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David Blaikie Architects was commissioned to update and improve this detached inter-war house located on an elevated, steeply sloping plot in Glasgow. The original house is a classic Art & Crafts-style clay tile cottage, which was in need of a contemporary upgrade.

The main brief for the project was to connect the living areas of the house with the large rear garden, which sat a full storey below the ground floor due to the unusual topography of the site. The team at David Blaikie Architects remodelled the internal layout, reinstating rooflights to encourage plenty of natural light and forming a bespoke oak library. They also added a two storey extension at the rear of the property to create an additional living space and garden room. The extension’s spectacular full-height, frameless windows take full advantage of the stunning views over Glasgow. They included large glazed doors at the foot of extension, to allow for the new garden room to spill out onto a cantilevered terrace, which allows the owners to make better use of the steeply sloping garden below.

The form of the extension is carefully proportioned and built using solid masonry walls and exposed timber beams. Informed by the palette of the original dwelling, the walls of the new addition are covered with white render and red brick so as to ensure the new addition fits perfectly with the old house.