Buying your first home is always a significant milestone. But what if the house you’ve bought is in terrible shape, and you need to reconfigure the space to fit your needs?
That’s precisely the challenge faced by a couple who recently purchased a semi-detached house in Carshalton, Sutton. The property had a back extension, but the interior needed some love. The couple also had a new addition to their family, so they needed a home that would accommodate their changing needs.
To address this challenge, the couple enlisted the services of Shuahra Rahman, architect from Pride Road Sutton and Kingston. Shuahra led a full-day workshop after drawing up the existing ground floor and first floor plans. The house had five bedrooms, a downstairs loo, and several rooms at different angles. The staircase was also in an impractical location, and the back of the house was very dark. The fireplaces had been inactive for some time so the clients also wanted to remove the chimney breasts.
Shuahra came up with three options for the ground floor.
The first option was to remove the chimney breast from the front formal living room, relocate the stairs closer to the front door, widen the front door opening, and create a large open kitchen dining space. She also suggested replacing the existing external doors, removing the chimney breast in the living room, and including a utility off of the kitchen. She proposed utilising the storage space to make a larger WC and shower.
The second option involved reconfiguring the kitchen to the other side, an island and a banquette seating area as well as a play area for the baby. Shuahra suggested including a utility off of the kitchen and a WC in the dark area of the house to one corner.
The third option involved making the WC shower room slightly bigger, so you enter the study from the hallway instead of through the extended room. The kitchen would be in its original area in the house, with a lovely island.
On the first floor, Shuahra reconfigured the space by having the master bedroom at the front with an en-suite, another bedroom at the back, a family bathroom at the back of the house, and a single bedroom on the end with another bedroom. She suggested having four bedrooms upstairs, with an en-suite and a walk-in wardrobe off of the main master bedroom at the front of the house. The second option explored where to put the walk-in wardrobe and en-suite, moving their location to the front of the house and having the family bathroom at the back.
At the follow-up meeting, the couple was happy with the ground floor plan and decided to go with option three for the reconfiguration. We discussed making the bathroom slightly bigger and having the door come off of the main hallway into the study to make it more efficient. They also had conversations about where beams would and columns would potentially go, and how it would look physically in the space. Shuahra suggested updating the roof lights and the existing windows, which wouldn’t require planning.
In conclusion, Shuahra Rahman’s project for the couple’s semi-detached house was a success.
The couple now have a design that meets their changing needs and fits their lifestyle. The reconfiguration will create a functional and efficient layout that will make their everyday life easier.
"We were really overwhelmed when we first saw the state of our new home, but working with Shuahra from Pride Road Sutton and Kingston was a game-changer. She understood our vision and came up with three fantastic options for our ground floor layout. She was always available to answer our questions and took the time to explain every step of the process to us. We are thrilled with the final design and can't wait to see it come to life!"
Customer
"It was a pleasure to work with this lovely couple on their house project. The existing space had its challenges, but we were able to create a functional and efficient layout that meets their changing needs. I'm thrilled that they chose option three for the reconfiguration, and I'm confident that it will make their everyday life easier. It's always rewarding to see our designs come to life, and I can't wait to see this one completed!" - Shuahra Rahman
Pride Road
