Tree Lane

The original 1980s bungalow had low ceilings and heavy eaves that blocked exterior views. While its layout clustered living spaces around a courtyard, high walls separated it from the mature garden. The first step was removing these walls and installing a flush patio to connect the house and garden, with a pergola and trellis preserving a mature vine and ensuring privacy. Inside, stripping out the low ceiling opened the living room and kitchen into the roof, creating a sense of space and providing walls for the client’s painting collection. New windows and roof lights, including a high-level triangular window, frame views of trees and sky, enhancing natural light and passive ventilation. A ground-floor bedroom was refurbished as a self-contained space with an ensuite, suitable for renting or future live-in care. A guest bedroom/office was added in the newly opened loft. A timber truss supports the retained concrete roof tiles and incorporates a balustrade for the bespoke timber paddle stair, with storage below. The red-brick cavity walls were lined with a superfoil quilt for optimal insulation and airtightness with minimal wall build-up. Woodfibre insulation was used for the roof, and the recently upgraded gas boiler was retained.