The project bought back to life an elegant 3 storey semi-detached townhouse, in Richmond West London. Despite the very desirable location and a lovely rear garden, the house had fallen on hard times and had been on the market for several years. The potential was obvious but so was the the amount of work required.

My clients had however not been able to find what they wanted and decided to take the plunge. Being in such a poor state in many ways made things clearer; not much of the original house was worth saving; we retained the roof structure and external walls but not much else. The brief was however to work with and respect and to reinstate where needed the proportions and detailing of the original house.

From the front it does indeed appear that not much has changed. Apart from the new front garden and the care to repair the front elevation of the house, you could be forgiven for thinking this was a restoration project. To the rear however the changes were more significant with an extension from the 60’s replaced with a larger and more open lower ground floor, with a new bedroom above. Being in a conservation area, planning constraints were significant, and it meant that a double pitched roof was all that was acceptable on the first floor. Whilst a little frustrating at the time, in many ways this suited the clients' approach which was not to fight against the victorian architecture, and the it sits happily as a friendly neighbour to next door houses.

This desire to form a coherent whole continued to the detailing of the extension which is built in matching brickwork to blend seamlessly with the existing house. A band of vertical bricks to the ground floor under a concrete coping is the only really modern detailing, apart from a simple green oak pergola which spans over French doors and a corner glazed window. The garden, always a major attraction, was re-planted, and has benefitted from the hot and wet weather. It already looks well established with an old vine creeping along the pergola to provide shading to the kitchen.

To the side of the house, a small kitchen window and a larger window to the stairwell were punched through the side wall to bring daylight into the centre of the house. A new side door with steps down from the front garden allows direct day-to-day access from the side alley straight to the kitchen.

Inside, the house was completely re-planned and the old and uncomfortable staircase replaced. This leads directly from the front door down to the kitchen and dining space. A glazed pantry alongside gives a sense of space as well as an unpretentious view of hard working storage space. Elsewhere on the lower floor there is a cloak room and utility room and a cosy study facing the street which is nestled below the front garden level.

On the upper floor the main reception room was enlarged with the master bathroom behind, and master bedroom in the new pitched roof extension. This has exposed painted rafters and a view over the garden. There are a further 3 bedrooms on the top floor to create a balanced 4 bedroom house with the option of the study being transformed into a 5th bedroom at a later date if needed.  

Because of the extent of the work we were able to install insulation to the entire external envelope. Together with new windows and a whole house ventilation system the energy efficiency of the house has been transformed. This is however all hidden with the interior defined instead by panelled doors, cornice and ceiling roses with a the clients own neutral colour palette with occasional bands of colour. Views through and past different spaces add to an overall sense of order and calm.

Words from Sam Tisdall Architects