Jorge Morley-Smith and Carin Söderberg beloved their Nineteen Seventies townhouse in Sevenoaks, Kent, however the fashion of the three-storey home meant the bottom ground was dedicated to a storage and carport area, with the dwelling areas on the flooring above.
“We felt we wished to create some ground-floor area that may be centred across the kitchen and which might permit us to entry and join with the backyard,” says Carin. “Additionally, now we have two kids, Elliot, 16, and Elsa, 14, and all three of our bedrooms have been on the highest ground, which felt a bit crowded.”
When a home of the identical fashion – however on a nook plot and with a much bigger backyard – throughout the highway got here up on the market, the couple instantly noticed its potential for being prolonged. Across the identical time, Carin, as a daily reader of Homebuilding & Renovating, was leafing by means of the pages of the journal and beloved the texture of an extension that architect James Dale had designed.
The article additionally talked about he labored with a restricted price range, and that he had a sensitivity in the direction of the identical kind of Nineteen Seventies homes. The couple duly contacted him and on their first assembly they instructed him what they wanted, space-wise, and shared concepts about how they could obtain that.
Challenge particulars
- Location Sevenoaks, Kent
- Challenge Extension/renovation
- Home kind Nineteen Seventies finish of terrace
- Measurement of extension 25sq m
- Construct route Self project-managed
The transient
“The shoppers’ transient known as for a reimagining of the property, with one of many key factors being the necessity for a circulation to the home that made sense, with communal areas,” says James. “On the bottom ground, the main focus was on making a spacious kitchen and eating area, with connectivity to the backyard. On the higher flooring the transient requested for the creation of an extra bed room, lavatory and devoted workplace area.”
“These homes supply numerous flexibility by way of how they’re constructed structurally and that afforded us the opportunity of excited about how we’d change it to align with our imaginative and prescient,” says Jorge. “And that imaginative and prescient included flipping the place of the staircases to boost the inner circulation and maximise the obtainable area. We even toyed with the concept of a spiral staircase however determined it was impractical.”
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Underground issues
Planning permission for the undertaking was accepted on first software however earlier than the construct might begin, the invention was made that the home had been constructed over a sewer, which delayed the beginning of development by a few months. The largest concern, nevertheless, was one among price range.
“The Ukraine invasion had simply begun and all of a sudden the price of supplies went by means of the roof,” says Jorge. “We needed to take it month by month to see how far our cash would take us.”
The truth that the undertaking was really accomplished owes loads to how hands-on the couple have been in the course of the construct. Jorge carried out many of the carpentry, in addition to kitchen set up, whereas Carin took on the adorning.
“Jorge additionally project-managed the construct, which meant he needed to rapidly study the required expertise to allow him to know the drawings and talk successfully between the architects, engineers and builders,” says Carin
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House in abundance
The couple are comfortable to credit score James as the true mastermind of the transformation, which centred round rising the scale of the earlier two-storey extension and changing the present floor ground storage.
The impact was to maximise the area obtainable throughout the property by bringing this space into the primary home and including a brand new bathe room, music room and retailer for bikes, sports activities and outside tools plus instruments.
To create a surprising open-plan dwelling area on the rear of the property, containing a brand new kitchen, pantry, eating and seating area, a putting new timber-framed ingredient was added – this pavilion-type glazed construction delivers a brilliant, welcoming area with views out over the big backyard surrounding the property. The brand new ingredient seamlessly opens onto a rear terrace making a welcoming indoor-outdoor dwelling expertise.
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Household advantages
And it isn’t simply the brand new aesthetically pleasing components which have improved on a regular basis life for the household.
“The renovation has supplied the household with helpful areas they didn’t have earlier than, corresponding to a separate workplace and utility room whereas the youngsters have their very own area on the highest ground, plus the room sizes are elevated,” says Carin. “I simply suppose we’ve managed to create a typically pretty really feel to the entire home, and it has a peaceful vibe.”
There’s additionally a sense of naturalness right here that’s largely right down to the selection of supplies. “When James first got here to see us in our previous home, he cottoned on to the truth that we had numerous plywood furnishings and he cleverly integrated plywood options throughout the home, which we love,” says Jorge.
One of many extra putting examples is the Kerto beamed ceiling within the kitchen-diner the place its recessed squares create the proper niches for the minimalist mild fittings.
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Materials decisions
Together with sustainable options was additionally a part of the couple’s ethos, therefore underfloor heating was put in all through the bottom ground.
“Fortunately we didn’t want to emphasize this side because it was pushed by the architects,” says Carin. “They care in regards to the atmosphere and it exhibits within the supplies James designs with and the effectivity ranges he strives for.”
James himself clearly considers the undertaking a convincing success: “The design has restructured the property, enhancing circulation, performance and character. Consequently, it has given the household a house that celebrates the essence of the unique structure in a up to date means, creating an atmosphere that completely fits their evolving wants,” he says.
From the architect
“Timber-framed extensions supply a singular mix of sustainability, craftsmanship and design flexibility, bringing a heat and tactility that softens the transition between previous and new, creating an inviting atmosphere,” says undertaking architect James Dale.
“Structurally light-weight and robust, it permits for sooner, cleaner development and its adaptability makes it perfect for beneficiant glazing and open-plan layouts. A timber body additionally lends itself to decreasing waste and enhancing construct high quality.
Visually uncovered timber beams deliver character and depth to interiors, celebrating the fabric’s grain and texture. The consequence here’s a trendy, sustainable extension that feels related to nature whereas enhancing on a regular basis dwelling.”
Highlight on plywood
“The architect picked up on our love of plywood from bits of furnishings in our earlier home and ran with it for your entire design,” says Carin. “We didn’t know that various kinds of plywood might work collectively however we embraced the rugged end of the Kerto plywood structural beams and complemented it with matching spruce plywood for partitions and ceilings, and birch plywood for the carpentry and joinery.
“Plywood is the proper DIY materials as a result of you will get a great, pure timber end with out an excessive amount of fuss. We used it extensively on cills, skirting and architraves, and on varied bits of DIY joinery and Ikea hacks. Consequently, we realized a lot about this wonderful materials – the place to supply it, and the best way to minimize and end it.”
“This self-build journey wasn’t with out its challenges and it has taken two years of laborious work and stress to finish,” says Jorge. “However the end result has been a triumph and the house now we have ended up with delivers every little thing we wished.”
On account of the householders’ laborious work, this stunning property received the Finest Extension class within the Homebuilding & Renovating Awards 2025, in partnership with The Occasions and The Sunday Occasions. Should you loved exploring this home, you may additionally prefer to take a tour of this reimagined Nineteen Seventies bungalow that received Residence of the Yr.
