Cortworth Road

Andy and Jodie asked us to transform their dark and dated four-bedroom house into a larger, modern family home. One they could enjoy for many years to come.

We worked closely with Andy and Jodie to design a new layout that would create the inviting family environment they have always dreamed of. It was important to remove the dark and disconnected spaces to create a lighter, open-plan space with a modern aesthetic.

“Before working with PTA, we had a 1960s house that was still stuck in the 60s! It was dark and dated with an ineffective heating and plumbing system.”

With this in mind, the centrepiece of the house is a fantastic double-height entrance that floods the house with light. It gives added functionality with built-in storage on the ground floor, and on the first floor, there is an open study area for the whole family to use.

Stylish wood cladding, new render and grey aluminium windows and doors will update the overall appearance and compliment Andy and Jodie’s new colour palette. Increased insulation and air-tightness with high-performance windows and doors will make the home more comfortable to live in.

At the rear, a new extension will house a much larger kitchen, dining space and playroom – the essential components to any family home. This space, which will undoubtedly become the heart of the home, is connected so that they can keep an eye on their young family and also provides stunning views of their extensive garden. As an active family, they’ll also be able to make the most of their patio in summer and enjoy spending time outside together.

“We didn’t think twice about working with Paul and the team after seeing the new extension they created for a friend’s period property in Norfolk. It was modern and simple, yet striking.”

Andy and Jodie now have an extra bedroom for guests to stay, along with a new master bedroom and en-suite for themselves. We also upgraded their youngest child’s bedroom, which was previously small and cold, doubling it in size for her to enjoy as she gets older. To the side of the house, we designed a generous utility room and WC, which was an important addition in order for Jodie to run the family home.

We have enjoyed managing every stage of the project from design through to making regular site visits. We’re in touch with Andy and Jodie on a regular basis, keeping them updated on progress with plenty of photos. As their first point of contact, we’re always on hand to deal with any issues and answer any questions to give them peace of mind.

“We’re really excited for the project to complete. We can’t wait to have an open-plan kitchen and dining area, and lots of light spaces. Oh, and a working shower!”

Andy and Jodie, Upsizers, Sheffield.

Location: Ecclesall, Sheffield

Client: Private

Contractor: Terry Huggett Developments

Planning: February 2017

Site: April 2018

Completion: Early 2019

Energy consumption: N/A

Construction Cost: £900/m2

Sycamore Hall

John and Jean asked us to transform their small, dated bungalow into a future-proofed, sustainable retirement home. One that is full of light, warm, economic and easy to live in.

We fully reconfigured their home internally, added two small extensions and strategically placed rooflights to create the generous, light-filled living spaces they craved.

To make the most of their beautiful view we created three special windows. Two of these can be enjoyed from generous window seats giving you the feeling that you’re sat in the landscape.

An extremely thorough retrofit of insulation, triple glazed windows, air-tightness work and mechanical ventilation have made their home a wonderfully warm and quiet building to live in during their retirement.

We supported John & Jean throughout their project from planning right through to construction. We helped them to choose the right contractor, manage their costs and worked with their contractor to deliver this fantastic project to a very high standard.

“Much of the good design is summed up in the living room main window and box seat – economically enlarging an existing window space, and transforming it into one of the centre pieces of the building both visually and functionally. Young and old are drawn to it, they love it.”

John & Jean, Downsizers, Bolsterstone

Photo credit: Dug Wilders Photography

Location: Bolsterstone

Client: Private

Contractor: Terry Huggett Developments

Planning: June 2015

Site: Jan 2016

Completion: May 2017

Energy consumption: 48 kWh/m2.a

Construction Cost: £1300/m2

Awards: Homebuilding & Renovating Awards 2018 – Shortlisted

Footgate Close

Low energy house retrofit and extension

This is a proposal to take a typical compact mid-20th-century semi-detached home and extend it to create a generous family home with dramatically reduced energy use.

The side extension steps back and down with a pair of slate clad slices and these are complemented by a full-width timber extension to the rear.

Proposed Enerphit energy performance.

Location: Sheffield

Client: Private

Planning: May 2017

Site: N/A

Completion: N/A

Energy consumption: 25 kWh/m2.a

Budget: £150,000

Carr Road

Rear garden room extension

A small extension at the rear of the house. The extension is a beautiful additional living space between house and garden. The windows face out over the beautifully landscaped garden which itself works like a series of rooms down the hill. The sliding, folding windows allow the whole south elevation to be opened with benches that bridge the windows to give a seamless large seat hovering above the planting. The openable rooflights and generous eaves overhang help to give internal climate control and the space gives additional thermal comfort to the house in winter as it warms up quickly in the low sun.

