Narrow WINNER
A conservatory isn’t always the best way to bring light into a dark space. This 1980s home could be transformed by a narrow rear extension, and at an affordable price, says Greg Toon
When Howard and Christine Moore bought their East Yorkshire home in the 1980s, they were looking for space for their growing family. They couldn’t afford a large period property, so this modern house was an excellent compromise. Over the years, the couple have made some small improvements – but they still have one problem to solve.
THE SET-UP
Lack of daylight is the biggest issue the Moores are dealing with, and the east-facing rear rooms are the darkest. In the kitchen, the units run across the rear wall, which means the window above the units has to be high up. As well as increased daylight, the Moores would like to have more dining space.
When upgrading, most people will add a conservatory – as the Moores have already done – or bifold doors. Both solutions improve the daylight, but cause other problems: compromising the layout of the rooms, reducing space for kitchen units and, in the case of a conservatory, becoming a distinctly separate space with climate issues.
Most of the ground-floor rooms – dining room, kitchen, utility and study – run along the back of the house. All have access to views of the pretty garden and the field beyond. A new rear extension can take full advantage of the aspect and, if done well, let more light into all four rooms for the same amount of glazing as used on the conservatory.
Most people envisage rear extensions as boxes that project about four metres into the garden. Thanks to relaxed permitted development rules, the full-width rear extension has become popular. Either way, extending out four-plus metres can compromise daylight in the original rooms.
Here, I’m proposing a mere 1.3-metre extension – so small that conventional wisdom might say it’s not worth the bother. In fact, it acts as a circulation route, allowing access to each of the back rooms, which are transformed and flooded with daylight. Their functions can spill into the new extension, giving a semi-openplan effect.
The dining space can now accommodate a table for up to 12 while the kitchen goes from being a tasteful but gloomy horseshoe to a modern, bright space, with the breakfast area under the new glazed roof.
Replacing the deep, dark space that once housed the breakfast table is a newly created larder and fridgefreezer recess. Overall, the kitchen facilities are expanded, and there’s also extra space for bookshelves, a dresser and a reading area with a log-burner.
This is an inexpensive and self-buildable solution: a simple foundation, brick plinth, some widened rear openings, off-the-shelf timber-framed windows and double doors.
Another option the Moores might like to consider would be to keep their existing conservatory and have a part-width extension.