Here we have the family home of biologist and DIY enthusiast Dan, genetic engineer Tamar, 5 year old Elkie and their two lovable blind cats. Back in 2022 we completed a simple 2m x 4m side extension that has made a huge impact on the way that they live as a family, and how they feel about their West London property. We popped round to chat with Dan about what makes a house a home - head to our YouTube channel to get the lowdown and a house tour.
How did this project come about?
So when we moved into the property it was a bit dated, it's the ground floor flat of a house that was separated in the late 70s. The front half of the house is what we call the old wing, and it needs some work. The back end was probably the worst part, it had a very small kitchen where the current kitchen is and a small kind of living room at the back. It was claustrophobic and the ceiling was low. We got a builder round just to talk about knocking through the wall between the back room and the kitchen. And he said,
I'm a builder, I can knock down the wall for you if you want, but you should be thinking about doing more than that. Because this is a great property, and a great area. And you need to put as much money as you can into it and increase the footprint.So we had a think about it, and then I started looking for an architect, and that's when I came across Resi! And that's when the whole process began.
How has the side infill changed the way you live, as a family?
It's completely changed the way we live, especially with our daughter. We can all be in this area at the same time. She's not isolated playing in the front room, or in her bedroom. It's maybe not everyone's cup of tea to have some of this stuff that we have in here, but that's what you get with parenthood, and there's now room to accommodate it. We are certainly not people who go and sort of sit in a separate room and shut the door on each other.
We've changed our view on how long we will live here. The original plan was buy a flat and live there for five years, do it up a bit and then look at upscaling. But now we've done the work and we've been here three years, we're definitely not going to move out in two years. And that's not just because of the hassle, it's that it feels we're now really starting to enjoy it here. We can definitely see ourselves living here for a lot longer now.
What did you end up spending?
I think the budget ended up at about £120,000 all in. And that included the air source heat pump and underfloor heating, which is not insignificant. When we added the heating, that really added to the budget, but we don't regret it.
What does home mean to you, as a family?
It's somewhere to recuperate and just indulge with the really basic stuff that I love, such as cooking and pottering about with some DIY projects. If I'm by myself, I can make myself a nice meal and sit up and drink wine and get up late in the morning. My daughter and I are quite happy spending the day in the house in pyjamas doing crafts. We want her to feel that it's a safe place for her, a place where she can express herself, so we have put huge amounts of her artwork all over the other part of the house. We are quite permissive with what stuff that she wants up, we're not funny about if it doesn't fit the decor or something. Her birthday parties are always at home, because that's her preference.
What advice do you have for someone who's considering doing their own renovation?
If you start out really stretching yourself with budget, that's gonna get difficult because there are things that are unseen, and it just inflates.
I'd also say live in the place for a while, don't buy the place or move in and immediately do it. I think you need to live in a place to know how it works, what works in terms of which rooms, how you use the place, and until you've done that, I think it's possible to make mistakes. I think I would that's my would be my main recommendation. Live there and get used to the place before you do anything too drastic.
Photography by Peter Furlong.
