Bland Manchester home perks up!

James Rippon James Rippon
Modern Black Brick House Extension with Bi-Fold Doors and Metal Roof, Grant Erskine Architects Grant Erskine Architects Classic style balcony, veranda & terrace
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Located on the outskirts of Greater Manchester, you'll find Stockport, which is a large town full of typically British semi-detached homes. The simple design and configuration of these often bland houses means they are a great blank canvas for extensions and remodelling projects of all shapes and sizes.

This ground-floor extension, undertaken by Grant Erskine Architects, takes full advantage of the already simple design of the rear, to completely open up the lower-level, creating a light and spacious dining room and kitchen for the owners.

Let's take a look at what was accomplished…

Before: Unremarkable rear façade

This image shows the home before the extension was added. Although it had been painted white to distinguish it from its neighbours, it was still inconspicuous and lacking any real internal open spaces.

By extending into the garden, the architects were able to transform the home into what has become today.

After: New look rear

In this image we see the extension upon completion. As you can tell, it must have completely changed the way the family spends time in their home, and their new relationship with the garden.

By opening up the rear and paving the area between the garden and house, these two parts of the property are no longer segregated. Instead, they are now harmoniously linked through the new glass panels.

After: Black brick

Black brick was chosen for the dominant material of the new extension, complementing the existing white render of the house. Extensions of this nature are often built with a flat roof, however, on this project the architects chose a pitched design, although not quite as steep as the roof of the house.

Adjacent to the new kitchen and dining area is a small reading room that opens up to a small courtyard and the garden.

After: Sun-kissed dining

The dominance of glass throughout ensures the morning sun floods all corners of the new ground-floor living spaces. You can imagine the owners thinking, “how did we live before the extension?”

Nature is the dominant interior design theme. Timber floors and furniture glow in the morning sun in the dining room, with a touch of greenery enhancing the feeling further.

After: Garden view

Taking a look back towards the garden, you can understand why the owners wanted to feel more connected to their natural surrounds.

After: A quiet retreat

Now we see the small reading room that gives the occupants a quiet retreat from the rest of the house.

Be it for some time out with a good book, or for catching up with family and friends over a cup of tea, this part of the home is sure to receive its fair share of use.

After: Bathed in natural light

Keeping the light flowing in from all angles are the two skylights of the reading room. There is no better light for reading than natural light, and a skylight is a simple and cost-effective way to let it in.

After: Ethereal glows

The neat kitchen also glows a warm yellow, similar to the dining room on a summer's morning, with high gloss cabinetry complementing the shiny finish of the stone benchtop.

To see another lovely Greater Manchester project, check out: Why relocate when you can renovate?

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