In search of a bigger property with more outdoor space located closer to family, Becky and Rob Burr, along with their two children, Ewan and Doddie, moved from New Cross in South East London to Linslade, Bedfordshire in May 2018. They upgraded from a small flat with no garden to a large Victorian Hayloft, which had previously been converted, albeit poorly, into a habitable dwelling.

“It had a really big garden and, as it’s a historic building, was full of character,” says Becky. “However, it looked really ugly on the outside, with a very dark and impractical ground-floor layout on the inside.”

Despite these concerns, the couple could see huge potential in the property, so they got in touch with Simon Knight Architects to design a refurb and extension. “We wanted to create a comfortable and cozy modern family house, but also to retain as much historical character as possible,” says Becky.

Knight’s solution was threefold. The first step of the redesign was to analyze the existing ground floor to see how it could be compressed and made more efficient. The architect allocated more space to the living area in the middle of the floor plan, and devised a new entrance, utility space, and shower room at the front of the property. The second step was to replace the tired conservatory at the rear of the house with a full-width extension. The final part of the project was to look at different ways to showcase and express the original industrial building, while also improving its thermal performance.

‘The interesting thing about this project is that there isn’t a huge amount of additional footprint,” says Knight. “But in terms of efficiency, we’ve created a lot more usable space.” In total, only 75 square feet of new floor area has been added to the home—created by infilling the old entrance porch and creating a full-width extension at the rear. However, by dividing the garage in two, moving the entrance door to the front of the building, and getting rid of the lobby area in the middle of the home, an additional 290 square feet of previously wasted space has been freed up to allow for a new utility and shower space at the front of the house, a large lounge area in the middle of the home, and an open-plan kitchen and dining area at the rear of the property.

Before: Side Elevation

After: Side Elevation

The design team knocked down the poorly constructed infill brickwork on the western side of the building and replaced it with timber studwork, which has been filled with insulation, and they fitted aluminum panel cladding on top. Not only has the new wall construction improved the thermal performance of the building, but it also works to express the original arched structure, helping to celebrate the property’s history.

Before: Front Facade

After: Front Facade

The home’s entrance was moved from the side of the property to the front of the building, so now you enter the house via the street. New double-glazed uPVC windows, with an anthracite coating, replace the previous glazing. The old archway, where the hay would have originally been lifted up to, has been given the same aluminum cladding treatment as on the side elevation, and a new garage and front door completes the industrial-style look.

“When digging up the garage, our builders found beautifully ornate drains and stonework, where the horses would have originally been washed down,” says Becky. “So we recycled some of the original Victorian red brick on the steps leading up to our porch, lined the front of the house with the granite brick, and kept the drain made out of stone for use as a water feature for when we landscape the garden,” says Becky.

Before: Kitchen

After: Kitchen

The contractor found asbestos in a floating ceiling in the kitchen. Workmen had to down tools while it was removed correctly and safely, setting the build schedule back by about three weeks. The dated, country-style kitchen now features stylish, contemporary cabinetry from Howdens, a central island, and quartz worktops. A fixed structural piece of glass has been fitted into the roof terrace flooring above the kitchen, allowing natural light to flood the cented of the home. “It’s helped create a really nice, uplifting space,” says Becky.

Before: Conservatory

After: New Extension

The old, inefficient conservatory, built around the year 2000, has been replaced with a new contemporary extension that ties in with the existing parapet levels of the house and provides a generous dining space with high ceilings. Inspired by the home’s industrial origins, the team left key structural elements exposed, such as the timber roof joists and the steelwork, which has been painted in green to add a contemporary touch.

Before: Hallway/Entrance

After: Reading Nook

As the project progressed, the team uncovered many original Victorian architectural features, such as the stone gateposts on the side elevation. Rather than covering them up again, Becky and Rob chose to sandblast the walls and leave them exposed, adding character to the home’s interior.

Before: Roof Terrace

After: Roof Terrace

Becky and Rob’s bedroom leads out to the newly renovated roof terrace. “The existing flat roof area was informally being used as a roof terrace, but wasn’t structurally safe,” explains Knight. “So, we got planning permission to make it into a more practical and usable solution.”

The roof is now insulated, and its structure consists of timber joists with a single-ply membrane roof and pedestals with timber decking on top. “It’s one of my favorite spaces in the home,” says Becky. “We never used to use it, as it was so ugly and uninviting. But now it has become our private little sanctuary. It leads out from our bedroom, nobody overlooks you, and, as it’s south facing, it’s a real sun trap,” she says.