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A Small, Boxy Semi Gets a Family-Sized Extension
Transformed from snug to super-spacious, this UK home is the ideal base for a family of four
‘Don’t move, improve,’ was the argument that won out when Emma Barber and her husband, Julien, were working out how to gain more space. “It was between moving house or extending,” Barber recalls. “Eventually, because we loved the garden and location, we opted to extend.”
Working to a maximum budget of £85,000 (AU$137,000), Barber, who’s an interior designer, planned and project-managed a spacious extension to the side and rear of their home in Swindon. “Now the house works for us as a family,” she says. “We could have spent the same amount just on moving costs, but what we spent here we see and enjoy every day.”
Working to a maximum budget of £85,000 (AU$137,000), Barber, who’s an interior designer, planned and project-managed a spacious extension to the side and rear of their home in Swindon. “Now the house works for us as a family,” she says. “We could have spent the same amount just on moving costs, but what we spent here we see and enjoy every day.”
The house originally had a detached garage, “but you couldn’t get a car down to it,” Barber says. “We were just using it as a storeroom, so we decided to lose it and make use of the space at the side and extend at the back as well.” The dining area is now in the space the garage used to occupy.
Barber consulted her cousin, architect Bill Pier, for advice about the structural details. “He helped draw plans that did clever things, such as incorporating the original [hard to remove] walls to create hidden storage in the master bedroom,” she says (see the plan of the first floor at the end). “This kept costs down, as we didn’t have to put in extra supports, which all cost money.”
Table and chairs: Ikea
Barber consulted her cousin, architect Bill Pier, for advice about the structural details. “He helped draw plans that did clever things, such as incorporating the original [hard to remove] walls to create hidden storage in the master bedroom,” she says (see the plan of the first floor at the end). “This kept costs down, as we didn’t have to put in extra supports, which all cost money.”
Table and chairs: Ikea
Installing generous amounts of glazing on the extension was a top priority. “We knew we really wanted glazing, but not bi-fold doors,” Barber says. On the rear wall are two static windows, while the glazing to the side is a sliding door. “That was a major feature that cost £10,000 (AU$16,000), so when it came to budget, we worked around that.”
Luckily, the family had a lot of existing furniture. “I knew what furniture we had, so it was about getting the finishes right,” Barber says. These original pieces now sit proudly in the new, larger space. “The table and chairs used to fit snugly in the dining room before,” she adds. “You could never extend the table and if you did, you then couldn’t actually sit down at it.”
The new glazing is a huge success. Barber can see the children in the garden and Elliot in particular spends most of his time out there in the summer. “It’s a cliché, but those windows do also bring the outside in, making the garden part of the house,” she says. “We’re really pleased with them. This is a bright space at any time of the year.”
Luckily, the family had a lot of existing furniture. “I knew what furniture we had, so it was about getting the finishes right,” Barber says. These original pieces now sit proudly in the new, larger space. “The table and chairs used to fit snugly in the dining room before,” she adds. “You could never extend the table and if you did, you then couldn’t actually sit down at it.”
The new glazing is a huge success. Barber can see the children in the garden and Elliot in particular spends most of his time out there in the summer. “It’s a cliché, but those windows do also bring the outside in, making the garden part of the house,” she says. “We’re really pleased with them. This is a bright space at any time of the year.”
“After doing all this work and building the extension, I didn’t want to cut back on the kitchen, but I did shop around and keep an eye on the budget,” Barber says. This paid off. “I found a kitchen I loved that was also 60 per cent off that weekend,” she says. “It’s really good quality and was a bargain deal.”
Barber chose matt white cabinets with her small children in mind. “I like gloss, but it shows up every hand print, especially with all that light coming in,” she says. Carrara marble tiles form the splashback. “It’s a tiny bit of luxe and they break up the white,” she says.
To stay on budget, Barber recommends project-managing jobs such as a new kitchen yourself. “I tried to get good deals for everything – the cabinets, benchtops, tiles – and then got people in to install them,” she says. “I think that’s where people get lost with money – they buy everything from one place. You do have the luxury of having it all done at once, but, with a bit of hard work researching and buying it all yourself, you can save a lot of money.”
A generous island has a wraparound oak benchtop and, on the outer side, space to sit at a breakfast bar. The cabinets are topped off with a white resin work surface.
Barber laid porcelain chequerboard tiles in the hall when she first moved into the house. “I wanted a bit of wow as soon as you walk in,” she says.
As well as extending at the rear, Barber also knocked the living room through into what had been the dining room at the front of the house. “This was done right at the end of the build, just before Christmas,” Barber says. “Then we painted like we’ve never painted before to get it done in time. We just wanted a bright, clean backdrop. I knew I could change it later, but in fact I’ve kept it this way, white and fresh.”
