On a referral, we were asked by clients in Lucan to suggest how to improve the layout of the living spaces and to examine the possibility of using a 40m2 (planning exempt) extension to do so. The kitchen was dark and required artificial lighting most of the day, throughout the year. The rear rooms had a poor connection with the garden and space was tight for a young expanding family of five.

Having carefully examined the clients needs and with a strategy of minimal intervention, we proposed a 24m2 extension with a lightwell / courtyard to one of the existing rear rooms. We can achieve everything the client needed in almost half the space. This obviously has huge budget savings, and allowed some extravagances which might otherwise have been impossible. For example, the ceiling of the extension rises gradually away from the rear of the house to a 3m high pair of sliding doors. With energy-efficiency in mind these have been specified to the Swiss Minergie standard and have a near passive house u-value.

The interior will consist of carefully considered built-in furniture, shelving and a reading nook window seat. Materials have been chosen for their warmth and texture – cedar cladding to storage and a brick-lined wall.

Status: On site
Completion: Oct 2013