The Project
We were instructed to transform this dated 3-bedroom bungalow in a small town just outside of Peterborough, into a modern 5-bedroom family home, so you could say we had our work cut out! The initial survey consisted of studying the loft space, to see if a loft conversion would be feasible, and if so, this could easily provide enough space for two further bedrooms, and also taking measurements of the rest of the house so we could plan an internal reconfiguration. We also had to take dimensions of the existing garage building, which will be demolished and rebuilt to serve as a more useable space, as a garage on the ground floor and a recreational area above.
Interior and Exterior Transformation
One example of a very popular project is a single storey kitchen extension to enable the creation of an open-plan kitchen/dining/living space. This is exactly what our clients wanted, but they also wished for the extension to run across the entire rear elevation, meaning they could create a new bedroom too adjacent to the new, enlarged kitchen.
The existing bungalow consisted of 3 bedrooms, a kitchen, bathroom and living room (which we believe was a previously converted garage!). Our designs have now transformed the bungalow into a chalet-style property, with 5 bedrooms (3 of which are en-suite), a large utility area, an open-plan kitchen/dining and living also with a pantry, and plenty of useable space throughout the rest of the house to create studies, snugs or more storage areas! Our clients will now have a spacious family home which will accommodate all of their needs.
Our clients had an existing garage style building which was not quite up to the standard needed to store cars in, so we explored the idea of building a replacement garage using the same footprint as the existing garage, just raising the eaves to incorporate a large recreational area on the first floor. Not only does this offer a secure, water-tight space to store vehicles, but it also provides a quiet area completely apart from the main house which can also offer further storage if necessary.
Not only did our clients fancy an interior transformation, but an exterior modernisation was also on the cards and using our 3D architectural visualisation software we could provide multiple options for how to create an eye-catching exterior. With our software we are able to bring any ideas to life (within reason!) and we offered multiple design options for render finishes and cladding finishes, as well as a mixture of the two. Render finishes typically give a ‘clean’ modern look when white or cool off-white shades are chosen, whereas cladding can be used to give a traditional finish as well as a more contemporary flair when darker shades such as slate grey or black are selected. Utilising both materials we were able to create the perfect mix, our clients opted for a warmer white shade of render, combined with natural timber cladding for the porch, loft and sections on the rear extension, and also black cladding on the new garage surrounding the front window. The mixture of materials adds a very contemporary flair and will really add character to the property once the works are complete.
Submission to the Local Planning Authority
In some cases, building (or re-building) a garage can fall under permitted development, but as our clients wished to include space for storage above the ‘standard’ garage area, the height was exceeded to meet the permitted development conditions, so we submitted this under the same application as the single-storey rear extension and loft conversion. These home transformation works were submitted under a householder application, which covers most modest projects to a dwelling. The garage was in the curtilage of the house so this could also be accommodated in a householder application too.
We made sure to include several of our 3D architectural visualisation CGI’s to help planning officers visualise the ‘finished’ project, as well as sectional views, elevations and floorplans of all the proposed works. This project is currently still awaiting its decision, but has received positive feedback so far, and we cannot wait to see how this bungalow transforms over the year!
This project is a really good example of how the idea of an extension can go a long way into completely changing the blueprints of a house, and re-purposing an existing building to suit your needs. Loft conversions, if suitable, can offer the chance to create a large amount of space that would otherwise be untouched, and extensions can benefit many rooms in a house, as shown with this bungalow!
If you are looking to explore how you can get the best space out of your home, please do get in touch today for a free initial consultation.
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