A large contemporary upside-down house on a sloping plot, the upper level living space leads straight onto the large rear terrace. The existing roof has a shallow pitch and is vaulted internally.

We had several meetings to finalise the design and decided on a 7m x 3.5m extension for the proportions to work with the large space of existing living space, and to avoid the kitchen from being a walkway through. The walkway through now is in line with the landing/hallway door and passes along the end of the kitchen.

The contemporary  ‘box’ design with a flat roof, surrounding parapet and large glass atrium contrasts yet compliments the vaulted ceilings of the rest of the living area. The atrium floods the area with light and assists the kitchen space in keeping bright whilst otherwise relying only on three existing Velux rooflights. The full size bi-folding doors along one wall add to the light and sociable feel as they lead onto the patio area at 90 degrees to the bi-folds in the lounge. The external door on the opposite side is also fully glazed to keep maximum light coming in.

The roof is a ‘cold roof’ design to save 50mm externally (same internally), so as to get it through as permitted development. The build is an insulated cavity on a raft foundation (it was specified as strip foundations but had to be amended due to soft, made-up ground), with a painted render finish and black aluminium doors and atrium to match existing. I introduced the customer to Schmidt Bristol for the supply of the kitchen, as the build warranted the additional tailoring and features they could offer.

The flooring was closely matched with existing and all sanded and oiled to blend together, so as to keep the feeling of flow and space without any disjointed areas.