Mike and Caroline Ritchie, who have lived abroad for almost 20 years, returned to the UK in September 2019 with their adult children and rented a property for a number of years before searching for the perfect home in West London. They didn’t even know that the ideal home was literally three doors down from their rental property.
“I work in Chiswick, so I wanted to meet you close to home,” says Mike. “It happened that a vendor collapsed on the same road as the rent. He was completely devastated, but I saw the possibility and decided to carry out this project.
Single-family homes from the 1920s have been dilapidated for several years. Broken and tired windows, an old greenhouse behind, poorly modified lofts and poorly used garages.
However, the location was ideal for Mike and Caroline, and there was plenty of room to expand as a corner plot. The couple contacted architect Tom Pike of Pike & Partners Architects to find out how to transform real estate.
“I instructed Tom to make a plan to renovate the house in Weybridge almost four years ago, but he moved to Hong Kong for work and the project never came to fruition,” said Mike. “We did well with him and we love his work style, so I wanted to work with him again.”
Inspired by their time abroad in a bright, modern, open plan space, Mike and Caroline wanted to bring some design elements to the UK.
“For me, it was about adding as much natural light as possible to the property from different angles,” said Caroline. “Grande was no good in the UK and I was overwhelmed with living abroad, but I wanted to be able to see the sky even when I was standing underground,” she said.
The tribal reaction was to use a large garden in the corner. There are two extensions to the side of the site and a full-width extension behind it.
Fully open up the existing ground floor, remove the walls, add steel columns, lift the weight of the new structure, make the kitchen a central location, and make the surrounding living and dining areas U-shaped.
Separate rooms, such as home theaters and cabinets, should be separated by reverse glass-style doors and sliding doors. These can be fully opened or closed for privacy, depending on the application.
The key to the success of this project is glass, floor to ceiling glass replacing exterior walls, ceiling lighting if possible and used in awkward spaces to bring as much natural light into the house as possible to continue the theme. glass with opening Along the.
On the second floor, the walls had to be demolished and rearranged to create space for three double bedrooms on the first floor. They all have their own bathroom.
Existing loft extensions that were not built to building regulations will be replaced with double-height full bedroom ceiling extensions, which should accommodate large double bedrooms and suites and single bedrooms.
“Harvey [Caroline and Mike’s 18-year-old son, currently studying at Bristol University] The loft has a double bedroom, but the single bedroom is designed to easily become a walk-in closet if it becomes a master bedroom in the future,” says Mike.
After making some changes to the original design, a building permit was granted in May 2020 and construction work began immediately. A few months into the pandemic, Mike and Caroline were wary of launching a major repair project.
However, because they lived together with the main contractor, they were classified as a domestic bubble and continued to work, albeit a little slower and much more expensive than originally expected. “Our main contractor was able to manage social distancing in the field to keep the project running smoothly,” said Mike.
“But even though construction was allowed to continue, the entire project was significantly delayed and there were issues with supply chains for cement, glass, steel and aluminum,” Mike said. “Our contractors have always informed us about the increase in materials.
The family moved into a new house in April 2021 and the lighting and landscaping design was finally completed in August. The final look is an excellent contemporary acknowledgment of the period property, with extensions that touch on the original house using a similar material palette and design details.
“We tried to recycle as many of the original bricks from the house as possible, and new ones were added for color consistency,” says Caroline. “The original windows were made of black steel, so I wanted to keep the black tint on the new glass.”
The color palette of the interior is kept simple, the house is mostly painted in grayish shades of white, but the walls of the master bedroom and kitchen have some blue pops. ..
“This is a reaction that I’ve lived in a rental apartment for a long time and I can’t touch the color palette. We wanted to color this house. If you decide you don’t like it, I could always draw at home.”
Unlike the simple use of colors in the house, the property is full of sophisticated techniques.
“There is underfloor heating throughout the ground floor and it is controlled by the phone app,” says Mike. “All the shades, shades, blinds, lights, and home security are controlled by apps or sounds, so you can control everything even when you’re not home,” he says.
Mike, Caroline and their children love their new home and nothing has changed. “My favorite place is the living space. This is a beautiful sunny place, where there is real light and space,” said Caroline.
Property
Ს Kitchen
The kitchen is in the center of the ground floor and is the main event with a magnificent concrete island in the center.
The kitchen is covered with a small green paint called basalt blue.
Vital space
The project included a complete redesign and renovation of a standard single-family home in Chiswick, West London.
In addition to the full-width rear extension, there are two additions to the side of the property, resulting in an airy, flowing space that provides a dynamic view from one area of the house to another.
Flat
Polished concrete floors were installed on the ground floor to help unify all the different zones.
roof extension
The poorly designed built-in roof extension has been replaced with a double height mansard roof extension. This roof extension has a large double bedroom.
Private room and 1 bedroom that can be converted into a dressing room.
Master as needed.
artistic wall
The master bedroom’s artistic walls are painted in bright blue and a bit of green.
Natural light
Glass was installed from floor to ceiling to allow as much natural light into the house as possible.
Have a story to share?
Please contact us by email.
Source: Metro
I am currently a news writer for News Bulletin247 where I mostly cover sports news. I have always been interested in writing and it is something I am very passionate about. In my spare time, I enjoy reading and spending time with my family and friends.
