Overview
We bought our family home in October 2017, at the first viewing we knew that this house had huge potential to be a beautiful, modern and unique home. The interior was extremely dated and the layout was impractical so we knew we had a challenge on our hands but were keen to make a start! So, we started by sprucing up the interior with a whitewash of paint to see us through the initial few months before sitting down with our architect Steven George (George & Co) to help flesh out plans for our dream home.
We put all our trust in our Architect to help make the best use of what we had to work with, and he certainly impressed us. We decided to build an open plan extension to the rear end of the house with oversized windows spanning floor to ceiling and two sets of 4M bi-folding doors. This would allow light to flood into our new open plan living space and also give us the opportunity to directly connect our home to the large garden. We didn’t realise how difficult this would be to construct but certainly learnt A LOT along the way!
The open plan living space actually took footprint from the existing building and the entire extension. This meant we could better use the existing space and not have to build a larger extension whilst still benefiting from an 80Sqm open plan living, dining and kitchen space. The most surprising element of our new home for anybody that visits is our gallery. This is such a creative feature and acts as the heart of the home. We punched a void into the upstairs bedroom floor which now creates this double height ceiling above our living space. We finished this with a floating glass balustrade from the bedroom which now acts as a viewing platform into the countryside through yet another large set of windows we created upstairs. We fitted 3 new decorative and minimalistic lights that hang down throughout this space subtly and once lit, light up most of the home, the heart! The extension also has two 2x1M roof lights to allow in additional light at varies parts of the day. With all this glass we also fitted electric blinds throughout which gives us the option to turn on/off external light depending on the mood we’re looking to create. Also in the ceiling, we fitted a BOSE ceiling speaker system which was well worth the money. The music accompanied by the lighting and bi-folds really does create such a great entertaining space which was such a nice surprise. A final feature to mention is our secret doors which was an idea I didn’t think we’d be able to pull off so well. Our new kitchen runs down the whole side of the home and then back at a right angle accompanied by a 4x1M Island. At the corner of the kitchen, we had two fire doors dressed in the same finish as the kitchen. These two doors then push open into our new utility room which you’d never know was there! Great work by our carpenter to achieve this!
Going upstairs we had to reconfigure quite a bit. The gallery we created meant we lost a whole bathroom and a third of the master bedroom. We transformed the current en-suite into the master bedroom by punching in a new door through the landing wall. In the master, we built a partition wall with a pocket door to create the new en-suite. One of the bedrooms was also the route to the back bedroom which didn’t work for us at all. So, again we put up a new partition wall, punched in another hole which now creates a walkway with the one wall dressed in mirrors into the second-largest bedroom.
The extension was built out of blue brick and all the windows and doors were anthracite grey with tinted glass. We pretty much stuck to the original plans as a whole but changed minor details such as the colour of the extension brick and the skylight.
Timescale and Budget
We started planning in early 2018 and then the renovation work began in September 2018. We were told that the work would take 3 months to complete but the major work was not finished until March 2019. Our home was completely ripped apart and unliveable, so we moved in with our parents/in-laws for 6 months until the work was complete. We were expecting our first baby on 22nd March and moved back home just two weeks before the due date! The stress was unreal but all worth it now looking back. With a baby on the way, our plan was to just get the work done, so we did it all at once and not in stages. We budgeted £50k for the build but work well exceeded that, we’re over £100k, and still going with Phase 2 in the garden.
The most expensive part is what you don't see, what goes in the ground! We were told we could have a strip foundation but later found out we had to have a raft. This meant we also had to re-route drainage right around the extension. Internally we then also decided to have underfloor heating. So by the time we were putting down actual flooring thousands had gone in before that!
What was your best buy?
Our best buy was our BOSE speaker sound system, great value and used every single day. The best part is you can't see it as they are ceiling mounted speakers and the amp is hidden. When you crank up the volume it sounds great in our open plan living area.
Were there any obstacles you had to overcome during the project?
We encountered a couple of delays with the project which were mainly due to the windows/bifold doors and skylights. We had a problem where the windows and bifold doors were delivered but were too small (by a considerable amount), which pushed us back weeks. It was probably the most frustrating and stressful time because we were way past the 3 months mark and by this point and the work seemed never-ending. There was so much more to do and we hit a point where we could not see the light at the end of the tunnel.
Looking back, is there anything you would change?
Looking back we would not change much of what we did and are really happy with what we now have. We’ve been completely overwhelmed with all the kind comments and congratulations, it’s been such an incredible journey. We enjoyed it so much we started working on the garden and have now completely landscaped the 1000sqm garden and also built a garden office. This was originally planned as a timber mancave but has turned into literally a small house (which is cladded in Red Canadian Cedar and looks great). For more on that, please check out our Instagram feed.
This incredible home can also be found on AJ BUILDINGS LIBRARY
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