Communal home with wow factor

The client’s brief was to develop a detached home with a triangular piece of land to the side, and redesign the flow of the house to accommodate modern family living. 

The property was in its original condition, the triangular piece of land was doing little more than collecting windswept rubbish, and the layout was segregated and unsuitable for a young family

Minor amendments to the dormer were required to make the rooms more usable, with the final layout comprising a kitchen, dining room, day room, family room, and parlour. The final design had to maintain a ground floor lavatory and access to the garage.

We improved the family room by providing maximum size bi-fold doors, making use of the garden as an additional space, and forming a parents’ parlour.

The small kitchen was converted into a walk-through utility connected to the open plan kitchen, breakfast area and dining area, linked to the family room with internal doors. Family events could now spill into the new and family areas, while the parlour remains a quiet space for parents.

The main challenge was the shape of the area to be extended into. When any building is not square, the costs and design challenges are increased, as bricks, windows, roofs and tiles are designed to work best at 90 degrees. Specialist materials need to be used instead, raising the build cost. 

By designing the building in small sectional squares and vaulting the ceilings, we were able to maintain development pace and control costs, while still providing the desired wow factor.

The initial design of the triangular area would have resulted in an awkward-sized space. So we redesigned it to produce a stepped square extension with vaulted ceilings and bright, zonal roof lights  – without any need for separating walls.