Kitchen and Music Room Extension

34 Crescent Road, SE12

CONTEXT

The proposal is to build a two storey extension and new bathroom above on the rear of this four storey grand Victorian terraced house, by digging down to create a open plan basement kitchen and utility room/wc/storage room and playroom below. To open up the ground floor and have a mezzanine with stairs leading down to the kitchen. And above to remove the existing bathroom and build a new one sitting on the roof.

ACCESS

The proposal also includes a new access to a new light well in the basement at the front with a new lobby leading to the playroom at the front of the basement. Access to the basement is also gained by new stairs leading off a mezzanine on the ground floor accessed from the music study, off the living room at the front of the ground floor. Access to the ground floor is up steps that lead to a new hallway that is enclosed with two doors leading to the living room at the front.

Access to the new bathroom above is via the existing stairs which will have three new winding treads to make the landing raised level with the first floor corridor/landing- leading to the new bathroom. Access to the garden is via the basement through two new glass doors onto the terrace where there will be a newly dug out patio with steps leading to the lawn. The existing staircase leading to the basement shall be removed.

DESIGN

Overall the design of the ground floor internally is traditional and includes new sash windows to replace the dilapidated adhoc windows at the front to be in-keeping with the Victorian character of the house. The new ground floor lobby is designed to also echo the Victorian character of the house and the internal walls will be clad with timber panels and plaster decorative cornices. The stair that leads down to the basement shall be precision engineered to look industrially elegant and in keeping with the different more industrial town house character of the rear and basement. The Victorian character is mixed with the industrial character with the incorporation of a decorative steel column, which is likely to be required to support the mezzanine and stairs. The two storey open height space of the kitchen will create a light filled and lofty space inspired by industrial and Manhattan style loft living, that although not Victorian is in keeping with the grandness of the rear and frontage of this tall imposing terrace.

From the outside the raised bathroom that replaces the existing shall sit 300mm higher than what exists and will not be over bearing on this side due to a high extension existing next door already. As the extension below is dug down and there is already an extension and high party wall on the other side- the aspect and space next door will not be over looked or have any over bearing either.

On the roof of the extension there will be a flat roof with a skylight situated above the dining table and above the bathroom and the shower in particular there will be a raised light well angled so as to retain privacy and allow morning light into the bathroom.

The façade of the extension will be broken with aluminium frames to be painted grey and will reflect the industrial character mentioned above- but with a minimalistic composition to allow a better sense of openness. The rear elevations windows are to be replaced with new timber sash windows. The existing rear stair window (that currently sits on the first floor landing) will be replaced by a raised and open-able, taller and thinner, timber window to light the staircase up to the first floor.

MATERIALS

The external walls of the extension shall be built of matching brickwork, which will be exposed on one side internally. The roofs of this extension and the bathroom above shall be flat and clad in lead, with gulley at the party-wall side.

The skylight above the dining table in the extension roof shall be an up-stand raised lead clad skylight. The skylight / light well above the bathroom shall be a truncated pyramid clad in lead as well. All new windows shall be of hard wood timber and predominantly sash except for the tall thin window above the stairs.

The aluminium frames of the glass panels on the rear will be painted grey and of a thinner section than usual, and will include the fames of the doors, which will sit in this aluminium frame.

The new light-well at the front shall be finished with white render and the new basement hallway will be of matching brickwork and have a timber panelled door.  The new staircase leading to be basement shall be of black cast iron and selected to be in keeping with the existing front door handrail. The new window for the playroom in the basement at the front shall be another sash window- but squarer in proportion to reflect the basement location, with taller sash windows above.

CONCLUSION

The house is presently looking rather adhoc and dilapidated with its external brickwork not matching and windows having no character. But as this is already and always has been a grand terrace of houses, with high facades at front and back- this large extension to the rear and the general up grading of the elevations front and back will mean the house and terrace will be brought back to a high standard of grandness, that is in keeping with the Victorian character. A smaller extension would feel dwarfed by this context of sitting beneath three storey of rear elevation and the tall extensions either side. So the merits of this larger scale proposal lie in the context that the site at the rear presented the applicant and owner, i.e. that because the house was already tall and imposing, it seemed most suitable and appropriate to follow in kind and character to create something equally imposing yet delicately designed to reduce mass and over bearing. In conclusion the proposal will bring this Grand Dame of a house back to a fresh glory in which both the terrace as a whole and the dwellers will enjoy a lighter and fresher set of spaces and external arrangement.