On a sunnier day this week, I was invited back to Portishead to see a finished extension I obtained Planning & Building Regulations for last year. The family live in the very pleasant Marina area in a relatively new detached house. Their motivations for altering their home were different to most, as the family’s two children both have a condition which affects their mobility. In order to allow their children as much freedom and independence now and as they grow up, the family undertook an almost complete re-design of the ground floor, including a small rear extension, in order to create a large living, dining & kitchen space and, crucially, 2 ground floor bedrooms and a bathroom.
Rear- before (kitchen doors & window)
Rear-before
Alexandra Cork Home Designs gained planning permission for this, and then Building Regulations consent. The building has an unusual pile foundation design, so the Building Regulations application incorporated input from a structural engineer and a specialist piling company, together with details, designed and submitted by ACHD.
The finished house is great- the children both have spacious, light ground floor bedrooms, and the new bathroom has been designed to be wheelchair-friendly (should that eventually be required), with an adjustable height sink unit and air-drying unit all in a wet room arrangement, affording ultimate space and flexibility without constriction from shower compartments or difficult to access baths.
The living room, kitchen and dining space is also light, spacious and practical, and while the family largely only used the kitchen in the previous layout, the new open plan arrangement means that the living room is also used a lot more.
The house is suitable for the children now, and into their teen years, offering them independence and privacy, in a house specifically adapted to their needs without awkward and invasive retro-fitted solutions. Most importantly, it is a warm, friendly and comfortable family home.
Alex.
New Open Plan Living & Kitchen areas
New Kitchen
New Ground Floor Bedroom
New Ground Floor Bedroom
New ground floor wet room, with drying tower
Electrically adjustable sink unit
Rear Extension with level access
Alexandra Cork - Architectural Technician, Extensions and Planning Permission on Bristol, Bath and beyond 