Solution
Even with the strange side area, the existing house only had one full-sized bedroom, plus two tiny rooms that were well under the national minimum space standards. That suggested that simply mirroring the main part of the house would create two very small homes. So while at the front the “missing” section was filled in, at the back more was needed. A two-storey outrigger (the big rear section of a Victorian house) and a single-storey extension were added to both the existing house and the new half.
With those changes, there was enough space for two 2-bedroom homes, a significant improvement over the existing property. Sutton council rightly has high aspirations for the sustainability of new homes, so we incorporated air-source heat pumps and a green roof. Plus, because these houses are near the local shopping centre and a short walk from Thameslink, which whisks you up to central London and beyond, this is all car-free.
Taking one undersized home and turning it into a pair of two-bedroom houses that fully meet space standards without making it look like you’ve squeezed a building in is a great way to add homes painlessly. There aren’t that many opportunities to do this, but it’s important we make the most of those that do exist.