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For Caroline and Alan Burns, the journey to creating their dream home began during the pandemic. “It was in the Covid lockdown and Australia was shut,” says Caroline, who arrived in London from Australia 20 years ago. She stayed in the UK to forge a career and marry Alan, with whom she now has three children.
The couple were deliberating whether to move to Australia to enjoy the alfresco lifestyle or remain in London, with all its opportunities and culture, when the pandemic struck. “We worried about where we might go and what we might do, but then thought it’d be better just to live for the moment,” she says.
That decision led the couple to make an offer on a property in North London, which they’d walked past many times. The house’s hilltop location, in a conservation area, offers an enviable views across the city. The generous proportions of the double-fronted Victorian home impressed Caroline, too – the high ceilings and large rooms make a strong first impression as soon as you walk through the front door. “The scale of it! I’ve never seen an entrance and hallway like it,” says Caroline, who fell in love with the house’s potential, despite its terrible condition.
There were linoleum floors, a dilapidated lean-to and soundproofed rooms for the musical former tenant. The biggest drawback for sun-loving Caroline was that the rear of the house faced north, and the boundary to the west was blocked by a neighbouring gable. “I knew that if we were going to stay here, we’d need more light,” she says.
Caroline and Alan’s desire to flood the property with sunshine formed the basis of the design brief they gave to their architect, Andrew Mulroy of Mulroy Architects. “The Australian way of life is all about letting light in,” says Caroline. “I needed a beachy, summery feel. I also wanted a house large enough to entertain. I have a big family, and I wanted a kitchen that forms the heart of the house, with enough space for everyone.”
Andrew and his team rose to the challenge, crafting plans for a renovation and extensions that showcase clever solutions to the building’s unique challenges. “It’s a beautiful home that embodies the spirit of Australia and London,” says Andrew. “Our ambitious design maximises views, floods the house with light and introduces open living areas for entertaining.”
The unusual asymmetrical extension is clad in sustainable larch timber and architectural masonry, which comprises up to 40% recycled materials
With a reliable main contractor in Keenan Construction, the project ran smoothly. However, party wall issues did slow progress somewhat at the beginning. A neighbouring property that is divided into flats created some issues around communication and logistics, which were all, ultimately, resolved. “They couldn’t stop us, but it did cost an extra £30,000 to sort out,” says Caroline.
Although these challenges created some stressful moments, the build was an overwhelmingly positive experience with no low points. “I was excited throughout the project,” she recalls. “While Alan dealt with the insurance, builders and planners, I dealt with the good stuff; design, interiors and vision,” Caroline says. “It really helped that our main contractor, Keenan Construction, are brilliant at what they do. They were always happy to find a solution to any issues that cropped up along the way.”
The biggest changes Alan and Caroline made to the house was clearing the existing lean-to extension to make way for a new rear addition. The lightweight timber frame structure sits on the diagonal at 45° facing the eastern light, rather than the building next door. This design extends views across the garden and cleverly navigates the 3m planning rule (set out by permitted development rules), which limits the size of single-story rear additions on semi-detached or terraced homes.
Now reaching 9m from the original Victorian property, the extension also conceals the blank wall of the neighbouring addition. As well as helping to revitalise the ground floor overall, the new extension makes the garden feel bigger and brighter by maximising the diagonal space.
The front of the house retains its traditional facade
Inside, a tall rooflight sits above the dining table, capturing sunshine and highlighting the interesting geometry of the extension. Although the overhead glazing is fixed and does not open, it successfully bounces pockets of light around the entire space.
Steps from the original part of the house lead down into the new zone, which thanks to 4m-high ceilings, accommodates a dramatic kitchen and dining space that works to draw attention away from the neighbour’s wall next door. “All we can see is sky and trees,” says Caroline. “It’s very clever.”
CLOSER LOOK Wow-factor finishesThanks to the contemporary exterior finishes chosen by Caroline and Alan, the rear extension stands visually distinct from the original property’s traditional brickwork. The pale colours of the materials palette – sustainable Siberian larch and shot-blasted Forticrete bricks – greatly appealed to the couple.
The blocks comprise of up to 40% of recycled materials, offering a 25% reduction in embodied carbon (that’s the same amount that’s used to manufacture a product) per tonne, against traditional concrete mixes. The sleek proportions of the long format Forticrete bricks provide an eye-catching contrast to the conventionally sized Victorian units, too. |
Light determined other elements of the redesign, too, including the addition of unusual north-facing extensions on the roof. When viewed face on, these structures appear to be windowless, but actually have large openable rooflights that capture southern sunshine and invite fresh air inside, ensuring the top rooms remain bright and cool. An unexpected bonus is the full-height wardrobe space they provide, which is so often hard to find in attics.
