Residential Refurbishment & Extension in Richmond upon Thames, London

The Customer

A young couple expecting their first baby. Whilst they loved their home, they required a large extension to create more living space and a full house refurbishment to create a modern and comfortable living area for their family. However, whilst they wanted a more modern interior design, they also wanted the old Victorian features of their home to be kept intact.

The Challenge

The client required a full refurbishment of their old Victorian property to create a family home which provided more space and a modern layout whilst retaining the traditional Victorian features.

This included the conversion of the 2 storey house into a 3 storey house and an upgrade from 3 bedrooms and 1 toilet to 5 bedrooms and 3 toilets.

The brief also called for full property landscaping to the front and back of the property.

Special Features

• Significant house extension including an additional floor
• New open plan kitchen and communal space
• New en-suite bathrooms
• New staircase
• L-shaped loft conversion
• New interior refurbishment of the entire house including re-carpeting

The Solution

Firstly, we listened closely to the client to gather their ideas and then brainstorm solutions in areas of style, design and layout. Sketches and 3D models were used to allow the client to experience their ideas before making their final decision.

Once building commenced, Bischell’s architectural and build teams constructed a large extension which seamlessly integrated into the property and allowed for more bedrooms and bathrooms which were created with a modern interior feel. A premium kitchen was installed with the existing kitchen wall knocked through to join together with the living room via an arched wall. This created the sought-after open plan communal space for their family.

A full loft conversion also created 3 additional bedrooms and a new bathroom, with a staircase to match the existing property style. Finally, the rest of the property was fully renovated to give a modern and contemporary face-lift to suit the client’s tastes. This included external landscaping and full house re-carpeting.

The property itself also had cases of dry rot, damp, wet rot and condensation which were identified by the client prior to our involvement. We remedied these issues for the client to avoid the need to bring in further contractors.

During the construction phrase, the clients lived within the property for long periods of time. This meant that we had to ensure that living conditions were tidy and that disturbance was kept to a minimum whilst following the scheduled timescale. Other obstacles included:

1). Clients could only move out for a limited time.

2). The property had to be in a liveable state 4 weeks prior to completion to accommodate their new baby.

3). We had to make sure our schedule complied with the schedule of other suppliers hired by the client, such as the double glazing firm.

4). Belongings and furniture could only be in storage for a limited time.

5). Bischell had to select and buy all “second fix” items (fixtures and fittings) on behalf of the client based on their requested tastes and styles due to time restrictions on the client’s part.