Single Storey Rear Extension
Location
Cheltenham
Photographer
Miles Burden
It's always a balance to work through the 'form over function' aspects, however a Utility room shouldn't be given crucial garden views in most cases.
The owners had lived in this property for many years and loved the house, but felt that there was no connection with the garden area to the rear of the house.
The kitchen area was reasonably sized for the house, however due to a number of doorways it was used more as a connecting room to access other parts of the house.
The result was an uninspiring space that gave the best views into the rear garden to the utility area, which housed the boiler, washing machine and tumble dryer.
There was already an attached garage to the side of the house, so it was possible to relocate the boiler into this space to demote the view it had of the garden.
The new layout also allowed for a small ground floor WC, which is always a welcome addition in any house and especially a family home.
The rear bi-folding doors allow for full view of the garden area beyond and when these are opened they allow for almost the whole rear wall to be hidden away due to some clever structural work behind the scenes and also a Glulam ridge beam to the new extension.
A rooflight was fitted to allow for more opportunities for natural light to fill the space throughout the day.
One thing we can't change about our homes, at least not very easily, is the orientation, so it's important to keep this in mind during the early design stages to take advantage of the natural light available.
As this is a family home the end result retains a Sitting Room at the front of the house and then provides this inviting open plan space to the rear of the property.
I hope that this project illustrates that it's well worth while thinking through the details before charging headlong into decision making. It would have been a 'quick fix' to update the kitchen where it stood, and whilst it would have looked a good deal better, it would not have addressed any of the problems.
Don't be afraid to change where a room goes, it might have worked there 70 years ago, it doesn't mean that it will work there now!
