PROJECT TIMELINE

Plot purchased Aug 2016 Planning application submitted Nov 2016

Planning permission approved Feb 2017

Start on site July 2017 Foundations complete Sept 2017 Watertight shell Feb 2018

First fix Feb 2018

Second fix Apr 2018

Final decoration May 2018 Occupied Jun 2018

local architects Mansell Architects, a husband and wife team, took over supervising on site.

In essence, the couple have kept the floorplan at the front of the house, knocked down most of the internal walls and created a large open-plan living space at the rear. Full-height sliding doors here finally allow the family to enjoy a full view of the garden. “The house progressively gets more open as you get to the back,” says Martin. “Even with such large spans, all of the extension was built with timber — there is no steel in the house at all, which can be expensive and difficult to handle.”

Originally the couple envisaged a new, sleek, cedarclad box at the rear, but the planners insisted on a pitched roof to mirror other rooflines on the same street. “That was irritating because you can only see a fleeting view of the rear from a side road,” says Martin. “To address it, we put in a gabled roof to mask the boxed element. It was very complicated for the builder to break through the roof, but he was very thorough and did an excellent job.”

While the rear has been thoroughly extended and opened up, the street-facing façade is a different story. “We wanted to keep the same façade at the front, just tidying it up a bit, so that the bungalow was not really showy on the street. But when you came inside, you get the wow factor,” says Gill.

The only two changes to the front are the timber cladding on the gables – a subtle nod to the new cedar cladding at the rear – and the replacement of the old, somewhat battered, roof tiles. Martin and Gill found a supplier in Stoke on Trent who could get tiles the same size as the originals, this time in brindle blue rather than red. “We wanted to keep faith with the original, so that it looks like it would have done when it was new in the 1920s,” he explains.

An accessible design

The couple also wanted to ensure the bungalow was wheelchair-friendly for their son, and futureproofed for their own later years. Many of the accessible elements are subtle, such as extra-wide doors, waist-height light switches and a level threshold at the rear that’s completely flush to the floor — the latter was a little more expensive than standard, but offers easy access for Henry. An automatic electric door in his bedsitting room allows him to come and go as he wishes.

“We wanted to avoid anything that looks like a hospital,” says Martin. “It’s possible to create large circulation spaces and living spaces in a way that people don’t notice; they just see that it’s generous.”

‘‘

Like many houses of the era it had been designed to a pattern design, and plonked on the site. But these old buildings are built well, and they’re adaptable