Before & After - Derelict Basement to Self Contained Flat
Christian Builders Margate Ltd
5 years ago
This project is part of a larger refurbishment, however, by concentrating on the basement first and getting it completed - the clients can rent this out whilst the rest of the refurbishments take place!
The basement of this period townhouse was dark, damp and derelict. It had no immediate access to the garden, and was unliveable. We have since reconfigured the layout to give them a self contained flat with direct access to the garden. It has it's own private street entrance, a double bedroom with an ensuite, a storage room, a separate WC and an open kitchen and living room with it's own utility room! By adding steps up to the garden and a sky light, it makes the whole space much brighter and you wouldn't think you were in a basement!
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One piece of advice you wish you'd known before buying a house?
Comments (103)Remember that Rome wasn't built in a day.. Neither the house you want to make a home... If the house feels right. With your Head and your heart, location. Then if it's the house for you it will work.. Move in and adjust each day... Yes you can put your Mark on the house, yes it will be your HOME... But live with it for at least a short while.. Don't be hasty to paint.. See where the sunshine..shines...See where it makes dull on a dark day...So you Can add a mirror maybe to reflect the daylight.. Don't make the pennies stretch any further than they are.. Remember that sadly the bills have to come first..!!!.... Improvise pieces to fit and...if you have to save for the right item....Then save..!!! it will be more practical in the end , rather than buying for the sake of it and having to buy another a few months down the line... Don't fill every room with furniture.... My biggest mistake... Use a piece like a sideboard and think practically the uses.... Is it big enough.. One more draw or cupboard would have better than two smaller ones...don't be afraid to add old stuff that we all now reuse..paint it ...add your own art work... It's a long journey.. To find the destination of all your dreams... And when you feel you have achieved what you have done...then sit back and enjoy all your hard work. And live in your HOME... Enjoy. Relax.. And above all have fun......See MoreAdvice needed on new kitchen/family room extension
Comments (27)Check list for kitchen planning may help. Planning a Fitted Kitchens Step 1: Getting Started Designing the most important room in your home requires careful planning. So, before you do anything else there are some key questions to ask yourself. As you do so keep a record of your ideas so you can refer back to them as your project progresses. Step 2: How and when you want to use the space What do you and don’t like about your existing kitchen. What really works for you in the current kitchen layout and what frustrates you? The negatives are just as important as the positives as they can help you form a clear idea of what you do or don’t need in your new fitted kitchen. Step 3: Key areas of the kitchen There are four vital zones that will create a natural and efficient flow to your kitchen design; cooking, food preparation, sink and storage. However, increasingly kitchens are used for all types of activity. Do you need a room that can cope with the rigours of a busy family? Are you going to dine in your kitchen? If so, plan enough room for a dining table, breakfast bar or island is a great place to congregate. You may be a keen cook and if your cooking for a large family a range cooker may figure in your plans along with plenty of worktop space. You may want turn your kitchen into a open-plan design in which case a area to relax, and room for a sofa and TV may be important. Ultimately, it’s your kitchen, and the most important thing is how you and your family are going to use the space. Design the space and features (must have items) around the activities that will take place in your kitchen, and most of all ensure you match your kitchen to your lifestyle. Step 4: Finer details As you become clear on the demands you will be placing on your new kitchen make a wish-list of your preferred products and materials. From a practical perspective consider what you will require from you appliances, worktops, storage solutions and sink and tap. You may already have a look in mind of the kitchen in terms of colour, style and finish, but it’s a great idea to gather ideas from magazines or websites. Enjoy creating a scrap-book with cuttings of furniture, flooring, taps, even paint finishes, crockery or vases- anything that inspires you. Even just images with right ‘feel’. Step 5: Budget With a kitchen the cost of key elements such as appliances, units and worktops can vary dramatically. For instance, appliances may account for a considerable percentage of the total cost of the kitchen, however if branded top-end ovens, hobs and extractors are specified this percentage can escalate dramatically to become the most expensive element of the project. Similarly the choice of worktops materials and door material may increase the budget substantially. There may be areas of the project where you may have to be prepared to consider a compromise to stay within your budget. Step 6: Layout As a rule of thumb this will be dictated by the existing dimensions of you room, or you may be lucky enough to be planning to extend. If you are extending you amy wish to consider an open-plan kitchen to seamlessly link through to the living area. Whatever the shape there are clever design options that will ensure you can make the most of the space available to you. Even in a tight space a clever designer can still work miracles....See MoreBasement Refurbishment - Useless Space.... now a Wetroom & Sauna
Comments (13)And having a glass door on the loo is an excellent way to sit on the toilet and still maintain eye contact with those in the gym, studio, self contained flat, office, salon, etc. What an ingenious way to grow out of your inhibitions and do away with old taboos your guests might be bringing into your home....See MoreAdvice needed - kitchen and living layout w extension, mid-terrace
Comments (18)Been thinking about this one overnight:- ( i have a sad life! all say ahh ) You do not have to have a window to call it a habitable room, however, I believe there is a building control requirement for the room to be vented through another, check that out. So, in short, yes the bedroom could be moved and not have 'windows' . I don't know the arrangement of the wall top left that goes in to the garden area, but bear with me. ............ would it be better to have a separate Galley kitchen? I would prefer so. Is there a possibility of a window far top left? A stud wall only takes up 4" so not a great deal of space, plus it would make the lounge / diner look a lot nicer without seeing the kitchen on view permanently & of course you get a longer kitchen run. ( I think the proposed one is too small ). Plus you gain a wall to the lounge area, always handy for furniture placement, as this is what is lost in an open plan arrangement. I also changed the bathrooms round as previously suggested, and had the entrance in the hallway for the second one. Please bear in mind as a said before:- Not to scale - don't have dimensions as had to guess, but on the face of it, likely do'able. I like running plans through estate agents...........ones that I know well and trust as I know they'll give me their honest opinion on what would infinitely give a better price on re-sale. Contained living and dining with separate kitchens, good sized bedrooms etc. So do ask one. Estate agents are handy, they will want you to get more for the property because, if they smell a sale, they get more commission! Roughly where i was going with this after some sleep!Of course, if you still want to go open plan with the living / dining/ kitchen, then lose the top wall and maybe consider a door system to open and close for entertaining purposes - No doors, fully open plan .with doors!...See More
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5 years agolast modified: 5 years ago- PRO
Christian Builders Margate Ltd
5 years ago 
PROEssex and London Construction ELC
3 years ago
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