create a two-storey glazed atrium, supported by three steel girders, which has transformed and modernised the front of the property, inside and out. With this section complete, the builders


turned their attention to the back of the house, demolishing internal walls to open up living spaces between the old kitchen and dining room, along with the utility and a room which was being used as a gym. A partition was built between the new-size dining-kitchen and the rest of the house so the builders could take down the rear external wall to create a nine metre-long opening. This required two major steel girders to support the upper oor. It was a nail-biting moment for Paula and David. “It could have caused massive problems because the wall was supporting the rest of the house across the back,” says David. “I was very relieved when it was secured.” There was still a knock-on effect on the


rooms above, however, where cracks began to appear in the plasterwork due to the shift in the overall structure. “We had to support the exterior wall with


may/jun 2024


acrow props before installing two long steel beams across the width of the opening,” says Jamie. “It was quite straightforward in building terms, but we had to seal off the rest of the house as efficiently as possible to keep the dust and debris to a minimum, and there was some remedial work to be done in the rooms above further down the line.” At this point, the builders created the basic structure for an all-weather canopy from the back of the house, with a corresponding veranda directly off the main bedroom above. Floors inside were relaid with a mix of


concrete and suspended oors to accommodate arndean oor coverings. n conjunction with this, all the old white Georgian-style windows were replaced with ush fitting u windows in anthracite and two sets of sliding doors across the main opening into the garden. Two smaller rooms – a cloakroom and toilet which had no natural light  were also fitted with lantern lights and space-saving sliding pocket doors, whereby the door slides into a purpose- built wall cavity. All the restructured rooms were rewired and


www.sbhonline.co.uk 33


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68