We were commissioned by our clients, a husband and wife with two young children, to design a loft conversion extension for their home in Cricklewood, London, NW2.
The property is a circa 1930s Victorian 3 bedroom semi-detached house with detached garage. The existing house had already been extended at ground floor but the layout of the kitchen was such that it was disconnected with the rest of the ground floor living spaces. The growing family needed additional living space as well as another bedroom.
Under Permitted Development we would have been able to extend to the side (half the width of the existing house) and extend to the rear an additional 1m (3m from the original house).
Note: In 2019 the 3m limit was subsequently changed to 6m from the original house. The new space created under PD would have been limited – the side return extension would have created narrow rooms, separated from the main living areas by the stair and entrance. The rear extension would have made a minor improvement to the existing usable space in the kitchen/dining room
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We initially developed two design options for a wrap around single storey extension:
a) Utilise the full width of the site to maximise the new width of the house and create an additional second living room.
b) Retain side access to the garden and a create narrower extension.
Additionally, we proposed to convert the existing loft and add a full with rear dormer extension to maximise additional floor area created at 2nd floor.
A wrap around style extension allows some radical improvements to the existing layout:
• The full width of the house is can be utilised as kitchen/living space at the rear and can be opened up to the garden.
• A free-flowing plan with interconnected rooms lets people to circulate easily and allows flexibility in the use of different spaces.
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Proposed Ground Floor
Proposed First Floor
Proposed Second Floor
The design was adapted further following client feedback to create an L-Shaped extension. We extended an additional 3m on one side to capitalise on the southerly aspect and create a protected courtyard. (The house is north east facing).
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The approved scheme provided an additional study, utility and an enlarged kitchen/dining/living (plus additional master bedroom and ensuite at 2nd floor).
Not only was this an improvement on the gain in floor area from a PD single storey extension (highlighted in green) but we were able to create a much better internal arrangement.
