Two storey extension in Ilford, Essex

Although my work is predominantly in East Anglia, I am able to take on projects further afield thanks to modern communication. This two-storey extension in Essex presented some interesting challenges in terms of scale, light and privacy.

Dating back to the 1930s, the existing two-storey house is detached but it is quite small and has a raised garden to the rear. Houses of this vintage and this size are always in high demand but their smaller separate kitchens and dining rooms do not always make the best use of space.

The owners here were keen to create some more contemporary-style ground floor space, with an open-plan kitchen, dining and living area as the focal point of their family home. They also wanted a utility room leading on to the rear garden, where boots and noisy appliances could be kept away from the main living space.

Up on the first floor, they were hoping to improve the size of the master bedroom. For me, it was very important to ensure the scale of the extension did not dominate the existing house: it needed to be integrated carefully to sit well with the original building.

Consideration also had to be given to neighbouring properties in terms of right of light and maintaining privacy. I had to anticipate structural solutions at an early stage, such as how natural light could be brought into the spaces furthest from the external wall. As a result, I came up with a roof design to match the existing house but created a contemporary ground floor extension where the new section protruded further. Internally, the roof pitch enabled the kitchen, dining and living space to have skylight windows to bring the natural light flooding in.

The planners asked us to give consideration to the neighbours and so we positioned a dormer window on the far side of the property to give privacy. As a result, the application was approved and the planners went out of their way to commend the quality of the design

Building work is now underway.