Private Client

DEDRAFT was appointed to undertake a feasibility study to explore the potential for a range of layout to expand the ground floor within this 1900s Walthamstow family home. The original floor plan had little relationship to a compact rear garden, with a small ad-hoc addition and a steep level change also rendering it under-used.

Our analysis to better articulate the layout involved the exploration of locations for specific functions to take place, their relationship to the garden, flexible privacy between the front living room and rear, access to natural light, exploration of materials, and how best to address the change in level between interior and exterior.

Firstly to break down the scale of the rear addition we established a series of vertical divisions to enhance the proportions of the main house and through repetition expressed these in the form of a series of deeply recessed oak framed panels that at low-level open to the rear garden in the form of thick mullioned bi-fold windows. On each corner, a cast-in-situ concrete column is extruded vertically to bookend the oak filled openings to articulate and reinforce the corners. Given the constraints of planning and limitations on depth, the rear houses a small dining area with side access to the rear garden.

Once again we have gone for a strong cast-in-situ, concrete plinth clad in bold, green encaustic cement tiles clad that form a datum and base on to which the Oak windows sit. Externally this base forms a bench serving the raised rear patio. Internally the floor level has been dropped by half a metre to address height restrictions imposed by Waltham Forest Planning along the depth of the side return. A fake parapet has been used to conceal the mono-pitched roof, ensuring the rear elevation is rectilinear and better-proportioned in line with the original submission.

The interiors are to be kept natural and simple, finished in through-coloured plaster, with a mix of large format white oiled oak flooring and encaustic cement tiles. Structural joists are expressed internally in selective spaces, filtering the light as it descends through a linear slot roof light giving a clear rhythm over the kitchen and giving an additional feeling of ceiling height.

The exploration of materials and their use to define the rear elevation is demonstrated in the attached series of visualisations.

Project services provided.

Feasibility Study

Concept Design

Planning Submission

Obtain Building Control Approval

Detailed / Technical Design

Construction Drawings

Monitoring during Construction

Contract Administration

As-Built Drawings

Completed. June 2022
Images. DEDRAFT