Homeowners Chris and Daisy completed their Wandsworth ground floor rear extension in 2021 so they could achieve their dream kitchen, as they're a couple who love to cook.

What's the story behind this project?

We were looking to buy, and we looked for a fixer-upper as we wanted more for our money. We knew when we bought this house that what was already here wasn't gonna cut it. Lots of the houses on this street have similar extensions, so we thought it would likely be easy enough to do. But, we've never done anything like this before, so we still felt apprehensive going into the planning process, in case it didn't go through for any reason.

What was the house like before, and why did it need a refresh?

The project itself is a rear extension containing a brand new kitchen, and the main thing we hated about the house before was that we had a tiny kitchen. It was really small - and we love to cook! Also we changed all the flooring, which we actually laid ourselves, which was a fun experience! It was great being able to make everything exactly how we wanted it, which is only really possible via renovation.

You're about to move! Did you do the project with sale in mind?

Not really. We definitely built it for ourselves, but we knew it wouldn't work for us forever. But, saying that, we didn’t want to make a loss, so we had it in the back of our minds to design financially prudently. This year we have had a baby, and so we're moving into something bigger.

What made you choose Resi for your project?

I'm a Software Engineer within the tech space, and so I am always on the hunt for tech solutions. I was looking into different software routes for conveyancing and other things, and I wondered if there was something for architecture, in particular an online architect. And then while googling I found Resi! We didn't need the creativity of a high-end architect, we wanted a nice functional box on the back of our house, and didn't want to pay above the odds. The dashboard was really handy for knowing where things were, for instance when we started the project I uploaded our floor plans from the estate agents onto the dashboard. And then later on when I wanted to show them to some friends, the place I instinctively went to find them was the dashboard, rather than my emails or files. It was great to know where things were.

The Connect service was great, as we didn’t know what services we would need, for instance we didn’t have a clue what a Party Wall Surveyor was. Being able to work with Resi to get a checklist of the people we needed on our team was really convenient, and the builders we used through the Connect service were great.

Do you have any tips for first time renovators?

Make a plan, walk through all the steps before you launch in, but also be aware that even with thinking of all the steps there's always more that will come up. Be pragmatic. Also, if we did it again, we'd probably hire a Quantity Surveyor too.

Would you renovate again?

Definitely. But renovating with a baby is a whole other kettle of fish, so we'll see!

Photography by Freddie Ardley and Peter Furlong.