A Home Redesigned for Family Life — Now and in the Future
Replacing an uncomfortable conservatory, creating accessible ground-floor facilities for older family members and making the garden easier to enjoy.
The customer story
The Problem
The existing conservatory had previously been opened up into the house, but it wasn't providing the comfortable living space the owners had hoped for. It became too hot during the summer and too cold during the winter, making the temperature difficult to control throughout the year.
But this project wasn't simply about replacing the conservatory. The owners regularly welcomed older family members and guests who could find using the stairs difficult. They wanted a proper ground-floor bathroom so that their home could accommodate them comfortably.
Access to the rear garden was also restricted by the size and position of the existing garage, while the garden itself wasn't making the most of the relationship with the house.
The challenge was therefore to create a home that worked better for the couple today, while also thinking about how they, their family and their guests might use it in the years ahead.
What We Designed
Rather than simply replacing the conservatory like-for-like, we designed a permanent rear extension that could become a comfortable part of the home throughout the year.
To the side of the house, the extension was shaped around the existing property to create space for a new ground-floor bathroom — providing accessible facilities for family members and guests unable to comfortably use the stairs.
We also reconsidered the garage. Rather than automatically replacing what was already there at the same size, we reduced its footprint, improving access into the rear garden while retaining the garage space the owners actually needed.
The house and garden were considered together, with the external areas forming part of the overall design rather than becoming a separate project later.
What We Built
The existing conservatory was removed and replaced with a properly insulated extension, creating comfortable living space that could be used throughout the year.
The shaped side extension created the additional ground-floor accommodation and bathroom, while the existing garage was demolished and rebuilt with a smaller footprint to improve access around the house and into the garden.
Internally, the new spaces were integrated with the existing home, while externally the rear garden was fully hard landscaped to complete the relationship between the house and its new outside space.
How It Improved the Way They Live
The part of the house that had previously been difficult to use comfortably through the seasons became a permanent part of everyday family life.
Older relatives and guests can now be accommodated with ground-floor bathroom facilities rather than having to negotiate the stairs.
Reducing the garage improved movement between the front and rear of the property, while the landscaping created an outside space that feels connected to the home rather than separate from it.
Most importantly, the project wasn't designed solely around how the owners lived at that moment. It considered how the house could continue working for them, their family and their guests as their needs change over time.
How we got there
The conversation
The initial conversation wasn't simply about wanting a larger house. The owners had an existing conservatory that had been opened into the main living accommodation but was uncomfortable during temperature extremes — too cold in winter and too hot in summer.
They also talked about how their family used the house. With parents and other older guests visiting, providing facilities on the ground floor was becoming increasingly important.
And outside, the existing garage restricted access into a rear garden that had the potential to become a much more usable part of the property. Those conversations gave us a much broader brief than simply 'replace the conservatory'.
Feasibility & survey
We surveyed the existing house, conservatory, garage and garden to understand how the different parts of the property interacted.
The design needed to create comfortable year-round living accommodation, introduce a ground-floor bathroom, retain useful garage space and improve access to the garden — without simply adding unnecessary floor area.
That meant looking at the property as a whole rather than treating the extension, garage and landscaping as separate pieces of work.
Design
The rear extension replaced the conservatory with properly insulated accommodation that became part of the house rather than an uncomfortable addition to it.
To the side, we shaped the extension to provide the ground-floor bathroom required for older family members and guests.
The garage was redesigned with a smaller footprint. The owners retained the storage and garage space they needed, while releasing valuable space alongside the house and improving access into the garden.
The landscaping was then designed as part of the same project so that the completed home worked from the inside all the way through to the garden.
Designing to the budget
The owners had an overall budget of approximately £150,000, but importantly, they didn't want to spend every penny of it on the house — they also wanted enough left to buy a new car. Our early project budget was therefore set at around £130,000.
Once the design had been developed and fully costed, the tender returned at approximately £124,000, giving the owners confidence that the project could achieve what they wanted while remaining within their wider financial plans.
As the project progressed, the scope changed. Approximately £15,000 of additional landscaping was added, while reducing the size of the redesigned garage created savings elsewhere in the project. The final account was approximately £126,000.
For us, designing to a budget isn't about spending whatever a customer tells us they have available. It's about understanding what they want their money to achieve and making design decisions accordingly.
- Money available
- ~£150,000
- OPB project budget
- ~£130,000
- Tender
- ~£124,000
- Final account
- ~£126,000
- After ~£15k of added landscaping, offset by garage savings
Seeing it before it existed
The design process allowed the owners to understand how the new rear and side extensions, smaller garage and external areas would work together before construction began.
That meant decisions about space, access and how the garden related to the house could be made while they were still relatively inexpensive to change — on the drawings rather than on site.
Build, finish & handover
The existing conservatory and garage were removed before construction of the new rear and side extensions began.
The OPB project team coordinated the construction works and trades through to completion, including the internal alterations, new ground-floor bathroom, reconstructed garage and extensive hard landscaping.
The result was not simply a larger house, but a property that worked more effectively as a whole — from the main living spaces through to the garden.
In their words
“Having access to a downstairs toilet has enabled us to have family round that aren't able to use the stairs, which has allowed us to have lots of family gatherings.”
The client’s own account of the project, published as they wrote it.
We couldn't use the space prior to the extension being built because the conservatory was either too hot or too cold. Having access to a downstairs toilet has enabled us to have family round that aren't able to use the stairs, which has allowed us to have lots of family gatherings.
It's been a pleasure working with OPB. They gave us lots of support throughout the project and had a great team working on site — it's been brilliant.
Gallery
Inside the finished home
Get in touch
Start with a conversation
Planning something similar? Tell us what isn’t working about your home and the design team will be in touch to arrange a conversation — no obligation.