Winnersh Cottage

We were approached by the client who was looking to create a bedroom & ensuite upstairs, and an additional living space downstairs. They had never undertaken a renovation project before and asked for us to provide assistance every step of the way.

The property used to be two separate, two up two down cottages, which had been converted into one dwelling many years ago. The simple layout has main living spaces to the front and smaller ancillary rooms to the rear. The proposal was to create a similar design with a side extension.

Though the property had an abundance of character, there were also limitations and issues to overcome due to the historical nature of the property. The property had low ceiling and exposed beams, so our approach was to create a space that benefitted from modern construction, whilst being sympathetic to match the existing architectural features.

We achieved this by matching the ceiling heights downstairs and creating a similar sized space to one existing room. Externally we stepped back the extension to give the original, smaller cottage footprint presence, but matched window openings & details. Upstairs, we needed to step up into the extension and create a vaulted ceiling & rear facing roof lights adding natural light to the space. The works created the much needed additional space, without compromising the look and feel of the 19th century home.