Bluckley Road

• LAOCTION: NW6, London
• PROJECT Refurbishment and extension
• CLIENT: Private domestic client
• ARCHITECT: Marianne Davys Architects
• STRUCTURAL ENGINEER: Charles Harris & Partners
• PARTY WALL SURVEYOR: James Davidson
• CONTRATCOR: Aran Construction
• CONTRACT: JCT Minor Works Building Contract
• CONSTRUCTION COST: £116,000 + VAT
• DATE COMPLETED: 2013

Project brief

The existing one-bedroom flat with rear garden and basement utility room is on the ground floor of a three-storey Victorian terraced house that has been converted into four flats.

The brief for the project was to refurbish the property to provide an extra bedroom, and to build a large ground-floor extension to provide open-plan kitchen/dining/living.

Project specifics

What the client wanted to build was relatively straightforward and was a good way of increasing the value of the property, but the budget was tight and the proposed extension to the leasehold property required numerous approvals – there was a strong chance that one or more of the approvals would not be granted. The client was lucky that freeholder approval was granted, that none of the leaseholders or adjoining owners objected, and that planning approval was granted and party wall agreements were all signed after successful negotiations with the adjoining owners.

The front living room was converted into a bedroom, the rear bedroom was retained, the bathroom required no work, the original basement was tanked and refurbished as a utility room, and the large extension provided an open plan kitchen/dining/living area with a wood-burning stove. The original kitchen was left in situ during construction and only a new worktop fitted. The full-width sliding folding doors can be opened fully in the summer so the small garden becomes a part of the open plan space and a safe play area.

Project challenges

• To obtain freeholder approval and planning permission for the proposed extension.
• Numerous party wall agreements with other leaseholders and adjoining owners.
• To meet the client’s brief on a very tight budget.