By moving the staircase to the side of the building, Caroline and Alan established a clear sight line from the front of the house to the back garden
The significant layout changes made to the ground floor were also dictated by Alan and Caroline’s goal to bring in as much natural light as possible. The main alteration was the couple’s decision to relocate the central staircase to the side of the floorplan. This not only opened up a stunning view from the front door, through the house and into the garden, but it freed up an incredible 30% more living space, all within the guidelines of planning policies. This allowed the utility room and WC to be repositioned in the centre of the floorplan, a concept Caroline loves.
“Those rooms don’t need sun. That was a stroke of genius by the architects,” she says. Having found ways to make the back of the house feel sunny, the couple went one step further and decided to draw in more brightness from the south-facing front of the house. A series of new, internal windows invites light in, and provides a visual link that means Caroline can see her children, aged 15, 14 and 11, in the front reception room when she’s in the rear open-plan area. “The incredible morning light from the south reaches the back and I can see the kids, even though they’re in a different room,” she says.
Sliding doors leading from the extension to the patio help to blur the boundary between indoor and outdoor spaces
A new basement adds further space to the already large home, but Caroline insists the family uses every inch of it. Before any excavation work could begin, a series of soil tests were conducted and trial pits dug out to assess the surrounding foundations.
The subterranean space is fully waterproofed and has a sump pump to ensure it remains dry, despite the presence of a reservoir close by. “The digging out created an absolute mud pit, but we were going all in for our forever home,” says Caroline. “The space is very functional; we have a gym, a cinema room and space for our guests. It was my husband’s idea – and thank goodness we did it,” she says.
Large picture windows help to ensure a light-filled interior throughout all seasons
When it came to upgrading the property’s heating system, though Caroline and Alan considered an air source heat pump, ultimately, they decided against it on the grounds of cost and practicality. “In a house of this size, an air source heat pump would struggle to warm it sufficiently, and I really feel the cold!” says Caroline. “However, we do have underfloor heating throughout, and this gives a really nice, even spread of heat.”
Caroline had a clear vision for the interior scheme and was adamant that her chosen finishes would create a visually interesting and elegant look. It was a brief that was challenging in its vagueness, but one that the couple’s designers, Simpson & Voyle, exceeded. “I loved working with them, they made the job so pleasurable,” says Caroline. “They have done amazing things.”
Fortunately, when Caroline and Alan purchased the property, many of the original Victorian features remained in place. Where possible, Caroline decided to retain these period details and refurbish elements, such as the fireplaces, as necessary. “I wanted to keep the coving and the ceilings, too, but they disintegrated as soon as the builders touched them,” she says.
The original parts of the house retain some period features, which are highlighted through the careful use of colour and pattern in the decorative scheme
One of the biggest challenges was bringing old and new together in a way that showcases the best of both. The entire house benefits from new tailormade joinery, including all the bedrooms. Mulroy Architects designed the staircase, which connects all levels of the property.
Timber flooring is laid in most of the rooms, with the exception of the hallway, which features a striking patterned floor comprising black and white marble tiles. In the kitchen, the micro-cement floor (a popular alternative for polished concrete) is durable and practical. The kitchen cabinets are pale, in keeping with the light, spacious feeling Caroline wanted. “I considered resin for the floor, but it’s not textured enough.”
The sloping ceiling in the extension is angled upwards, creating a sense of the space opening up; a design requirement that Caroline had specified in the brief
Happy to be pushed out of her comfort zone of neutral colours and pale wood finishes, Caroline worked with designers Angela Simpson and Laura Voyle to inject colour and pattern into the home. These elements accentuate the building’s original features, including high ceilings, ornate cornicing and sculptural lines. While Caroline kept and reimagined some furniture, including reupholstering some pieces, she also embraced the trend for high/ low design.
This means money was spent on quality, investment items, or those that will be used frequently, with more affordable high street buys in less critical areas. Caroline made savings on furniture in the children’s and guest rooms, while the family sofas and the lighting system, which came from Astro Lighting, are top of the range. The basins in the bathroom were also made bespoke by marble and granite suppliers, Pena.
With the family now happily settled into their light-filled home, has this colossal 18-month-long project improved everyday life? “It definitely has!” says Caroline. “It’s a very easy house to live in and everyone is happy here. The kids spend less time in their bedrooms, and we can live as a family with a busy social life. As I stand at the back doors, looking out, I can’t believe we live here.”
WE LEARNED…
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