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 for Jodie to run the family home.
The build went comparatively smoothly thanks to an engaged contractor – Terry Huggett – and was overseen by our Project Architect, Julie Maxwell, who made regular site visits.
“It’s been brilliant moving back in. It’s so light and spacious – it’s like moving into a different house.”
Andy and Jodie, Sheffield.
Location: Ecclesall, Sheffield
Client: Private
Contractor: Terry Huggett Developments
Planning: February 2017
Site: April 2018
Completion: Summer 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
Paul & Kate asked us to modernise and extend their cramped, cold 1960s semi to create a warm, comfortable and generous home for their young family.
We transformed the ground floor to create an open plan kitchen, living and dining space which allows them to spend plenty of quality time together as a family. A new side extension helped us to create more space for the essentials of family life: such as generous utility space, playroom, downstairs W.C. and plenty of storage space.
Upstairs we added a new master bedroom with a secluded roof terrace. The perfect retreat at the end of a long day.
We worked extremely closely with the main contractor to meet the rigorous Passivhaus Enerphit performance & energy standard for the house. This has made Paul and Kate’s home wonderfully warm and comfortable for them and their young daughters to live.
“It has been an enjoyable experience and since the planning application has been approved, I look forward to a new adventure ahead where I know I’ll be in safe hands!”
Kate, Upsizer, Sheffield
The house before work started:
Location: Oughtibridge, Sheffield
Client: Private
Contractor: Terry Huggett Developments
Planning: May 2017
Site: August 2018
Completion: May 2019
Energy consumption: 25 kWh/m2.a
Construction Cost: £1700/m2
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
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