Time for Something New

Homeowners Joanne and David have added their own stamp to this red-brick, period home in Belfast in order that it works better for them and their two teenage children.

This immaculate detached red brick period home offers a glimpse of a contemporary extension as you approach the front door and once inside the stylish hallway makes way to an impressive open-plan living, kitchen area.

As owner David, an architect, explains, 'When we moved into the house it had been extended and altered over the years by previous owners. The ground floor was made up of a number of long, narrow rooms and didn't flow well or make the most of the natural light afforded by the south facing back garden.

'We have actually lived here for over 14 years, initially renting for a year because we couldn't find somewhere we liked to buy. Obviously while renting we couldn't make any changes, but we had fallen for the house and the area in the time we had been here and when the opportunity arose to purchase the house we didn't hesitate. We knew exactly what we wanted to change, which included renovating the downstairs space to create the open-plan living we prefer and allow for a stronger indoor/outdoor connection with the garden too.'

David had a vision of how the house could be transformed both architecturally and functionally, and over the years the couple have systematically worked their way through the house rebuilding and refurbishing year on year.

'Not long after we bought the house, we had to replace the roof and at this time we also took the opportunity to reorganise the layout upstairs, creating a new bathroom and reorganising the bedrooms to allow for a future extension. After we had done this we then decided to tackle the ground floor and took a fabric first approach to the extension improving the insulation and making the most of the solar gains.

'The extension to the rear of the house was one of the last things we did. We wanted to reconfigure the space available, and in turn make better use of it, rather than extending significantly beyond the footprint,' adds David.