Rear extensions
Bring everyday life closer to the garden.
01
A good fit for your home?
An extension is useful when the ground floor cannot support the way you cook, gather or move through the house. Start by identifying the pinch points: a narrow kitchen, a dining table in a thoroughfare or a garden that feels detached.
More floor area is only part of the answer. Reworking an existing doorway, utility space or storage wall may matter as much as the new footprint.
02
What we plan together
Define the complete room
A coordinated scope can include groundworks, structure, roof, glazing, drainage, services and internal finishes. Describe the kitchen, utility and landscaping interfaces explicitly.
Draw a clear boundary
Garden work beyond the new threshold, specialist kitchen supply, professional fees and temporary facilities should be identified as included, optional or separate.
04
Know the house before the work
Existing drainage, ground conditions, structural openings, access and neighbouring buildings can influence the design and delivery. Establish which investigations are needed before fixing assumptions.
Consider deliveries and spoil removal as well as the finished building. Narrow access may affect both the programme and the way materials are handled.
03
Room for possibility
Plan the route first
Draw the journeys from entrance to kitchen, kitchen to table and table to garden. Keep busy routes out of working zones.
Treat daylight as a whole-house question
A bright extension can leave an old middle room feeling dark. Review rooflights, openings and internal connections together. Think about shade and privacy before choosing a wall of glass.
05
From idea to everyday life
01 — Set the brief
Map daily routines, furniture and the relationship to the garden.
02 — Coordinate the details
Align the structure, glazing, rooflights, kitchen and service routes before ordering.
03 — Make the connection
Build the new enclosure, agree the point of opening into the house, then complete the interiors and threshold details.
06
A clearer starting point
Footprint, foundations, structural openings, glazing and kitchen specification are important budget choices. Ask for these to be visible in the estimate.
Keep an allowance for decisions not yet resolved and agree how changes are priced before they are instructed. Our calculator helps begin that conversation.
07
Before our first conversation
Bring a rough plan, photographs of the rear elevation and a list of frustrations in the current layout.
Measure furniture you want to keep and note how the garden is used.
Decide whether a temporary kitchen is essential and where it could go.
