In a sense, this house was made to be broken. When architect Walter Segal developed 13 homes in London’s southeast Lewisham neighborhood back in 1977, his intention wasn’t to cement his singular design vision forever. Rather, the timber-frame homes were created specifically to be self-built and infinitely redesigned and customized by the homeowners.

Before: Exterior

After: Exterior

Segal’s so-simple-it’s-genius construction method uses lightweight timber frames with panels that can be easily swapped in and out without involving permitting or trades. These modular walls allow even the most inexperienced renovator a chance to tweak and update their space to make it their own. The system also uses standard-sized materials at every opportunity, to minimize the need for cutting. Homeowners could just unscrew a wall here, and re-screw it there—it’s the ultimate Erector Set.

Forty-plus years later, the two cul-de-sacs in the area that bear his name (Walters Way and Segal Close) are rife with homes that have evolved dramatically from the original designs. One of the most recent and thrilling updates is courtesy of Jo Evans (artist by day, “self-builder” by night), husband Justin Allder (a filmmaker and educator), and their two sons Max (14 years old) and Tom (11). With the insight of London’s MAP Architecture, the family tackled an extension and refresh that breathes new life into a well-loved home.

Before: Living Room

After: Living Room

“Community-focused architecture is big in the U.K.,” explains Rob Mawson, partner at MAP. “The Walters Way project was very empowering.”

“My dad is an architecture journalist, so I had an awareness of the project before we ever bought the home,” says Jo. They’d given the home some surface-level updates back in 2015, but as the boys were growing, there was a need for more extensive changes to the house. (One son plays the drums, after all.) “We’d just run out of space,” she says.

Before: Kitchen

After: Kitchen

The architect and client also worked with Jon Broome, who had actually assisted Segal with the original design, so he was the perfect resource for "pushing the Segal philosophy further," as MAP’s website details. The adaptable design called for pushing out original panels to form larger rooms, and installing wall-to-wall slide-and-pivot glass doors to merge the interior living space with the deck and garden. “We wanted separate spaces we could be in,” says Jo of the new layout. The downstairs was formerly one big space, but the family was craving some privacy.

Before: Upstairs

After: Upstairs

The heating situation also needed to be dealt with. “The house was really drafty, a bit of an environmental disaster. We were heating the garden,” says Jo. A layer of eco-friendly wood fiber insulation and a new EPDM rubber roof upped the efficiency (and cozy factor) for the English home.

After: Hallways, Stairwells and Home Office Spaces

Having a just-right space to call their own in time for the pandemic was a stroke of luck the family appreciates—although, the way Segal designed the house, it’ll certainly be tempting to redesign it again in a few years time. “Their whole life, we’ve been ignoring the boys and building a house,” says Jo. “Tom learned to read on the signs in the builders’ yards. Now he’s enormous.”

Related Reading:

DIY Plans to Build the Home in the Film “Herself” Are Available for Free

Before & After: A London Home Doubles as a Cheery Work Space

Project Credits:

Architect of Record: Map Architecture / @map_architecture

Builder/General Contractor: Kris Building Services

Structural Engineer: Paul Owen Associates