SR Architects Ltd. was hired in 2021 to design a 2-storey side extension replacing an existing garage, adding a single storey rear extension incorporating a new shared kitchen and family area  and overall internal refurbishments to the existing first floor bedrooms for a semi-detached dwelling on a hillside site in Bath, UK.  The clients desired to undergo a complete renovation of the home they had recently purchased with substantially increased living area and all new internal finishes.

From a planning perspective, the house fell within the greenbelt zone around Bath and was therefore subject to the expansion limitations the greenbelt legislation imposes on new construction.  We were able to prove to the planners that the additional volume designed would still fall within the allowable values for this site. We designed the extensions to appear as subservient volumes to the existing volume with a roof geometry that also stepped back and down from the main roof volume.  We used the sloping nature of the site from the front down into the rear of the plot to set the rear extension down by half a floor.  This approach helped to keep the size of the rear extension from imposing on adjacent properties and created a dynamic internal experience with views from the entry through the house out the rear and across the hills and valleys toward Bath.

Materially, the side extension attached to the existing house was finished in reclaimed Bath stone to satisfy planning considerations.  The lower rear extension could be considered differently and the clients wanted to use a London brick that balanced and responded neutrally to the existing house.

The project completed in summer 2023.