This three-storey Paddington terrace, in a conservation area, is a wonderful Italianate house with many fine external and internal details – except at the back, where there was a rarely used courtyard, a poky kitchen and an outside laundry.  Most of this courtyard was built over a garage so low that a larger car would only just fit under the door opening, with trouble manoevering its narrow width.

Before shots of courtyard and outside laundry

These are two views of the existing courtyard, which was somewhat overgrown and was not directly accessible from the house.   The kitchen window (in the photo on the right) looked onto the courtyard but the access to the courtyard from the house was via a door, which opened onto the side path and was 3 steps above the level of the court.  The old outside laundry can be seen on the right of the kitchen window.

The brief was: to fix up the basement garage, construct a new kitchen, dining and sitting area that opened onto a revived courtyard at ground floor level: to make a new rear balcony at first floor level: to demolish the existing second floor bathroom and rebuild it in a new location: to create access to the new attic space which was to be built within the existing roof: to repair and make good the rest of the house.  This last involved the demolition and restoration of the second floor rear cantilevered balcony.

After

The new kitchen (above left), which now opens directly onto the courtyard  and a view of the new courtyard from the kitchen roof (right).

The new kitchen with the courtyard beyond (above left) and a view of the kitchen through the new side windows. 

The kitchen cupboards were kept simple - timber with a painted finish.  The bench top is out of recycled timber and the splashback is glass.

    Kitchen cupboards                             Fridges

The Vestfrost fridges, made in Denmark by Bang and Olufson, are super energy efficient.  To ensure that they perform at their best they have not been enclosed.  The kitchen design was a close collaboration between architect, client and the builder’s joiner.   On the right is the new bathroom.

Two views of the attic

There was extensive work done to the interior of the house including the construction of a new attic.  This was completed wholly within the existing roof space.

The view on the left is from the rear lane and shows the revised and upgraded garage, the new first floor balcony and the restored second floor balcony.  On the closer skillion roof is the solar hot water system and on the main roof can be seen the solar Pv panels, which are just below the 3 Velux skylights to the new attic.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

A real house

The owners were clear that they wanted the additions to the house to be sympathetic to the existing terrace and not a starkly contrasting, expensively wrought steel and glass box like the additions to the next door terrace. 

Thus the additions are in masonry and concrete and the windows are holes in walls of a similar proportion to those in the existing house, rather than walls of glass.  A younger family member, when she first saw the new work, exclaimed in delight, “Wow, this feels like a real house”.

Collaboration

The owners were very involved in the process.  They set the agenda for the level of sustainability they wanted to achieve.  They worked closely with me on the overall design, particularly the kitchen.  They carefully researched the appliances they wanted and expressed strong preferences about aspects of the design including the need to minimise overhead cupboards and the need for an easily cleaned glass splashback.  Throughout the house they chose the colours, the paving tiles, the wall and floor tiles, the light fittings and the door and cupboard furniture.

There was also a need to collaborate with Council, with whom we consulted from an early stage of the job.  The first ideas to extend the new additions across the full width of the block were not supported by Council’s planners and so the design was changed accordingly.  This allowed for windows to be built facing into the side passage, which is a major plus.

Green features

The owners were very keen to incorporate a number of green features into the house and these include:

•A 4000 litre Colorbond steel rainwater tank, which is located in the garage.  The tank collects roof water from the rear of the house, which is reused in the toilets, washing machine and outside taps.  The system includes a Rainbank from Davey Pumps which automatically switches the water supply to the mains if the tank runs dry.

•A gas boosted solar hot water system.

•The installation of a five x 175W solar module grid-connect solar system.  The system has been fitted directly to the rear roof and is designed to have an average daily output for the year of 3.2 Kw/h 

•The use of mini-fluorescent lighting practically throughout, with the number of light fittings kept to a minimum.  These are either pendant fittings or are surface-mounted on the ceiling to make the lighting more efficient.  Where recessed fittings are used, these (with one exception) are 240 volt mini-fluorescents rather than halogens, which use much more power and generate a deal of heat.

•5 Star electrical appliances and super-efficient Vestfrost fridges.

•Low water use taps, cocks and shower heads.

•A limited use of glass in the windows to the new kitchen, dining sitting room extension, but enough to ensure that there is enough natural light during the day.

•Ensuring that the new kitchen, dining and sitting area can be shut off  from the rest of the house in winter to reduce heating needs and then can be opened up in summer to allow for the ventilation of hot air up the existing stairwell.

The owners moved in just before Christmas 2006.