Real home: a glazed extension to an Edwardian terraced house adds tons more space

published 3 January 2019

Fact file

The owners: Roya Harris, a homemaker, and husband Mike, who runs an asset management company, live here with their English springer spaniels, Brian and Beryl

The property: A five-bedroom Edwardian terraced house in Herne Hill, London

The project: The couple added an extension and renovated the property. The project cost was £420,000

Having spent a year viewing houses, first-time buyers Roya and Mike Harris were keen to swap their rented flat in Mayfair, London, for a bigger period home where they could unleash all their design ideas. The couple wanted to find a long-term home they could add value to, and focused their search on Herne Hill, between Brixton and Dulwich in south London.

After an intensive period of back-to-back property viewings, they found this house. ‘We saw so many horrible places beforehand that this didn’t look bad in comparison,’ says Roya. ‘Even though the décor was dated, with lots of yellow walls, and the kitchen felt dark, with one small door to a concreted rear garden, we could see it had potential.’

Find out how they did it, then browse through more real home transformations and find out everything you need to know about extending a house in our guide.

glazed extension to an edwardian house — *An extension with Crittall-style* *metal-framed windows* *has transformed the rear of the period house, linking together the kitchen-diner and landscaped garden to create a sociable hub for entertaining.*

Having stretched themselves financially to buy the house, the couple saved up for three years before starting the renovation. ‘We felt it was important to live in the house for a few years first anyway,’ says Roya. ‘It soon became clear that we needed a much more sociable kitchen-diner with a better flow between the indoor and outdoor spaces.’

industrial style kitchen diner in glazed extension — The island is the perfect spot for the couple to enjoy views of the newly landscaped garden while cooking. The wood door and drawer fronts were made by F&F Installations from scaffolding boards, with a wraparound concrete worktop supplied by Mortise Concrete. Pistachio Artisan stand mixer, KitchenAid

The couple hired architect Frederik Rissom, who was recommended by a neighbour, and together they came up with plans to extend two metres into the garden to create the new dining area. They would also section off 1.5m at the other end of the room to create a utility and ground-floor WC.

To add to the feeling of space, Frederik suggested they lower the floor by half a metre, creating more head height. As the extension was within permitted development rights, the couple didn’t need to apply for planning permission.

dining area in glazed extension — *For similar doors, try Steel Window Service & Supplies*

‘Our friends and family love the kitchen,’ Roya, homeowner

traditional dining living room — Having the original floorboards stripped and varnished has created a stylish backdrop to the space. Mikado acrylic dining chairs, Furniture Village. Monkey lamp, Seletti. For a similar rug, try JW Jennings, and for a chandelier, try The French Bedroom Company

At the same time as extending the kitchen, the couple took the opportunity to renovate the rest of the house.

With just one door leading from the old kitchen to a concreted rear garden, the house and garden felt disconnected, while inside the space was dark with low ceilings.

traditional living room with fireplace and chair — *The original fireplace was freshened up with white paint. Roya’s mum made the curtains from Morris & Co’s Pimpernel fabric*

While the extension work on the ground floor got under way, Roya and Mike created a ‘mini flat’ on the top floor to avoid the expense of moving out. It also meant they were able to oversee the project, with the help of Frederik.