Aberdeen Road

Extension in Bristol

This project in Clifton, Bristol, shows how a relatively small extension and alterations can make a big difference to the way a house is used and how it feels.

The existing property comprised of a semi-detached Georgan townhouse with a maze of internal corridors and underused, quite dimly lit self-contained rooms. With a restricted existing footprint there was a need to maximise the potential and value of the existing space without overdeveloping the garden, a great asset for the client.

After exploring several options and variations for the overall layout of the house, we settled on a design for a flat roof single storey extension measuring only 16m2, to the rear of the site. This was complimented by other strategic alterations and reconfigurations of the existing layout.

The materials used internally help to provide a calming and natural feel to the open-plan space with white walls, bespoke birch ply kitchen cabinets, reclaimed and sanded floor-boards and stone tiles. The natural theme is continued externally with vertical Western Red Cedar cladding which will weather to an attractive silver.

The end result is a space which works perfectly for the way the clients live their life. The focus of the house is now to the rear, where large glazed sliding doors flood the kitchen in a north light and giving the primary living spaces a much closer connection to the garden. The less well lit spaces within the house are now used for “snug” living spaces, bathroom and storage areas. The design also reclaimed an extra bedroom for the property.