Open plan isn't always the way forward! This wonderful wraparound extension project belongs to Richard and Catherine, who have been living in the property since 2011.
They had been considering renovating their Brentford home for a while, but the pandemic brought the idea to a head in 2020. With the two of them and their son being forced to spend more time at home, the flaws in their existing layout were highlighted, and so they came to us looking for creative ways in which they could redesign the downstairs to suit and adapt to their changing needs as a family.
The house was originally a classic London Victorian property with a living room at the front, a middle room and a small kitchen at the rear. However, the previous owners had knocked through to make the living room and middle room one enlarged space with the kitchen coming off it, so it was totally open plan. The problem this raised was, if someone wanted to do something like play some music, watch TV or have a guest over, everyone who was downstairs had to experience it - there was no real way for them to split off from each other to do their own thing.
For this project, we not only extended out the back with a wraparound extension, but we also reconfigured the floor plan. They wanted to keep a relatively open plan feel to the downstairs, but with better use of the space through introducing a degree of segmentation. We pushed the (now doubled in size) kitchen back into where the middle room used to be, and extended around it with a wraparound to create space for the snug area. The family have furnished with snug with a nice big sofa next to the window, creating the perfect reading or relaxing spot with views out to the garden. We divided off the living room to be its own separate space, remaining at the front of the house. The build took around six months in total, stripping it back to shell and bare earth and rebuilding on top a modern, larger and lighter space.
What made you go with Resi for your project?
I'm all about the ease, and wanted the one stop shop that Resi offers. It's a full-time job to do a project, and we didn't have the bandwidth for it. I needed someone to tell me what they needed, what the blockers were, what I had to do next to make it all happen.
How did you find the build process?
We found our builder through the Connect service. We looked at three companies and ended up going for a smaller firm because they seemed friendly, and all the way through the process was really good. When we had an issue the owner always came and resolved it quickly, and the foreman was great.
How's life in your Resi home, and how has this project changed things for you and your family?
It's revolutionised how we live as a family, it's made a big difference. The kitchen before, we inherited it when we moved in, it was modern enough but tiny. It's now doubled in size with so much storage, and lovely windows looking out into the garden. Someone can be in the living room watching something with someone else playing music in the kitchen or snug area relaxing, we can all have our own space now, but it still feels communal.
Photography by Matt Gamble.
