Elegant house renovation & extension in West Norwood, South London

• Project Type: Renovation and Extension

• Location: West Norwood, South London

• Build Time: 7 months

This whole house renovation project in West Norwood centred around; a large single storey wrap around extension  and loft conversion with full width rear dormer. The property had previously been extended and had an original loft room,  however,  these spaces didn’t meet the needs of our clients, or the modern way in which people live today. 

The extension was designed with Crittall style doors and a triangle window in a dark anthracite grey. The walls are built from  London stock brick to match the current property. To the loft, the dormer has hung slate tiles and dark windows. 

To the front of the house, the pebbledash was removed and the brickwork refurbished to bring the property back to its former glory.

Homeowner Brief:

Sarah & Sebastian wanted to create a spacious, light, family home through extending and renovating their semi-detached Victorian property in West Norwood, South London.

Home Profile:

The house is a late Victorian semi-detached house with sash windows, detailing to the front, and courtyard garden to the rear.

Selection of views

Key Design Features

Symmetry was an important feature when  designing the extension. This was achieved with a pitched roof, glazing to the rear, and balanced rooflights that follow the form on either side. This theme then flows towards the courtyard garden to the rear. 

The glazing to the rear consists of four bi-fold door panels with  a split triangle window above. The doors are a dark grey with an industrial feel.  This is followed through to the detail around the windows and facia. 

Another key design feature was utilising the central part of the house which is the darkest and lacks natural light to form the core of the house. Within this space is the utility/ laundry room and separate W.C.

Moving up to the loft, the aim was to create a flexible space. The two main rooms are separated by a set of double pocket doors.  These allow the bedroom to the front, and study to the rear, to function as either separate rooms, or as a single room depending upon the usage. The shower room is accessed off the landing to allow the room to service both the bedroom and study.

Click Through Gallery

Moving Inside

The main area that forms the heart of the home is the open-plan space to the rear. This room has three of the  key elements for any family;  kitchen, dining and family snug. The kitchen is a modern, cream, shaker style,  with a rich blue coloured island and light marble worktops. 

The use of light grey, washed wood effect porcelain tiles, have been used to allow for a single flooring type to flow throughout the open plan space. This is offset with the use of a London stock internal feature wall and black lighting features. The whole space is flooded with natural light through the oversized rooflights.. 

The bathrooms have a period feel that matches the age of the property. The front living room is a warm richly coloured space centred around the original fireplace. Other features included the original cornicing and rose bowl to the ceiling, and box seat including shutters to the front bay window.

Before and After 3D Cut-through Plans

Before: 3D Floorplans

Route to Planning:

The planning route consisted of a split application, one for the rear extension, and the other for the loft conversion.

Due to the single storey extension wrapping around the existing rear annex, a homeowner full planning application was required. Whilst the loft conversion required a certificate of lawfulness under the property’s permitted development rights.