Hidden Extension

The client is a busy family who needed a better homeworking environment and a more sociable kitchen. By squeezing in the extension along the former side access, a generous kitchen and dining space is achieved with lovely garden views. This freed up the old kitchen to accommodate office and laundry space, with the old side entrance converted to a tiny shower. A new side entrance was created, as well as a route from the office to the kitchen. A dog gate slides out from under the kitchen island and the flat segment of the extension roof provides ladder access, with ladder hooks, for maintaining the solar panels on the main house. The connection to the mature garden was further invigorated with a patio and a generous set of stairs in ceramic tiles leading down to a large pergola. Built in stained timber, the pergola hosts a landscaped roof with logs and stones. It has also been seeded with local flora, which local sparrows eat with delight. To the rear, the extension is clad in brown zinc which stands as a backdrop to the lushness of the garden, while marking itself as a distinct new form. The need for demolition was minimised with only a small section of the existing side wall removed to create the open plan kitchen. All other structural walls were retained and the removed brickwork was reused on site. The old brick wall and the new steel has been left exposed in the kitchen as a witness to the spatial transformation. Overall, this tightly packed addition will give a much loved home many more years of good use.