Large two-storey extension for a family home
East Sussex
The vision
Our clients came to us with a clear goal. Their home worked well for them now, but they wanted to future proof it for a growing family and turn it into their long term dream home.
They did not want to move. They wanted to make the house they loved work better for everyday family life.
This meant rethinking the layout, creating more space where it mattered most, and bringing more natural light into the home.
Rethinking the ground floor
The ground floor was redesigned to make the home work harder behind the scenes as well as in the main living spaces.
A large new utility room was created, giving the family a practical space for laundry, storage and everyday tasks. Alongside this, the pellet store and boiler room were extended to support the home’s heating system.
The biggest transformation came from reimagining the old garage. Instead of a storage space, it became the new heart of the home. We designed a double height kitchen with large skylights above, bringing in natural light and creating a dramatic, open space for cooking, eating and spending time together.
At the other end of the house we designed a new triple garage and workshop. This gave the clients the practical space they needed while freeing up the rest of the house for family living.
Next to this, a new TV and family room was added. New windows and doors were introduced to bring more light into this side of the home and strengthen the connection to the outside.
Creating Space Upstairs
Upstairs we designed an extensive first floor extension to give the family the bedrooms and private spaces they needed.
An existing bedroom was extended and now includes its own dressing room and ensuite. The study was also expanded, creating a more comfortable workspace.
We designed an entirely new bedroom suite with its own dressing room and ensuite bathroom.
The standout addition is the new primary suite. This includes a spacious bedroom, a dedicated dressing room and a large private bathroom designed as a calm retreat. The bathroom features a bathtub set beneath two skylights, a large shower and twin sinks.
The primary bedroom sits on the western corner of the home and opens out through large corner sliding doors onto a steel framed balcony with a glazed balustrade. This creates a private outdoor space with wide views and plenty of evening sun.
Light through the home
To help natural light travel through the centre of the house, we designed a flat roof light above the first floor hallway. This brings daylight into what would otherwise be a darker internal space and also allows access to the flat roof above for maintenance.
A home built for family life
This project was about much more than adding square metres. It was about reshaping the house to support how the family lives now and how they will live in the future.
Almost every part of the house was extended, created or remodelled. The only room that stayed the same was the existing family bathroom.
The result is a home that feels larger, lighter and far better suited to family life, while still keeping the character and setting the clients loved from the beginning.