There were many extensions done to this property over time before we were commissioned to work on the project. As a result of these many extensions, the house looked as though it were made up of corridors where there were supposed to be rooms, both downstairs and up.
Building Tectonics was asked to do a Feasibility scheme to re-design the interior layout. We came up with the idea of moving the stairs to a more central location, which was radical but solved many problems in one go.
It gave the client an entrance hallway, something which they say wasn’t a problem when the house was a two up two down cottage but was lacking in the house as it developed. This was a real bonus since it was not even on their ‘wish list’.
By repositioning the stairs, there was space to allow the rooms to be connected, together with the removal of a redundant chimney breast and various other structural alterations, giving the clients a house which is more practical with rooms which are accessible from the new hall and landing.
By making the stairs more central, we brought more light to the centre of the house, which was fairly dark before the alterations, which made the landing seem gloomy in comparison to the rest of the house.
Convenience, light, saleability and beauty all in one hit. Building Tectonics was also engaged to look at other aspects of the house after this alteration.
Written by Tony Keller – Building Tectonics Ltd.