Location: Cawdor Highlands
Client: Brian James and Emma Printie-James
Dates: Completed July 2017

We purchased this 1979 property in 2011, not for its architectural credentials but for its locations and the incredible views with the intention to renovate and extend the property to create a more contemporary home, office and garden.  

The initial stage during 2011 saw the renovation and upgrade of the house.  We firstly created new insulated entrance lobby which has perviously been an external covered porch. We created clever storage for coats and boots to keep the lobby tidy which is a must for us.  To create a more coherent front elevation to the property we clad the elevation with untreated larch and added a contemporary front door and opaque glazing to bring light into the lobby and hallway.  

The property benefits from a large hallway which leads to the dining and kitchen.  We decided to remove part of the partition and doorway into this room.  By doing this we have created a clear link to the rear garden and the amazing view as you enter the property.  It also brings lots of light into the centre of the home. 

The existing kitchen needed modernising and altering.  The existing tall cupboards dominated the space and made it feel dark and enclosed.  There was two built in cupboards which were not being utilised therefore we decided to fit the oven and larder into one of these cupboards and the fridge and second larder in the other.  This created a much more streamlined and open feel to the kitchen.    

The living room has been modernised with a bespoke timber lined wall which incorporates hidden storage to keep the space as minimalist as possible with two children.  The remainder of the renovation saw the bathrooms replaced and decoration to the three bedrooms.  

The second stage saw the creation of our office for Printie James Architecture.  With a growing family and a new business these proposals replaced the attached single garage.  In order to keep the construction costs low the extension utilises the foundations and floor slab of the existing garage and replaces and extends to the rear the structure with a contemporary timber clad exterior and simple flat roof.   The office and utility room is connected to the existing open plan kitchen / dining space but can also be quite separate from the house providing a excellent working environment.  The design is also flexible as it would allow the office to be used as a fourth bedroom if the property was sold in the future. 

We have also done extensive work to the garden to create a contemporary outdoor space.  We have also designed and built a modern greenhouse in the rear garden and raised beds and timber screening in our front garden which will allow us to grow much more of our own fruit and vegetables.  

We still have plans to replace the existing uPVC windows with timber to match the office extension and make further alteration to the exterior of the property.   This is an example of how a relatively standard house can be altered and improved to form a modern family home on a relatively small budget.