Walthamstow #93

Project Overview:

The property is a Victorian semi-detached family home in Walthamstow.

The project was focussed on the conversion of the existing unused attic space together with a large format dormer extension, to provide 2 additional children's bedrooms and a small shared bathroom.

The client wanted to maximise the size of the 2 bedrooms and also keep them approximately equal size. This led to us pushing the new bathroom to the front of the property, using the lower height space behind the new attic stair. This freed up sufficient space to provide one front facing bedroom (within the existing pitched roof section) and one rear facing bedroom (within the new dormer). A generous landing area was also formed to serve as a shared space outside of the bedrooms, to facilitate various other informal possibilities.

The client also wanted the new attic stair to form a seamless continuation of the original staircase, and also bring additional daylight down to the first floor landing; this was achieved by using Permitted Development allowances to gain approval for a wider dormer extension, allowing the new stair to continue along the party wall (as with the floors below). The spindles and handrail were then matched with the original stair.

As a wider dormer extension is only achievable under Permitted Development, our material choices were limited to being 'similar in appearance' to the original property - despite this we wanted to achieve a sensitive yet contemporary addition, rather than the typical pastiche implied by the Permitted Development requirements. As such we used a blue hanging tile, with a pre-patinated zinc roof and dormer cheek. Together with large-format black framed aluminium windows, and pre-patinated zinc rainwater goods, we gained approval under Permitted Development, whilst still providing a sensitive yet modern addition to an exemplary Victorian property.

Team:

Architect: ARCHEA

Building Control: Assent South East

Engineer: Design & Build

Contractor: Abbey Lofts