Extended FAMILY
A rear extension transformed a small two-bedroom period property into an airy contemporary home
With a toddler constantly on the go and regular visits from family in New Zealand, Amy and Steve Waterman were struggling with a lack of space in their two-bedroom London flat. Then when Amy became pregnant with their second daughter, Lily, it was clearly time to consider moving.
‘As we wanted to stay in London we knew we’d have to renovate because house prices are so high,’ says Amy. ‘The idea of transforming a house exactly to our taste appealed to both of us, especially Steve, who’s an architect.’
The couple focused on finding a period property, preferring the characteristics of the traditional over the new. ‘I have an appreciation for older buildings, probably because they’re so hard to come by in my native New Zealand,’ says Steve. ‘And I think they’re often built better than newer housing.’
Soon the Watermans found a two-bedroom Victorian property a few miles from their flat. Although compact, it showed promise as the basement had already been converted into a living room and kitchen, and the end-of-terrace site was wider than the house. Steve saw the potential straightaway.
‘I knew we would be able to extend by building across the full width of the garden to create a good-sized kitchen/diner with a seating area,’ he explains.
But there were compromises too. The house had been modernised so many of the original features no longer existed and there was still the problem of their being just two bedrooms. However, the vendor was keen to sell and the price was good, so the Watermans bought the property and came up with a plan.
‘Turning the front room into a guest bedroom was a good solution,’ Amy explains. ‘Then we intended removing the kitchen from the basement and making the basement living room into a bigger, cosy evening space.’ The couple also wanted to reinstate the period features, fit a new bathroom and re-plaster and decorate the bedrooms. They decided to split the project into two, starting phase one immediately but saving up before beginning phase two, the extension.
Steve and a heavily pregnant Amy realised that living in the house during the renovation would be virtually impossible with a toddler so they moved into a short-term rental and employed builders. Added to this, Steve’s parents arrived from New Zealand for a holiday they’d planned months before.
‘We gave the builders four weeks and crossed our fingers,’ says Steve. ‘But they
discovered a significant damp problem in the basement and had to strip back the walls and floor to apply waterproof tanking and then re-plaster the whole space. They were incredible but the work ran over by a week so all of us – including my parents – moved in with Amy’s parents. It was very chaotic!’
During this time the couple sourced reclaimed panel doors and traditional skirting and cornicing for the bathroom and bedrooms. They painted over the stained mahogany window frames and architraves, and chose paint colours from Farrow & Ball, bringing an elegance back to the period home.
‘We wanted the house to feel like an old property but included contemporary elements to blend with the modern extension,’ says Amy.
At the end of the five weeks, the couple moved back in and, with the old kitchen gone, for six months made do with a temporary one the builders had set up in the lower-groundfloor living room while they saved up for the extension. Steve used the time to prepare plans and submit them for planning permission. His focus was on creating a room with a connection to the exterior.
Our garden faces north so getting the glazing right was really important,’ he says. ‘I chose IQ Glass because the company was able to supply
the 2.8-metre-high bifolding doors and windows with a slim frame within our budget.’
The planners approved Steve’s design in early 2015 giving the Watermans the green light to progress with the new extension and finally work began. Meanwhile Amy had been working on the kitchen design and layout.
‘I loved the look of the Shaker-style Plain English kitchens but they were too expensive,’ she says. ‘Burbidge offered a similar style, but at a much more competitive price, and I chose grey to contrast with the white walls of the modern architecture.’ The couple deliberated over the worktop material with Amy wanting marble at first but opting instead for marble-effect quartzite.
After six months the extension was finally finished. The whole experience was testing at times for the young family but the results are more than worth it.
‘Our home really works for our family now and has completely changed the way we live,’ says Amy. ‘The girls love sharing a bedroom and having Steve’s family to visit is much more comfortable for everyone. The extension is bright and light and the kids spend more time in the garden – the new addition has become the centre of our home.’