Room Tour: Building a Big, Light Extension in Time for a New Baby
With only three months until the due date, the race was on to get this extension completed for its pregnant owner
Every building project has a deadline: people want the work finished in time for Christmas or to tie in with the rental on a temporary property. Few deadlines, though, feel as pressing as the imminent arrival of a baby, but that was the challenge Michael Parinchy of Probuild360 faced with this job.
By the time work was ready to start on extending this Warwickshire home – in order to add a bright dining area with a high ceiling and modern glazing – the owner was six months’ pregnant. But the situation didn’t faze Michael. “It wasn’t a problem at all,” he says. “We promised the owners we’d be finished on time and we were. They were settled back in the house by the time the baby was born.”
By the time work was ready to start on extending this Warwickshire home – in order to add a bright dining area with a high ceiling and modern glazing – the owner was six months’ pregnant. But the situation didn’t faze Michael. “It wasn’t a problem at all,” he says. “We promised the owners we’d be finished on time and we were. They were settled back in the house by the time the baby was born.”
The house before. There was access to the large garden via glass doors in the kitchen and a back door.
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When the owners first contacted Michael with the idea of building a large rear extension, they were not expecting a baby, but fairly soon after, the wife became pregnant.
“By the time the details of the proposed project were sufficiently developed to be ready to start, they were six months into the pregnancy,” Michael says. “The choice then was to put it off for a year or two until the new arrival was settled and then initiate the works, or go for it and hope to be settled into the house with the extension done before the baby arrived. We told them we would do it, they put their faith in us and went for it, and we delivered.”
At the start of the process, the owner had sketched a plan of what she thought would work. “So we had something to go on,” Michael says. ProBuild’s director (and Michael’s dad), Bahram Parinchy, then met with the owners to work up the plans.
“He gave plenty of advice for how to modify the design for a better result,” Michael says. “He really takes pride in making recommendations that will enhance outcomes and give proper value for the owners.”
“By the time the details of the proposed project were sufficiently developed to be ready to start, they were six months into the pregnancy,” Michael says. “The choice then was to put it off for a year or two until the new arrival was settled and then initiate the works, or go for it and hope to be settled into the house with the extension done before the baby arrived. We told them we would do it, they put their faith in us and went for it, and we delivered.”
At the start of the process, the owner had sketched a plan of what she thought would work. “So we had something to go on,” Michael says. ProBuild’s director (and Michael’s dad), Bahram Parinchy, then met with the owners to work up the plans.
“He gave plenty of advice for how to modify the design for a better result,” Michael says. “He really takes pride in making recommendations that will enhance outcomes and give proper value for the owners.”
The first key piece of advice to the owners was around the size of the extension. “We’ve noticed that owners often forget about the thickness of external cavity walls,” Michael says. “If you want an extension that’s 4m across, you start thinking about a 4m space you’re going to be living in. But because you have to take off 300mm for one wall and 300mm for the opposite wall, you end up with a 3.4m space.”
Because of this, the finished design is slightly bigger than the owner’s original sketch.
Because of this, the finished design is slightly bigger than the owner’s original sketch.
The other very important change was including the large picture window and apex glazing to the rear. Originally, the owners had planned to have doors here, in addition to the glazed doors on the side. Bahram pointed out that bifold doors have frames that break up the view.
“He recommended this big picture window, which is a fixed pane,” Michael says. “The access is on the side, and then there’s this panoramic window to the rear with the glass apex at the top. There’s almost no wall on that elevation. It turns the whole garden into a beautiful landscape painting.”
With the doors on the side and three rooflights also installed in the extension, the space is always light and bright.
“He recommended this big picture window, which is a fixed pane,” Michael says. “The access is on the side, and then there’s this panoramic window to the rear with the glass apex at the top. There’s almost no wall on that elevation. It turns the whole garden into a beautiful landscape painting.”
With the doors on the side and three rooflights also installed in the extension, the space is always light and bright.
The brief had always included having a clear division between cooking and entertaining zones. “The owners wanted their new space to be open to the kitchen, but with some elements of separation,” Michael says.
As such, there’s no door to the kitchen, only an opening seen here to the left of the internal glazing. The wood door to the right leads to a utility room and cloakroom. This is where the back door into the garden was originally.
As such, there’s no door to the kitchen, only an opening seen here to the left of the internal glazing. The wood door to the right leads to a utility room and cloakroom. This is where the back door into the garden was originally.
This before shot shows the original, much smaller dining area, with two tall, narrow windows and a door through to the utility area and back door.
Where there was previously a narrow window, there’s now a wide opening to the extension from the kitchen. The glazed door, just seen on the right of the image, sits in the original extension’s external wall.
Michael fitted a steel-framed internal window where the other narrow window in the rear wall was originally. This creates a visual connection between the main part of the ground floor and the extension.
“Everyone wants to go very open-plan, but the structural elements of the building often mean you have a nib or a pillar or something still remaining,” Michael says. “We tend to say, if the new opening isn’t going to be used as a walk-through, glaze it and you have this nice internal window. It’s a great solution.”
“Everyone wants to go very open-plan, but the structural elements of the building often mean you have a nib or a pillar or something still remaining,” Michael says. “We tend to say, if the new opening isn’t going to be used as a walk-through, glaze it and you have this nice internal window. It’s a great solution.”
The internal glazing helps daylight flow into the original part of the house and gives long sightlines through to the garden.
Michael and his team also organised the interior design of the new space, including its flooring and radiators. “We’ve integrated into our business all the interior design and installation of all finished spaces,” he says.
There’s a comfy armchair by the large picture window. “You can sit and look out on the garden,” Michael says. “The room is a bit of a hybrid space, but certainly getting together and eating there is its main role.”
A tall, charcoal grey radiator echoes the vertical lines of the window frame.
New England oak design luxury vinyl parquet in Toffee, Invictus.
A tall, charcoal grey radiator echoes the vertical lines of the window frame.
New England oak design luxury vinyl parquet in Toffee, Invictus.
Michael was always confident his team could get the work done before the owners had their baby. “We have a fully integrated workforce, which is quite unusual, so all the core trades are in-house,” he says.
It meant he was able to reassure the owners there would be no delays. Not surprisingly, both are delighted with the extension, and also with the whole planning and build process. “People said to me, you must be crazy starting a project this big when you’re six months’ pregnant,” the wife says. “I said, no, it’ll be fine, and it was fine. I didn’t find the process stressful because the communication was good. I think the fact that Probuild could manage everything for us … made it as stress-free as possible.”
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It meant he was able to reassure the owners there would be no delays. Not surprisingly, both are delighted with the extension, and also with the whole planning and build process. “People said to me, you must be crazy starting a project this big when you’re six months’ pregnant,” the wife says. “I said, no, it’ll be fine, and it was fine. I didn’t find the process stressful because the communication was good. I think the fact that Probuild could manage everything for us … made it as stress-free as possible.”
Discover why you should hire a professional who uses Houzz Pro software.
Tell us…
What do you like about this light, spacious extension? Let us know in the Comments.
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Who lives here? A couple and their young child
Location Bidford-on-Avon, Warwickshire
Property A detached house
with four bedrooms and one bathroom
Room dimensions Approx 4.5m wide x 6m front to back
Design and build Michael Parinchy of ProBuild360
Photos by ProBuild360
The owners moved to this detached new-build house with a large garden in 2017, but always felt it wasn’t really big enough for their needs. They love inviting friends and family round to eat and socialise together, so having a big space that could hold a large table was their ultimate ambition for the property.
The home’s original layout included a single-storey extension to the rear, which is home to the kitchen (seen here to the left of the new extension).