls and a skylight, and
could be used as a cosy family snug,
Right The colours
and materials used
in the extension
make it a sympathetic
addition to the
original building,
while adding lots
of new floor space
and wonderful views
over the garden
for the family
making the most of what would
eventually become views of a newly
landscaped garden. The second
section would be a square structure
with much more of a conservatory
atmosphere, thanks to full curtain
glazing, folding-sliding doors and a
second skylight. This larger section
would be ideal for entertaining
guests and dining with family.’
The result is a structure that won
Best Domestic Extension at the Local
Authority Building Control Building
Excellence Awards, acting as family
space and the perfect entertaining
area. ‘By splitting this extension
into two sections, the Bensons
have added two rooms to their
farmhouse, and imprinted their
personal stamp onto this historical
building,’ says Michael Barnes.
‘The whole place has been given
a new lease of life thanks to the
light, which streams through the
self-cleaning glass and foldingsliding doors. The garden is more
accessible to relax in throughout
the summer, too,’ he adds.
What it cost
Similar structures to this by Apropos
would cost around £45,000.
Right The farmhouse’s
original exterior,
with its classic
conservatory, was
dated and didn’t
offer the living space
the Bensons needed
u
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44 APRIL 2014
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property update
fact file
before
The house before
‘The house was built in 1995
and felt very dated,’ says
owner Andrew. ‘It had red
bricks and red-pink mortar
with dark brown window
frames, making the house
look very dark. It was also
very flat-fronted, with no
interesting features.’
The brief
Above Andrew and Linsey’s
house in Hampshire was spacious,
but the brickwork and window
frames made it look dated
Below The newly transformed
house is unrecognisable
from the original, with stylish
features such as a porch and bay
‘We desperately wanted to
brighten the house and make
it more attractive, so that it
sat well alongside the other
properties on the road,’
explains Andrew. ‘The
proportions and basic internal
layout were a good starting
point. It just needed a few
internal changes to make it
more suited to modern family
living, and a really good
external makeover. Our idea
was to use a mix of rendering
and clapboards to give the
property a New England feel.
Unfortunately, we were unable
to do this due to planning
restrictions, so Back to Front
Exterior Design worked with us
to come up with a simple,
effective solution that was
agreeable to everyone.’
The results
‘All the windows, fascias
and gutters were replaced,’
says Andrew. ‘The hanging
tiles were changed and the
brickwork painted. Extensions
were added in the way of a
new double-height bay at the
front of the house and a porch,
with an orangery at the back,
and we extended into the
loft, adding four dormer
windows to the roof line.
‘It’s made an immense
difference – since finishing the
work we have had only positive
comments from people who
knew the house before, and
we are very proud of our home
both inside and out.’
What it cost
All the external changes cost
around £200,000.
REAL HOMES APRIL 2014 47
photograph (Below) back to front exterior
design (backtofrontexteriordesign.co.uk)
From red brick to
stylish exterior
u
property update
From 1970s box
to a light-filled
grand design
before
fact file
The house before
The Sewters’ original
house in Oxfordshire had
poor access and views of
the garden, and, despite
two extensions, still lacked
the living and bedroom
space the couple needed.
The brief
Having dismissed the idea
of moving home, the couple
looked for cost-effective ways
to make more of the house
they had, as they wanted
spacious, light-filled rooms
they could use year-round.
The house after
Above Despite two
extensions to the original
1970s house, the Sewters
had considered moving
to gain more space
Below The brickwork of the
extensions has been matched
to the tones of the original,
meaning that the old building
merges seamlessly with the new
‘Our designer suggested
some rather dramatic
changes so that the Sewters
could create a new-build style
for their old home,’ says
Michael Barnes, director of
Apropos. ‘We suggested a
large, lean-to conservatory
with two, symmetrical wings
either side, in which the
couple could each claim a
space to call their own. These
wings would also feature
large windows, giving broad
views of the new garden.’
The Sewters had the
two original extensions
demolished and two doublestorey extensions built at the
back to create a big kitchen
on one side and an extended
living space on the other.
Between the two brick
extensions, the lean-to
conservatory doesn’t just
create a bright indoor space
downstairs – the design also
includes a first-floor inner
balcony, which means both
storeys are flooded with light.
‘The transformation sets
the property aside from its
1970s neighbours, giving a
sense of modern living and,
through the innovative
design, grand scale,’ adds
Michael Barnes.
What it cost
A similar glazed structure
would cost around £48,000.
REAL HOMES APRIL 2014 49
u
before
fact file
The house before
The Shiachs’ basement
flat in west London was
in need of refurbishment,
while at the back an
existing extension needed
knocking down to make
way for a light, bright room.
The existing layout had
a high proportion of
hallways and corridors
to living accommodation,
which needed remodelling.
The brief
Above The original rear
basement extension gave
little useful indoor space and
didn’t link well with the garden
Below The light-flooded kitchendiner now has great garden
views and wonderful natural
daylight throughout the year
The existing rear extension
of this basement mansion
flat was to be demolished
and rebuilt to create a new
kitchen and dining space
that would suit a busy family.
The whole property would
also be refurbished to
a high-quality finish.
The results
Making the most of daylight
was the key to making
this transformation a success.
‘We demolished the old
extension and rebuilt a
new one with a larger
footprint,’ says James Munro
of Granit Chartered
Architects. ‘Incorporating
a frameless glass box
to create a new kitchen
and dining space would
maximise daylight in the
rest of this apartment.
The rear garden was
north-facing and surrounded
by four- to five-storey
blocks, so the challenge
was to make the property
feel light and airy.
‘As well as being extended
at the back, the flat was
reconfigured to create a
master bedroom and en
suite, with two further
bedrooms, two bathrooms
and a shower room and
utility. There’s also a small
home office at the far end
of the kitchen. High-quality
finishes, tiling and lighting
were used throughout, and
acoustic ceilings reduced
any sound transmission
from the property above.’
What it cost
Around £300,000, including
extensive refurbishment of
the whole flat.
on the website
REAL HOMES magazine.co.uk
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50 APRIL 2014 REAL HOMES
photograph (left) andrew beasley
From dark extension
to modern glass box
for stockist information see page 149