Elms Road

Terraced home benefits from contemporary rear extension

Terraced homes often encounter the problem of a lack of useable space, which can be combatted by a rear extension. In densely populated urban areas like London, making the most of your garden space can completely transform the layout of a home.

The homeowners of this property wanted to expand their useable space on the lower floor, whilst introducing more natural light to this low level. As is common in terraced homes, the lower floor is below the street level and therefore does not get as much natural light as the higher floor levels.

Credit

©Theo Botha and LBMV Architects

Location

London

Opting for slim framed systems to maximise the natural light, the panoramah! ah!38 system was specified. These slim framed sliding glass doors can reach impressive sizes and are flexible by nature to offer completely bespoke results. The large opening created by the contemporary extension was filled with sliding doors, split into 3 panes.

Splitting the opening into 3 panes meant the view of the manicured garden could be enjoyed from the centre of the room, without any visible frame obstructing the view. The panes slide with ease to one side, revealing a large opening for a seamless transition between outdoor and indoor areas. Even when closed, the minimal door systems enable an indoor-outdoor style of living, for the family to enjoy garden views all year round.

The ah! 38 glass door system is made to an extremely high specification, delivering high thermal performances and reaching Uw values from just 1.165 W/m2K. The high-quality systems ensure that the open plan living space is a comfortable living temperature, regardless of the external temperature.

To ensure the light stretched further into the home and created a brightly lit space, a fixed box rooflight was constructed using structural glazing. The frameless rooflight installation introduces an abundance of light into an area of the home that would not have previously benefitted from any natural light.

Slim framed sliding doors are often paired with rooflights, to allow natural light to bounce further into a home. IQ offer a number of rooflight options as part of the glazing package, for you to consider when starting a rear extension project.

The result of the rear extension at Elms Road was a light-filled, inviting space perfectly suited to a modern open plan kitchen/dining area. One step over the flush threshold and the garden can be enjoyed with ease.