Extensions that allow the space to work

Client Background

Before coming to work with me, my clients were struggling to achieve planning approval for a large extension to the rear of their home. They love the neighbourhood and area they lived in but the house really wasn’t working for them and the unsuccessful planning applications were deeply upsetting for them. They really didn’t want to move.

Their family was growing fast, the children would soon be starting secondary school, and everyday life was becoming increasingly frustrating and stressful especially in the living spaces of their home. 

Both my clients work from home, the kitchen was too cramped, falling apart and isolating when entertaining guests. The dog’s bed was constantly being moved in order to get to various spaces. The dining table had multi-purpose uses as a working desk and dining table - it meant things for work needed to be moved daily so the family could use the space. The open living dining meant my clients were listening to children’s tv for many years. It was time for change but they were challenged with the extension they wanted. 

They already had a drafts person and planning consultant to assist them with planning applications. 

They reached out to me to help them understand how to make the space in their home work in various extension scenarios so they could better prepare for the next steps.

Brief: What they hoped to achieve

• To open the front door and have a view towards the garden.

• A welcoming hallway with space for cloaks, shoes, bags, dog bits, etc

• Small multi-purpose room - kids tv room/guest sofa bed

• Home office

• Separate grown-ups living room where they can comfortably entertain guests

• Utility for all the things they don’t want to see in the kitchen

• Wine cooler/room or cellar for their extensive wine collection

• Kitchen and dining room with an island and space to be together and entertain guests.

Scope of Work: How I helped them

• Working with their design brief and 4 parameters of different sized/shaped extensions, we explored how the space can (or can’t) fit everything they needed to have a fully functioning home for them.

• A side extension was already approved so this space was explored for various uses.

• The entire floor was reconfigured to accommodate the spaces they needed as a family.

• While there wasn’t enough space for a wine cellar, the wine cooler/room was considered in some of the designs of their home (where space allowed).

• Connecting the spaces so they seamlessly flow and allow the family to live in their home as they envisaged. 

Solution: What we came up with

There were 4 design solutions provided that showed my clients how each of the different size extensions would impact the flow and  connection of spaces in their home. 

This exploration helped my clients know what spaces they could end up with and how they would work in each scenario. 

The solutions helped them understand which design they could see themselves living in as a family.

Outcome: How does it change their lives

My clients had a particular design they preferred and proceeded to apply for planning approval. After almost 18 months, they overcame the challenges and achieved planning approval for the design they really wanted.

The design layout of the ground floor gives their growing family spaces to be together and to have time apart. 

The addition of the children’s tv room means there’s space for their friends to go and play/hang out and my clients no longer have to watch/listen to children’s programmes.

The open kitchen diner allows my clients to be in the space with the family and guests when prepping and cooking meals. It’s a great space to entertain guests with a view of the garden.

When the front door opens there’s a direct view of the garden and a sense of feeling like they’ve come home.

Organising the spaces they need as a family and designing their home so that they can grow and be without feeling cramped, changes their relationship as a family. 

Their lives are already super busy and having a home that houses all the things they need in a tidy functional way allows them to have a home they are proud of and feels right for them.

They no longer have to consider moving house as they create a home that now completes everything for them.