The neat set of drawers was previously in another room. “I was debating whether to keep it or not, but moving it to the living room gave it a new lease of life,” Barber says. Now, it’s vital storage for DVDs. “Moving your pieces around makes a space feel really fresh. I would definitely recommend that to anyone. Just move what you already own or rejig it with a lick of paint.”
The neat set of drawers was previously in another room. “I was debating whether to keep it or not, but moving it to the living room gave it a new lease of life,” Barber says. Now, it’s vital storage for DVDs. “Moving your pieces around makes a space feel really fresh. I would definitely recommend that to anyone. Just move what you already own or rejig it with a lick of paint.”
At the front of the living space there’s room for the children to play. Barber’s husband, Julien, built the shelves in the chimney alcove.
Barber modernised the bathroom about four years ago. “It had a magnolia suite and blue tiles,” she says. “I wanted to freshen it up.” She installed a mirror down one wall to maximise light from the small window. “I also chose a wall-mounted basin to keep things off the floor, so you see more floor space. This makes the room feel larger,” she says.
Plants are dotted throughout the house. “They really soften a space,” Barber says. “As soon as you put some greenery in, it really brings a room to life and freshens it up.”
“I like children’s rooms to be bright and colourful,” Barber says. Elliot loves bright colours and Barber wanted to do something that showed off his collection of dinosaurs. “I wanted them to be the centrepiece,” she says. She painted the stool to create a bedside table.
The desk was an eBay find. “I was maybe going to paint the legs, but Elliot loved them,” Barber says. “Green is his favourite colour, so he won that battle.”
Barber’s daughter, Neve, loves butterflies and these versatile stickers have moved around the house with her, from her nursery to Elliot’s room, when she was in there, to her own room here. “They’ve been absolutely brilliant,” Barber says.
Stickers: Ferm Living
Stickers: Ferm Living
The master bedroom sits above the kitchen extension and features the same glazing, lined up neatly with the large windows below.
“It’s brilliant to have a new, much bigger bedroom,” Barber says. “We’ve done it all wrong, though. We had two small children in a tiny house with our bed squeezed into what is now Neve’s room. This would now be the perfect house to have a baby in – I could fit a cot in here. Not that we’re going to have more children.”
“It’s brilliant to have a new, much bigger bedroom,” Barber says. “We’ve done it all wrong, though. We had two small children in a tiny house with our bed squeezed into what is now Neve’s room. This would now be the perfect house to have a baby in – I could fit a cot in here. Not that we’re going to have more children.”
The same white scheme used throughout keeps the bedroom fresh and bright, punctuated with a blue throw and cushions.
Barber added built-in wardrobes to the extended master bedroom. “I wanted somewhere I could hide all my stuff away and not have wardrobes in the room,” she says. “Now, we just have the bed, bedside tables and chest of drawers in here. Everything else is hidden away. It’s a lovely, relaxing space.”
Barber cleverly upcycled an Ikea chest of drawers with some flashes of gold adhesive plastic. “It adds highlights to it and kind of brings the piece to life,” she says.
Malm chest of drawers: Ikea
Barber cleverly upcycled an Ikea chest of drawers with some flashes of gold adhesive plastic. “It adds highlights to it and kind of brings the piece to life,” she says.
Malm chest of drawers: Ikea
Plans of the original layout show its slightly cramped configuration and the impossible-to-access garage. “It was quite a square house to start with and it’s now more L shaped,” Barber says.
In addition to radically extending at the rear and side to create a large kitchen-diner, the original living and dining space were knocked through. Three steel beams support the new kitchen-dining space on the ground floor.
On the first floor, Barber looked into removing the corner of what had been bedroom three to open up the new master bedroom. However, that would have involved installing more steels up here and reconfiguring the roof, so instead, she kept the corner structure in and incorporated it by creating a storage space.
On the first floor, Barber looked into removing the corner of what had been bedroom three to open up the new master bedroom. However, that would have involved installing more steels up here and reconfiguring the roof, so instead, she kept the corner structure in and incorporated it by creating a storage space.
Who lives here: Emma Barber, an interior designer, her husband, Julien, and their children, Neve, 6 and Elliot, 4
Location: Swindon, Wiltshire
Property: A 1920s semi-detached house
Size: 4 bedrooms, 1 bathroom, plus a cloakroom
Project duration: September to late December 2014
Cost: £84,500
Interior designer: Emma Barber of EB Interiors
Photos by CP Photography
The Barbers bought their home 14 years ago. It originally had a very small cookspace at the back, but a new extension means the kitchen is now wonderfully spacious.
“Everything is centred on this space,” Emma Barber says. “It’s a very social area. We should probably use the living room more, but we spend all our time in here.”