‘We rebuilt our home’s extension’
This light-filled addition to a traditional house has a striking modern look
When Caroline and Gustavo Ordonez-sanz decided to leave London after living and working there for seven years, they chose to return to Caroline’s hometown of Stirling in Scotland. ‘We yearned for a less busy lifestyle, less commuting and more space for our growing family,’ says Caroline. They were lucky enough to buy a handsome, Scottish category C listed, Victorian semi-detached villa in a conservation area of the city.
CLEAR PLANS The property had been in the same family for more than a century and was in dire need of modernisation. ‘The layout of the main house was great, but the two-storey extension just didn’t work. We wanted to restore the house sympathetically but also wanted a modern, large space for our kitchen to suit our family. We found local architecture practice Paper Igloo (paperigloo.com) whose style was exactly what we wanted.’
ALL CHANGE Following a fairly straightforward planning process, the two-staged build began. The builders set to work demolishing the two-storey extension, replacing it with a new zincclad, single-storey extension constructed in an energy-efficient SIPS frame with high-performance windows and doors and an eco-friendly sedum roof. The main house also underwent a major upgrade and refurb with new heating, windows, insulation and decoration.
PERFECT ENDING ‘There honestly isn’t a room in this house that hasn’t been thought through ten times over! We get a lot of enjoyment from all of the rooms. But the extension is very much the heart of this family home every day. I’ll never tire of this space and in particular the glazed link between the revealed sandstone wall and extension which really allows you to appreciate the beauty of the original house.’