I was asked to give an initial consultation on this property to offer the client some ideas and go over the options with him.
The house was built on a slope and had an existing basement storage room that was cold and served no real purpose – apart from the roof which provided a great decking area from which the family was able to enjoy the views over the surrounding countryside. The basement room was only accessible from the garden, and the client was considering turning it into an annex that would serve as a self-contained residence, while still allowing access to the amenities in the main house and to the garden.
His hope was that the new unit could potentially accommodate his parents if they began to need extra care later in life, or become a ‘starter home’ for his daughters when they were ready to gain more independence.
My suggestion was to add a small, contemporary extension onto the existing structure, which would include a new entrance and create extra space for a living room.
The rest of the basement could then be turned into a compact kitchen, shower room and bedroom.
There were a couple of issues with this project that needed to be taken into account, the first being that only the primary elevation had any glazing in it, which made the existing space feel very dark and cramped.
The second was that roof height was limited and the structure was very robust, affording no real flexibility in terms of structural changes.
Since this was a design-only project, once I had confirmed the design plans with the client I put together a building regulations package to provide the builder with the basic specifications.
But as always, I remained on hand in case the client or builder required further advice.
It was very satisfying to see the final result of this project, which is now a cosy, functional space that can be adapted to suit the family’s needs.
The client made some excellent design decisions for the interior, which have accentuated the best features of the residence to give it a light, spacious feel.
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