Location: Sheffield

Client: Private

Planning: N/A

Site: 2016

Completion: 2016

Energy consumption: N/A

Budget: £ 35,000

Norwich Road

Lou and Jon asked us to extend their beautiful home to accommodate their growing family.

A simple pitched roofed garden room was added to the rear of their house to provide the couple with the additional space they craved.

The garden room is separated from the main house by a lower, flat-roofed link. The link forms a threshold between the existing kitchen, existing family room and new garden room. This provides separation between the spaces whilst still allowing the family to feel connected.

We also creatively incorporated an additional bedroom at attic level.

Alongside the extensions, we outlined ideas for a full thermal retrofit of the house and made sure that the extension and loft conversion worked with this strategy. This will allow Lou and Jon to make incremental improvements to their home’s comfort as and when money becomes available.

“Paul Testa Architecture are very professional, have great ideas and are willing to listen to their clients. We are so happy with the finished result of our extension & loft conversion…”

Lou, Jon and Family, Upsizing, Norwich

Stamford Road

Stewart and Fiona asked us to overhaul their tired, detached house into an open and light filled home. One which would be perfect for entertaining family and friends during their retirement.

We reworked a maze of small, dark living spaces into a large, open plan entertaining space with a fantastic relationship to their garden.

A new entrance and stairwell was added to the front of the house. This created a dramatic, double height hallway in which to meet guests whilst improving access to the upper floors. It also transformed the existing house’s poor front façade by creating a more welcoming approach.

Views throughout the ground floor have been opened up to allow guests to enjoy time alone whilst still feeling connected to the rest of the household.

Thermal improvements including insulation, air-tightness work and mechanical ventilation have made their home a wonderfully warm and comfortable place to live during their retirement.

We helped Stewart and Fiona achieve planning for their project in a conservation area before leading them through the construction process. This included making regular site inspections to provide them with peace of mind that their contractor was completing the works correctly.

The completed house received a George Phillips Highly Commended Award 2017 in recognition of its significant contribution towards conserving the built environment in Rutland.

“Their clever design and attention to detail added significantly to the value of the finished property and we could never have achieved this on our own.”

Stewart & Fiona, Relocating, Oakham

double height hallway

smooth transition inside to outside

rear: after

rear: before

front: after

front: before

Photo credit: Dug Wilders Photography

Location: Oakham, Rutland

Client: Private

Planning: 2014

Site: June 2015

Completion: February 2017

Energy consumption: 40 kWh/m2.a

Construction Cost: £1450/m2

Awards: George Phillips Award 2017 – Highly Commended; Real Homes Awards 2017 – Shortlisted

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Cinder Bridge Road

Mark and Clare asked us to turn their derelict cottage in the green belt into a light and spacious home that complemented the surrounding landscape.

The existing house had had several poor-quality extensions added over the years. Internally it was a series of small, dark spaces with poor views and daylight. The house was also visually unattractive as the extensions detracted from the original building.

The site is in the green belt so we had significant restrictions on the size of any enlargements. The house was also subject to restrictive covenants that meant a number of late design changes. It’s also hard up against a busy and noisy main road. We worked within these tight constraints to deliver a home that surpassed our client’s expectations despite its modest size.

We organised the spaces with service spaces buffering living and sleeping spaces from the noise of the busy adjacent road. High-performance windows and a well-insulated building also help to keep out unwanted sound. As a result, the house is a quiet retreat from the noise outside.

Our first step was to demolish the existing extensions in order to create a space that would house the main living and sleeping areas. The open plan living, dining and kitchen area feels spacious with a double height slot lighting the space from above.

We added a concrete floor, SIPs panel walls and roof to provide good thermal mass, super insulation and excellent air-tightness. The original shell also has been improved. This high-performance building also means that Mark and Clare have a warm and comfortable home with very low energy bills.

This is the project that triggered our popular stoves in air-tight houses blog post.

Although this was a lengthy project, we were committed to working closely with Mark and Clare to deliver the home they always wanted.

“Paul was always able and willing to help with whatever issues we faced. He remained in contact through the long period to completion. The space is perfect and exactly what we expressed in our brief to Paul.” Mark Gittins, Self-Builder, Rotherham

Location: Rotherham

Client: Private

Planning: 2012

Site: 2013

Completion: 2018

Energy consumption: N/A

Budget: £1,000/m2

Awards: Build Magazine – Best Rotherham Residential Extension 2018