Ground floor extensions are the most common extension we design here at Home Tales. Most of our clients come to us with one question: where do I start? It’s totally understandable to be over-whelmed in the beginning. There is a huge amount of information online. Different companies also have different processes, so it’s hard to understand the process you yourself should follow. If you want to understand more about the Home Tales process, book a free consultation with our team via our online diary. We would be delighted to understand more about your project and issue you with a no obligation quote for the work. 

Our architectural team has decades of experience and knowledge in designing home extensions across London and Brighton. We thought we would talk through some the most popular ground floor features to help inspire you and potentially kick-start your project. 

Open plan design 

Victorian and Edwardian properties were traditionally designed with enclosed rooms. In most cases there were 3 designated rooms on the ground floor: the living room, the dining room, and the kitchen. Rooms were often enclosed as they didn’t have central heating and smaller rooms were easier to heat with fires. In modern day living, spacious multi-functional areas are very much preferred and often feature in modern designs. When we undertake a ground floor extension, we always encourage our clients to think about the ground floor as an entire unit, and to consider modifying the front of the property as well as the rear. Our client in Merton chose a design which removed all internal walls on the ground floor to create this stunning multifunctional living, dining, and kitchen area.

The most common design option is to use a combination of the two, and to maintain one large reception room and to use open plan design towards the rear of the property. If you have a large enough extension you can double up on the living area. Our client in Wandsworth maintained the formal living room at the front of the property which could be shut off and enclosed from the rear of the property. In the rear of the house, after the extension was added, they had enough room to have an open plan living, dining and kitchen area. 

Features 

The addition of an extension offers a fantastic opportunity to add some features to your property. Exposed brick and steel are popular features which we are using more frequently. In our Brudenell Road project we incorporated both exposed brick and steel into the design, adding a lovely industrial finish to the project. 

Wood panelling is another popular feature that offers a more modern design finish. We used wood panelling in our Pulborough Road project. The finished room size of this room was huge – it measured 14m in length and 6m in width. A room that size benefits from these features to help designate the room into zones and break up the wall space. 

Glass doors 

Glass doors feature in almost all our projects, be it in different sizes and styles. There are tons of options available, be it crittal style, sliding, bi-fold or wooden French doors. These are just some of the options we discuss with you during the design phase. 

Modern windows

Velux windows and roof lights are a great addition to a ground floor extension. Roof lights are fantastic for placing over dining tables and framing this zone in open plan design. Glazing is another popular option and helps to maximise light penetration within the home. Window seats are another popular design option which we are seeing more and more. We added this beautiful window seat in our Hackney project which you can see here in the 3D render we completed of the finished project. 

Ground floor WC 

Traditional period properties don’t include a ground floor WC. In modern day living a ground floor WC is highly desirable and most period properties have been modified to include one, even if they haven’t been extended. If you are adding an extension it’s a great opportunity to add a WC or modify your existing ground floor design to include one in a more efficient location. 

Utility area

Utility areas are often included in our design discussions. Homeowners often like to experiment with a segregated section for a utility area, either as a designated utility room or hidden away within the kitchen cabinets. 

Cloakroom 

Family homes are often screaming for an area to house coats, school bags, shoes, and wellies! We are seeing them requested more and more and we often come up with clever designs to include them within the ground floor. It’s important that are located somewhere accessible with a clear run to the front door. 

Storage 

You can never have enough storage! Another top priority for homeowners who are extending is additional storage within their home. There are loads of options to include storage solutions, be it in the form of cabinets or full length shelving units, or more subtle ways such as sunken wine cellars or in-built benches. 

Each project is unique, and we create every single of our designs after getting to know you are your requirements. We would love to discuss your project in more detail. Get in touch with our team today on 0207 043 2378 or book a consult via our live diary.