Daniel and Jolanta’s 1930s semi-detached home in Urmston requires both an extension and a redesign. This is to increase the property’s natural light, kitchen space and storage facilities, while optimising the interior and exterior to allow the family to live, work and play together.
The house sits on a corner plot and has a driveway and a conservatory to the rear, along with a small utility room extension. This means that the biggest portions of the garden are to the side and front of the property. As a result, Daniel and Jolanta have struggled to come up with ideas to redesign the internal layout while preserving their existing outdoor space. This is why they took action and booked one of Magda’s professional Pride Road Concept Design Workshops.
One issue raised by Daniel and Jolanta is that their large conservatory is too hot in summer and cold in winter. The couple made a request to remove the conservatory and restore it to a lawn where the children can play. They also wanted to keep their current home office, earmarking it as a valuable quiet space and working area.
A further key consideration was exploring how to extend to the rear of the property without blocking the light and views belonging to other rooms in the house. Stumped for inspiration? Try our handy tips for introducing more light into your home.
After listening carefully to Daniel and Jolanta and undertaking a thorough tour of the house, Magda decided that the best solution would be a rear extension that includes plenty of side windows to accommodate scenic garden views.
Front view of property
Aiming to stick within a tight budget, Magda drew up a selection of creative ideas to extend, redesign and improve the ground floor living space
All plans are to scale
Here, we would knock down the conservatory and extend beyond the current utility room extension, all the way to the back fence, ensuring that the office remains untouched. We would then create a small courtyard with window views opening on to a serene Japanese garden. Parking spaces would be moved from the rear to the front of the house.
However, this layout made it difficult to incorporate a much desired kitchen island, which is why Magda went on to explore further options to meet all of the family’s wishes. Looking for extension advice? We have all the answers you need.
This is where we looked at opening up the entire space to the rear of the property, while maintaining utility functions such as a washing machine and dryer.
This open plan, square layout would be able to accommodate a kitchen island while keeping a large and attractive side bay window intact. The office would be moved to a smaller extended space with a side window looking out into the garden.
A utility cupboard, rather than a room, would ensure that white goods are neatly stored, without encroaching on the new space. Need to understand more about the types of utility room?
In order to increase storage, we placed the kitchen island in front of the bay window and the dining table to the right hand side of the cupboards.
This would result in the kitchen itself being swapped to the other side of the room, meaning more space for cupboards, a longer island, a bigger office and room for bay window seating. We happen to know lots of other ways to help you maximise your kitchen space.
We made it our mission here to square off both the kitchen and bay window to the side, meaning the island could be even longer. Larder cupboards would then be installed in front of the existing office for food and crockery.
There would be space for a large kitchen table, perfect for festive gatherings, as well as extra cupboards fixed to the opposite wall. A utility cupboard would be neatly fitted along the wall and tucked behind the staircase.
Daniel and Jolanta were receptive to the ideas presented during the Concept Design Workshop and we were keen to deliver solutions that would benefit the entire family. For us, option four represented the best and most attractive of the four options. Our plans are hand drawn to scale so that both clients and builders can measure from them to get first cost estimates.
Now, Daniel and Jolanta will analyse our ideas, ask builders for ballpark prices and decide on the redesign that works best for them as a family. For our part, we will be happy to continue tweaking and adjusting the space to maximise it for them. If you need ideas on where to start with your extension project, we have information all about how to wisely invest in your home.
Daniel says:
“We were looking to remove our conservatory because it’s too hot and also try to reconfigure the inside of our house to come up with something more workable. We needed a utility room and more kitchen space.
“Magda came over and we went through everything together and we’ve come up with some good options to take to builders and see what we can come up with.”
Would you like to change your house to create more space, add light and increase functionality? Book a Pride Road Concept Design Workshop.
“We were looking to remove our conservatory because it’s too hot and also try to reconfigure the inside of our house to come up with something more workable. We needed a utility room and more kitchen space."
Daniel and Jolanta
“Magda came over and we went through everything together and we’ve come up with some good options to take to builders and see what we can come up with.”
"Daniel and Jolanta were receptive to the ideas presented during the Concept Design Workshop and we were keen to deliver solutions that would benefit the entire family."
"For us, option four represented the best and most attractive of the four options. Our plans are hand drawn to scale so that both clients and builders can measure from them to get first cost estimates. Now, Daniel and Jolanta will analyse our ideas, ask builders for ballpark prices and decide on the redesign that works best for them as a family. For our part, we will be happy to continue tweaking and adjusting the space to maximise it for them."
Pride Road
