LOST IN SPACE
The transformation of a tiny Edinburgh flat into a family home is
a masterclass in maximising every bit of available room
Louise and Martin McBride’s transformation of a Victorian apartment in Edinburgh wasn’t so much a renovation project as a conjuring trick. The result is quite an illusion and extremely impressive – a tiny flat has been turned into a light, airy and spacious three-bedroom family home. They tackled this project straight after finishing a major renovation of their previous home – a former grain store and stable in rural Perthshire – having relocated to Edinburgh to be close to Louise’s family when she was pregnant with their first child. Although they are both architects, founders of Edinburgh-based Urban Creatures, even they felt they’d taken on too much.
‘When we first saw the property the windows were boarded up and our hearts sank!’ says Louise. ‘It had lain derelict for a few years and had dry and wet rot as well as collapsed ceilings. There were holes in the floor, it had vermin and the toilet was sitting in the middle of the hall – it was horrific. But that was 10 years ago, during the housing boom, and we kept missing out on properties. So we decided to go for it even though it was tiny and we didn’t want a flat – we were after a house for our growing family,’ she says.
‘But it did have a front and back garden and lots of potential.’
In the event the couple bought the flat for £200,000 and set about the transformation in two phases. The first involved knocking the original bathroom, dining room and tiny kitchen into one, forming a large dining-kitchen area. ‘One of my pet hates is walking into a house and not being able to see through to the garden,’ says Louise.
During these works a surprise was in store in the shape of an internal drainpipe in the small kitchen lean-to. This had been pouring water into the building every time it rained. ‘All the mortar had been washed away and the stone was disintegrating, so the back was unsafe,’ explains Louise. ‘Our original intention had been to put a future extension on the other side of the kitchen but, when we discovered the stone damage it made sense to create the opening there instead and remove all the damaged masonry. It actually turned out to be a better decision as the kitchen was easier to plan.’
Embarking on phase two of their redevelopment became necessary when Louise became pregnant with their second child Joseph, and it was clear a third bedroom would be needed. Converting the existing lounge into a master bedroom and turning a cupboard into an ensuite,
as well as extending the living area, provided the solution. ‘We wanted the new extension to be minimal, not too fussy,’ says Louise. ‘The best views at the back of the house look diagonally across the garden. We can’t see any other buildings, just other gardens and high trees. You’d never know it’s just 10 minutes from Edinburgh city centre, so we designed the large corner-to-corner glass window to take in this view.’
Additionally, and crucially, a large rooflight has also been fitted into the middle of the living area. ‘They allow in 30 per cent more daylight than a standard window and, as the kitchen was internal, we wanted some light from above to bounce into the space. It’s actually opaque glass and it glows,’ Louise explains. The couple designed a white rendered boundary wall to reflect daylight into the extension and did a lot of the building work themselves – Martin was a carpenter/joiner before becoming an architect. During the past few years they’ve landscaped the garden to make it as low maintenance as possible. Finishing touches were added internally: ‘I’m a huge fan of Habitat so the house has lots of items I’ve bought there over the past 20 years. It was great to bring the black wire and glass Habitat dining table out of storage as at last I had a kitchen big enough to hold it.’
The renovation cost about £110,000 and has significantly increased the value of the flat, which is now worth around £400,000. The family lived at home during the work. ‘It’s far from ideal staying on a building site with young children,’ says Louise. ‘But now they have their own den – a small area under the stairs to the flat above that they use as their video games room.
‘We’ve employed every trick to create more room. Though it’s a small flat, by extending at the back and creating open-plan spaces with direct access to the garden, it feels a lot bigger than it is.’