REMODELLED HOUSE

The dark-stained cedar cladding boards on the extension have been fitted at a 45-degree angle

S t e p p i n g o u t

Demolishing a garage and replacing it w ith a strik ing side extension has generated valuable space in this family home

W O R D S K A R E N W I L S O N P H O T O G R A P H Y K AT I E L E E

To avoid damage to the patio, the builder removed the sandstone slabs and replaced them when the work was finished

Once they had started a family, Nye and Emma Smith were keen to move back from Carlton, east

Nottinghamshire, to the West Bridgford area of the city where they had both grown up. ‘We wanted a project and this detached 1920s house ticked all the boxes,’ says Nye, 38, a director of business development for a cosmetics company, who bought the property in 2015 with Emma, 39, a market intelligence and strategy development manager. ‘It was a probate sale and very dated, but it was affordable and on the perfect road in the catchment area of some good schools,’ says

Nye. ‘It stood on a corner plot and had an integral garage on one side and a detached garage on the other, which we knew gave it scope for future extension.’

The couple and their son Huey, seven, lived with Nye’s mum for nine weeks during the refurbishment, which included knocking through the kitchen and dining rooms, replacing the bathroom and redecorating throughout.

Three years later, after the birth of their daughter Bea, five, they drew up plans for a 40sqm single-storey extension that would create a new living space opening off the kitchen. They considered knocking through into the integral garage next to the kitchen but, having lived in the house for a while, felt it made more sense to demolish the other garage instead and build the extension there. ‘We wanted to add a simple, modern box on the side of the house,’ says Emma. ‘This would also give better access to an underused area of the garden.’

The couple heard about Nottingham-based architect James Brindley of Design Haus Architecture via a network of local parents. ‘We didn’t want an architect who would get carried away with ideas and budget,’ says Emma. ‘James was really practical, he stuck to the brief and he wasn’t over the top with his suggestions.’

Nye had already drafted some rough plans. ‘I’d drawn the extension flush with the back of the house, but James stepped everything out by a metre to give the extension extra presence,’ says Nye. ‘He got the proportions just right, especially the ceiling height and the size of the openings and skylights.’ A f lat roof was chosen to streamline rainwater management, allowing the extension’s main walls to be uninterrupted by pipes.

To make the design easier to visualise, James used virtual reality headsets to give Nye and Emma a preview

‘We wanted a project,’ says Nye, ‘and this detached 1920s house ticked all the boxes’

I N B R I E F –L O C A T I O N West Bridgford, Nottingham T Y P E O F P R O P E R T Y Detached 1920s house B E D R O O M S 4 P R O J E C T S T A R T E D December 2019 P R O J E C T F I N I S H E D June 2020 S I Z E 185sqm P R O P E R T Y C O S T £372,500 B U I L D C O S T £150,000

In a quiet corner of the living area this blue mid-century armchair was an eBay find. The couple’s joiner repurposed some 1950s wardrobe doors to create the cupboard behind

of the project. Once the build was underway, the only element that changed was swapping a window for a bespoke bookcase wall. ‘We didn’t make any mistakes because it felt as if we’d already been inside,’ says Emma.

It wasn’t all plain sailing, though, as their first builder pulled out two weeks before the start date, resulting in a frantic search for a new contractor and a four-month delay. ‘It was all hands on deck to find a replacement,’ says Emma. ‘Eventually we struck lucky and met Charlie Walker, with whom we had a good rapport. It was a gamble as we didn’t view any of his work, but we’d had good recommendations and he did a great job, even building a temporary internal wall across the dining room so we didn’t have to move out while work progressed.’

Despite steel shortages, extreme weather and the challenges of Covid-19, the build took just six months. ‘Luckily the windows were installed a week before lockdown, making it watertight,’ says Emma. ‘We thought everything would grind to a halt, but as restrictions became clearer, there was a carefully planned schedule for the second fix, with only one trade in the house at a time.’

F L O O R P L A N S

BEDROOM

BEDROOM

BATHROOM BEDROOM

BEDROOM

FIRST FLOOR

GARAGE

UTILITY WC

KITCHEN LIVING ROOM

LIVING AREA

DINING AREA

PATIO

GROUND FLOOR

Emma and Nye relax in the living area, where a large jute rug softens the concrete flooring

Sliding doors lead out to a raised deck from the living area. The couple have owned the oak dining table for nearly two decades

A fireplace and hearth were removed, leaving a gap in the original parquet floor, which was filled with ceramic tiles in similar proportions

Double doors open up views from the living room to the garden. They also allow it to be screened off for privacy when required

In the living room window sits a Buddha from the couple’s first backpacking trip 20 years ago

A throw used as a wall hanging picks up the colours of the stained-glass windows at the top of the stairs

‘Luckily the windows were installed a week before lockdown, making it water tight’

Choosing the f looring was perhaps the couple’s most difficult decision. ‘We wanted a finish that would work with underf loor heating while complementing the parquet in the original part of the house,’ says Emma. ‘Rather than choosing modern parquet to blend in with the old, we opted for polished concrete in the extension which works really well.’

The project finished around £3,000 over budget, partly because deeper foundations were requested by Building Control due to a magnolia tree in the garden. The couple also spent slightly more than anticipated on new furniture. ‘I was diligent and made it a challenge every night to check on the finances,’ says Nye.

The couple agree that the extension has transformed their family life. ‘Each part of the house now has its own distinct purpose,’ says Emma. ‘The open-plan area is for reading, relaxing and playing games, while the old living room is more for TV watching in the evenings. The new extension will be a great party space and we can’t wait to enjoy it with our family and friends.’

The couple’s bed fits neatly into the bay window. Yellow accessories link the space to the living room below

In the first-floor family bathroom this mahogany chest of drawers has been adapted to hold two basins

PROJECT TEAM Architect Design Haus Architecture (designhausarchitecture.co.uk) Building contractor Walker Building Services (07917 006459) Garden landscaping Exigo Landscapes (07809 887750) STRUCTURE Windows and doors Casa Aluminium (07495 484666)

S U P P L I E R S

Joinery and bookcases Close Joinery (07432 273917) Cedar cladding Brooks Bros (brookstimber.com) FIXTURES AND FIT TINGS Kitchen Howdens (howdens.com) Bathroom Forrest Plumbing (forrestplumbingnottingham.co.uk) Flooring Carrcrete Polished Concrete (concretefloorpolisher.co.uk)

Lighting John Lewis (johnlewis.com), Made (made.com) Exterior stain Sansin (sansin.co.uk) FURNITURE AND ACCESSORIES Dining table, chairs, stools and coffee table Arthur Johnson & Sons (arthurjohnson.co.uk) Patio furniture La Redoute (laredoute.co.uk) Sofas Made, Long Eaton Sofas (longeatonsofas.com) Day bed Pash Classics (pash-classics.com)

Curtains Hillarys (hillarys.co.uk) Artwork Alarah Gee (tappancollective.com) Bed Dwell (dwell.co.uk) Kangaroo lounge chair Six The Residence (sixtheresidence.co.uk) Rugs Haz Interiors (hazinteriors.com), Benuta (benuta.co.uk) Desk Ikea (ikea.com) Landing wall hanging Slow Down Studio (slowdownstudio.com)

BATHROOM TAPS, SHOWERS AND ACCESSORIES HANDMADE, POLISHED AND PLATED IN ENGLAND WWW.SWADLINGBRASSWARE.CO.UK