When a young couple moved into a 1970s end-of-terrace townhouse in central St Albans, a commuter town less than 20 minutes from central London, they set to work creating their ideal family home. More than a decade later—and now with two children—they have finally brought that vision to life with a makeover by Feneley Studio.

The brief was to extend the ground floor, overcome the change in level across the site, and create a welcoming entrance hall with storage, a large kitchen for entertaining, and a “snug” that could be used to enjoy the garden. “We treated this as an ‘in-between’ space, which was key to the design,” says architect Simon Feneley.

“We wanted to modernize the house to make a family home that connected with the outdoor area that we didn’t utilize that much,” say the clients. “We also wanted to optimize the space on the ground floor and put in more storage in order to ‘hide’ the day-to-day of the two kids we have.”

The three-story house sits on a site that naturally slopes to the rear, with a dramatic change in level of roughly five feet over a short distance. While the couple had spent years beautifully furnishing their home with classic pieces and organizing the interior layout, the large drop of the site created a disconnect between the living space and the rear garden. It was this issue that the design team set out to address.

The solution was an extension that explored the corner of the home, taking advantage of the generous five-foot-wide side access. A corner window floods the interior with morning light and helps to reduce what the architect calls “the tunnel effect” created when an extension only has windows at the end. “We wanted the architecture to draw on different lights throughout the day,” says Feneley. “Daylight and the control of light is fundamental to our work.”

A series of vertical and horizontal slot windows draw light into the hallway and kitchen, and a dramatic frameless corner window is the centerpiece of the design. The garden is reached through slender sliding doors that open to three steps leading down to the terrace.

A large roof light positioned directly above the three steps that separate the kitchen/dining area from the living space forms a point of connection between the extension and the existing home. “It provides excellent daylight into the heart of the plan and provides skyward views of the treetops as you move through the dining space,” says Feneley.

It also acts as a “hinge” between the staggered levels of the extension, which were informed by planning restrictions on height.

Due to the height restriction, the decision was made to expose the roof joists—which had the added benefit of providing rhythm and increased height to the underside of the birch ply deck. “We designed the exposed roof joists with the structural engineer,” says architect Simon Feneley. “We sought slender sections and loved the idea of the house extension having a complete birch ply lid. The result is a ceiling that seemingly floats above the walls.”" layout="wide" credit="Photography by Hufton & Crow" photoUserId=""/>

The space within the corner window is an “in-between” space that seemingly hovers between the house and garden. “It offers the best of both worlds, yet brings them together,” says Feneley. “The finesse of the birch ply with the glimpse of the bronze cladding that folds back is a joy.”

During construction, a number of unforeseen challenges arose, particularly as the project was completed during lockdown, and the residents chose to live on the top floors while the ground floor was being redeveloped. “It was messy, and we had to move in and out at various stages,” recalls the client. “I’d be happy to never see another camping stove or small fridge for as long as I live.”

The existing floor also needed to be completely replaced, which added significant cost and time. Despite these challenges—and added costs—the client never compromised on the design, and worked closely with the builder and craftsmen to ensure all details were realized as intended.

“The extension is one of the most rewarding pieces of design we’ve ever delivered—and the no-compromise approach from the client has added to the wonderful results,” says Feneley. “The interior is stunning. It’s modest in size and finishes, yet the feeling of the space is difficult to describe. It just feels ‘so right.’ Sitting beneath the ply joists, looking back into the space is more rewarding to us than the view out. Everything came together, and more. It’s probably the closest to perfection we’ve achieved to date!”

This sentiment is shared by the clients. “The extension brings us utter joy,” they say. “The reaction people have when they first walk into the space makes us incredibly proud. Simon was sympathetic to the existing elements of the house that we wanted to retain, and it’s the gift that keeps giving.”

Related Reading:

A Clever Sunken Roof Fills a London Terrace House with Light

A Terrace Home in London Gets a Luminous Extension While Keeping a Low Profile

A Glass Courtyard Brings the Garden Inside a London Terrace House

Project Credits:

Architect of Record: Feneley Studio / @feneleystudio

Main contractor: Blue Brick & Steel

Structural Engineer:Constant Structural Design

Quantity Surveyor:Richard Collis

Approved Building Inspector: Quadrant Building Control

Kitchen Installation:Bulthaup St Albans

Photography: Hufton & Crow / @huftonandcrow

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