Renovating
6 Great Ideas for Extensions from Our 2019 Tours
There are so many ways to extend a house. Start gathering inspiration for your project with these inspiring designs
From carving out space for a small utility room to creating a window seat that works inside and out, there are lots of clever ideas from Houzz architects and designers in this round-up. If you’re planning to extend in 2020, start clicking to save your favourite designs to your ideabooks.
The spot is also flooded with natural light, which works for both this part of the extension and the room behind it. “I wanted to get as much borrowed light as possible into the middle room,” Alison says, “so we positioned the rooflights [in the extension] as close as possible to the opening.”
See the rest of Alison’s home, along with before photos.
See the rest of Alison’s home, along with before photos.
Design in some shade
This part of the extension to a detached Victorian villa, designed by Ruth Campbell of Campbell Cadey, is multi-functional. The overhang above it provides essential shade inside the structure, which features a lot of glazing.
Browse the Houzz Professionals Directory to find local architects and building designers for your project.
This part of the extension to a detached Victorian villa, designed by Ruth Campbell of Campbell Cadey, is multi-functional. The overhang above it provides essential shade inside the structure, which features a lot of glazing.
Browse the Houzz Professionals Directory to find local architects and building designers for your project.
It also provides window seats both inside and out, with the exterior seat overlooking a courtyard featuring a firepit.
See more of this extension, including its clever broken-plan interior.
See more of this extension, including its clever broken-plan interior.
Consider cork
This modest extension features unusual cladding. “We wanted to be sympathetic to the area and not impact on the neighbours too much,” says architectural designer Richard Andrews, of Richard John Andrews, of his own Victorian terrace, pictured here after he renovated it.
“This influenced the form of the building and the materials we chose,” he says. One of these decisions was to use cork as cladding, for its aesthetic appeal as well as its durability and thermal performance.
“It works well with the London stock brick, and it’s also water-resistant,” Richard says. “Cork repels insects, too, so there’s no need to apply a chemical treatment or use an insect mesh beneath the façade to prevent nests.”
This modest extension features unusual cladding. “We wanted to be sympathetic to the area and not impact on the neighbours too much,” says architectural designer Richard Andrews, of Richard John Andrews, of his own Victorian terrace, pictured here after he renovated it.
“This influenced the form of the building and the materials we chose,” he says. One of these decisions was to use cork as cladding, for its aesthetic appeal as well as its durability and thermal performance.
“It works well with the London stock brick, and it’s also water-resistant,” Richard says. “Cork repels insects, too, so there’s no need to apply a chemical treatment or use an insect mesh beneath the façade to prevent nests.”
Richard also brought in the whole project at £85,000, including kitchen appliances and all fixtures and fittings.
Get more ideas from Richard’s design.
Get more ideas from Richard’s design.
Work with what you’ve got
Rather than rip down the existing extension and knock out the back wall of the house to create a totally open space, Daniel Rees of REES Architects took a more careful approach. He worked with the existing structure of this Victorian terrace and preserved some of the property’s charm.
Rather than rip down the existing extension and knock out the back wall of the house to create a totally open space, Daniel Rees of REES Architects took a more careful approach. He worked with the existing structure of this Victorian terrace and preserved some of the property’s charm.
By removing the window from the existing back wall and building the extension around this, Daniel created the feeling of an open-plan space while retaining two individual rooms.
This decision was practical as well as an aesthetic. “It costs quite a lot to demolish [walls] and put extra structure in,” he says, “so we came up with this solution to remain within budget, but also ensure the two spaces still felt connected.”
Read the full story of this unusual extension.
This decision was practical as well as an aesthetic. “It costs quite a lot to demolish [walls] and put extra structure in,” he says, “so we came up with this solution to remain within budget, but also ensure the two spaces still felt connected.”
Read the full story of this unusual extension.
Go half-width
A low-budget addition of just a few square metres vastly improved family life in this period terraced house. Rather than extending across the full width of the rear of the house, Nimi Attanayake and Neil Cockburn of nimtim Architects suggested a half-width extension.
A low-budget addition of just a few square metres vastly improved family life in this period terraced house. Rather than extending across the full width of the rear of the house, Nimi Attanayake and Neil Cockburn of nimtim Architects suggested a half-width extension.
In place of a compromised addition across the rear, the house now has a dining area with a garden view connected to the kitchen, plus a terrace. The outdoor space is accessible through patio doors on the side of the extension.
All in, the project cost just £65,000 – see how nimtim did it.
All in, the project cost just £65,000 – see how nimtim did it.
Slide away
Bifold doors are often the go-to for framing the view from your new extension. However, there’s a lot to be said for sliding doors as an alternative, architect Lizzie Ruinard of neighbourhood studio says.
Two large sliding doors mean there’s a mostly uninterrupted view of the garden from this post-war infill terrace. “I always recommend sliding doors, as bifolds have more divisions,” Lizzie says. “In this case, it looked quite neat to have one line down the middle.”
Bifold doors are often the go-to for framing the view from your new extension. However, there’s a lot to be said for sliding doors as an alternative, architect Lizzie Ruinard of neighbourhood studio says.
Two large sliding doors mean there’s a mostly uninterrupted view of the garden from this post-war infill terrace. “I always recommend sliding doors, as bifolds have more divisions,” Lizzie says. “In this case, it looked quite neat to have one line down the middle.”
Lizzie also reduced the size of the new kitchen a smidgen to create a utility room, tucked behind the splashback wall.
“If we’d taken the kitchen all the way back, it would have been quite dark and cavernous,” Lizzie says. “I pushed the skylight as far back as I could, flush with the house, so we could bring in as much light as possible, because that area is quite a long way from the window.”
Check out the rest of this extension and its kitchen-diner, including before photos.
Tell us…
Which of these homes has given you an idea you’d consider for your own place? Let us know all about your project in the Comments section.
“If we’d taken the kitchen all the way back, it would have been quite dark and cavernous,” Lizzie says. “I pushed the skylight as far back as I could, flush with the house, so we could bring in as much light as possible, because that area is quite a long way from the window.”
Check out the rest of this extension and its kitchen-diner, including before photos.
Tell us…
Which of these homes has given you an idea you’d consider for your own place? Let us know all about your project in the Comments section.
There are many ideas to admire in this extended Edwardian semi, but sometimes it’s the little details that can be the most transferrable to your own project.
Designer Alison Johnson of Otta Design, whose home this is, made good use of the entrance to her new kitchen from the middle room by adding recessed shelving and vertical lighting to the wall, seen at the back right of the room. “When friends are over, it’s nice, as it’s a sort of bar area,” she says. “It’s also a lovely focal point after dark when it’s all lit up.”