The existing house, built to high environmental standards in the early 2000s, combines white render with zinc and galvanised steel. Rather than mirror this palette, we've proposed a complementary set of materials — weathered timber cladding and rough stucco — that reads as a distinct addition while holding together with the original.

A ground-floor side extension replaces a former terrace, designed to give back what it takes: a generous window seat and large glazed doors re-establish a direct connection to the reformed external terrace. At first-floor level, a new crow's nest volume sits above the roofline to create a dedicated home office, deliberately separate and overlooking the garden. A skylight above the stairwell draws natural light down through both levels.

Structurally, integrating the new stair within the extended volume required careful coordination; storage was incorporated into the stair to maintain a sense of lightness when seen from the living room below.

The result is a house that finally matches its brief: generous, flexible, and built to the same environmental principles as the original, with an air source heat pump completing the transition away from fossil fuels.