Renovation, modernisation and extension of a 100-year-old, 5,110 sq ft private residence in Ascot, Berkshire — the house that gave our practice its name.
- Before
- 5,110 sq ft
- After
- 9,500 sq ft
- Programme
- 12 months
- Value uplift
- +70%
What the client liked
The location on a quiet private road, tucked out of sight at the end of a long drive; the character of the architecture; the large mature garden and period features such as the front porch, stained-glass windows and wall-hanging tiles. Inside, they loved the high ceilings, original fireplaces and staircase, the large rooms and the quirky corners throughout. The asymmetry of the whole house lends it a home-like, informal feel — unlike the grand, symmetrical new-builds nearby.
The brief
Renovate and extend the house for 21st-century living while retaining every period feature, the architectural style and the informal feel — so that, once complete, one cannot distinguish the new from the old, inside or out. Replicate the two-storey turret at the end of the extension to balance the existing one, and create a large kitchen / breakfast / family room that becomes the centre of family life: the "90% room".
Changing the layout
We added an extension at the rear with a new large kitchen, breakfast nook and family living area — generous space, large windows, 270-degree garden views and French doors opening onto a new terrace on one side and a herb garden on the other. The original kitchen became the formal dining room; the original dining room, now windowless, was transformed into a butler's pantry with a bar.
A boot room was carved from the original rear lobby and utility, ideal for an outdoors-loving family with a dog. A new two-car garage was built as a separate extension, and a second staircase was added on the new side of the house — matching the original step by step, baluster to baluster. In all, we nearly doubled the ground-floor footprint while keeping a relatively formal reception in the old house flowing seamlessly into informal family living in the new.
The finished project
A house nearly doubled in size to 9,500 sq ft, yet looking as though all of it had always been there. The extension bricks were specially made to match the Victorian originals, old hanging tiles were sourced to match exactly, the roof was completely redone, the garden re-designed and a pool house built. The works took twelve months — on time and on budget — and increased the value of the house by 70%.
Gallery
“Daneswood was one of the first houses built in South Ascot, in the late 19th century. Though it needed modernising, it was essential to us that anything done or added would look exactly like the original. The result is astonishing. To date, no one has been able to tell what's old and what's new!”