The Spinnney
The Project
The building of a 2 stories extension and its link to the main house in Camberley, Surrey, leading to some transformations to 3 floors of the existing house. New car parking arrangements.
What the client liked
The period house in an elevated position in a quiet cul-de-sac, where the family has lived for many years. They like the large kitchen/dining/family room that opens onto a sizeable garden. The house benefits from many period features, such as original fireplaces, beautiful coving and staircase. Over the years, the clients also have made some useful improvements to the house, that they wished to keep benefitting from.
The garden side of the original house
The Brief
The 3 boys are growing and their needs are evolving, as they all need their space to work and play. The parents also long for a space they can call theirs, away from the noise and “chaos” that comes with 3 young boys.
A 1970s unsightly detached garage was to be removed and replaced by this new extension. The extension was to be built over 2 floors in a style and proportions that matched the existing house and linked to it. Similarities with the existing house extended to doors, windows, roof pitch, gable height, bricks, tiles, covered porches and all inside features and materials.
The extension needed to include a large living room, a laundry room and a guest bedroom with en suite bathroom and be linked to the existing house.
The “link” area was to become a service entrance, mud room, a passage from the front yard to the back garden and have stairs to the first floor.
We needed to make the new first floor guest room accessible from the existing house’s first floor, despite the adverse original roof pitch.
A new 2 car garage and store room were to be built and space for a formal garden created between the garage, the house and the extension. This would replace the large existing gravel area where cars were parked randomly.
The Design
The extension
We designed a grand room that was going to be filled with light and character. This included 3 large French doors that look onto the new formal garden and 3 dormers in the roof to add light and style. On the neighbour’s side, we simply added roof windows to guarantee their privacy, whilst adding yet more natural light.
Before: A 70s style garage
After: The new extension
We located the laundry room on the ground floor, not far from the kitchen, as requested.
Balcony off the guest room, overlooking the new living room
On the first floor, we designed a guest room that takes about one third of the extension area. This leaves two thirds where the living room benefits from cathedral ceilings. A fireplace with a chimney that rises up to the roof adds drama to the room.
The bedroom opens with a double door leading onto a balcony that spectacularly overlooks the living area. A spiral staircase was added from the balcony down for visual effect.
A spiral staircase with a modern twist
The en suite bathroom was naturally located above the laundry room.
The “link” area was designed to fulfil every need of the brief. On the first floor, a giant lantern was inserted in the flat roof to generate maximum light to the stairwell and landing.
A giant lantern provides much needed light to the staircase and owners's study
Linking the new extension to the main house necessitated a serious re-thinking of a whole side of the house. Indeed, to connect the ground floor, a simple wall was enough. The first floor was more of a challenge, as the roof pitch on the main house meant the higher we were, the further away from the extension we got. The roof line needed to change.
We extended the ridge of the roof to the edge of the house and created a gable, so the ground, first and second floors are all on the same line. In doing so, not only were we able to connect the first floor to the extension, but we also gained a lot of space inside the main house.
The original roof pitch
On the first floor, we managed to add an en suite bathroom to a guest bedroom and a study for the owner. An obsolete shower room was taken out, thus creating a vast landing area
On the second floor, a medium size bedroom was transformed into a huge playroom, fit for a pool table and many other toys.
Extending the roof 's ridge, generating more space inside
A new garage and store room
The client opted for a car port, instead of a closed garage. We located it closer to the road and built the store room against the back wall, generating an extended area for the formal garden.
We added an arched gate to the side of it to give the sense of entering a walled garden around which the house and extension are now articulated. The front of the house is now completely transformed.
The Finished Project
The completely remodelled outdoor space created double exposition for two interests, a playing garden and a formal garden, thus increasing useable outdoor space. The size of living space was significantly increased, whilst the footprint remained relatively untouched.
'Gerard has been an essential and highly valuable part of the redesign process, he has a unique talent for assessing space, function and style and for coming up with an architectural solution that meets the brief but also goes beyond in use of space and design impact. We are delighted with the end result and I would recommend sing Gerard to maximise design aspects of any remodelling or extension work.'
-Lisa, CLient
