Page 138 - Homes & Interiors Scotland

ARCHITECTURE

T-A-P’s solution satisfied all these requirements. The
old kitchen would make way for a new utility room, with
the new kitchen being placed in the extension. Minor
alterations involved moving the wall between the new
kitchen and utility room to create a bigger bathroom,
but the major design coup lay in creating a double-height
extension space that effectively creates a seamless flow
between the living area, kitchen and dining areas.
“The original concept of this taller extension and
the interior arrangement came fairly quickly,” says Neil.
Nevertheless, the complex geometries of the new form
mean it was clearly not the simplest of solutions.
“My view is that if you’re going to extend your
house, you want it to create a special feel, different from
the rest of the house,” explains the architect. “By pulling
the ceiling height up, we could place a window at a high
level and catch the southerly sun. So from early morning
and throughout the day, this high window allows light
to pour in. And due to the shape of the roof – dropping
back down to the existing house – this bounces light into
the depths of the living spaces.”
The position of the extension, sitting as it does at the
back of the property, means that it isn’t overlooked, so
there were no planning issues. The design sailed through,
and the construction process was equally straightforward:
quite remarkably, for a project that involved demolitions
and the erection of a multifaceted structure (both inside
and out), it took just three months to complete. And
that was despite the family staying put. “The builder,
James Ramsay, did everything to accommodate us,”
acknowledges Sarah. “The work was done in stages and
he made sure that we always had a kitchen – he made life
very easy for us during the build.”
Demolitions involved taking down the existing bay
window at the end of the living room and its adjoining
wall to create an opening that would be the full width
of the new extension. “The main challenge was that in
order to allow the clear span and the roof form to work
internally, we had to incorporate strategic steel elements
in addition to the timber frame,” says Neil. “There is

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