This project returns a Californian bungalow to its former glory and extends it to suit the lives of the busy young family who have made it their home.
The clients’ brief is to restore the house to make the most of its original features and to create a new space for family life that offers something different to the enclosed, hunkered-down feel of the original bungalow.
Stage 1 involves repairing the existing building and tweaking its layout to make it more functional and to maximise sunlight.
Stage 2 is a new addition. We drew inspiration from the form and materials of the bungalow so that the new building has the sense of extending from the original, rather than simply adding to it. We describe the approach as “ rafting”. The new addition cantilevers over the garden to make the most of the northern aspect and, like the original, is brick with a hipped tile roof. The contrast with the original lies in how the space works for the family, rather than in its form.
