Creative thinking

In order to overcome initial planning concerns, Angus and Justine Flockhart opted for a dual-roof rear extension that cleverly minimises its impact on the neighbours

Some things seem meant to be. When Angus and Justine Flockhart first saw a Victorian house on a quiet street with the potential to renovate, the initial sale fell through. But six months later the house, in Acton, west London, was still on the market and after making another offer, the couple managed to buy it. “Seemingly, nothing had been done to the property for 40 years,” says Angus. “There was yellow woodchip wallpaper everywhere and the only bathroom in the house had a chocolate brown suite.”

GETTING THE DESIGN RIGHT

The couple carried out some initial strip-out work themselves to make the home more liveable until they had the funds to replace an old lean-to with a large rear extension, convert the loft and do a complete remodel of the interior. In 2020, they approached Woodrow Vizor Architects to draw up a design to increase the size of the property and to gain an extra bedroom and bathroom. “For our initial planning submission we had a straight-backed rear elevation which was aiming to maximise the internal volume for the full depth of the ground floor,” says architect George Woodrow.