Upper Clapton #147

Project
Upper Clapton #147
Client
Mikael & Laura (& their 2 children)
Brief
Internal reconfiguration, no extension.
Location
Hackney E5
Budget
£130k
Duration
28 weeks - Winter 2021
Project Overview:
The property is a Victorian mid-terrace home located in Clapton, within the Northwold & Cazenove Conservation Area.
The client’s inital objective was to extend into the side-return, in order to create a connected kitchen & dining space. After early analysis it became clear that additional space wasn't necessarily required, and that better configuration and connection of the existing spaces would most likely fulfil the brief - together with substantially updating everything. With a modest budget, a lot of other works on the wish list, along with rapidly increasing prices - not extending and instead focussing on reconfiguring and reconnecting the existing spaces, was agreed to be the optimum strategy.
Due to the wider than normal proportions of the house, a fairly substantial overlap already existed between the rear projection (housing a formal reception room) and the less formal kitchen to the rear reception; this meant that simply opening-up the structural masonry wall spearating these 2 spaces would allow us to connect the kitchen and dining spaces, in a similar way to that which a side-infill extension would otherwise allow.
The slightly atypical split level of the property meant that there was a very low ceilinged front basement room, as such fairly extensive remedial work was required to better connect this space with the kitchen hub, and turn it into a desirabale family room. A new utility & shower room was also accommodated, together with extensive upgrade of the heating system, including new boiler & cylinder, better serving the whole house.
Our typical palette of materials and standard products are used throughout but are also complemented with some additional bespoke elements including: HØLTE kitchen fronts & bespoke joinery, Fabco Sanctuary steel framed patio doors and Diespeker & Co. terrazzo worktops.
Team:
Architect: ARCHEA
Building Control: Assent South East
Engineer: Walder|Sharp
Contractor: London Dream Building
01
How did you find out about ARCHEA?
We looked at architects local to us with a good reputation and found ARCHEA via Houzz.
02
How much did you know about domestic architectural services before you commenced the project?
Close to zero. No previous experience with any projects bigger than refurbing individual rooms.
03
How would you describe and value the design & management process provided by ARCHEA?
Our initial assumptions about what we needed were challenged in a positive way. We felt we got to the right outcomes in many areas and got good value and input about things we would never have thought about and wouldn't expect builders to think about either.
04
How happy were you with the builders and the build process?
Overall, very happy. Super considerate, it felt like they went out of their way to come up with good solutions to any problems we ran into. A pleasure to have around in the house during a pretty intense 6 months. We've recommended them to several other people already.
05
How happy are you with the finished project?
We love it as a whole. There are a few things on the snagging list and a couple of minor things on the finishing side that could have been better but we love our "new home".
06
What was the most enlightening part of the whole process?
Learning about how little we knew. ARCHEA's help in shaping the space to something that ended up great when we struggled to know what we wanted or needed.
07
Which part of the process do you believe needs the most refining or explaining to improve the overall client experience?
We felt occasionally confused over roles and responsibilities. Some communication with suppliers and what the site management/ coordination roles actually mean comes to mind. There was also a time where we felt nothing was happening and we got stressed about that (although we probably didn't need to). More regular progress updates would also really help.
08
Do you have any key insights that you would give to new clients embarking on their own renovation project?
For us, not going for an extension was a critical and correct decision. It feels like the generic choice, but I assume many others wouldn't need to do it to arrive at a great end result.
09
Out of 1-10, how would you rate ARCHEA’s service?
8 or 9.