A lot of people love terrace housing. However, the style, age, and layout of the homes can cause issues. You may also find limitations in what you can do due to neighbours and the location. That doesn’t mean you can’t renovate. All you need is a clever design. We want to look at some tips for how you can achieve this. Then, if you need help with residential architecture in London, you can speak to us.
Issues
There are often some crucial things you need to look at with terraces. They tend to be the same whether it is Victorian homes in London or properties in other parts of the country.
The first is that most of the properties are not built to suit modern living. They usually have tricky layouts with smaller rooms and corridors to connect them. The layouts can make rooms dark and cramped. It can also mean a lot of space is going to waste simply as transitional room.
Secondly, a lot of terraces have issues with things like electrics, plumbing, and heating. This leads back to when they were built. The living standards here were much different. The key amenities may no longer be sufficient. Poor lighting and ventilation as well as old pipes can also lead to damp.
You need to correct all of these problems during your renovation. It will help to make the home much better. Do it right and you could have a fine piece of residential architecture in London or other parts of the UK.
Tips
There are lots of things you can do here to improve a terrace home. Firstly, you can look at changes that will improve the lighting. Try opening up the interior, getting rid of partitions you don’t need or swapping them for glazed ones. Look at skylights and the windows at the front and back of the property.
Improving the exterior can have a massive impact. A problem with many terraces is they start to look their age. It can mean every property starting to look tired. You can tackle this with updates like new windows, a new door, plastering, paint, and other things. Get rid of any inappropriate additions like low quality uPVC windows.
Connecting to the garden is a good idea too. Terraces tend to have some external space, even if it is only a relatively small yard. You can dramatically improve the property by connecting it to the interior. This works especially well when you have a kitchen/diner here. Big bi-fold or sliding doors are great too.
Investing in clever storage is also very wise. It can save a lot of space and really help to maximise the room. That is crucial when you want to open up the layout.
A final thing to look at is using authentic materials. They should be your goal when you do any kind of extension or renovation. Design choices like leaving the bricks and any steelwork exposed are a good idea too.
Speak to us about residential architecture in London
You need to be careful with terraces to ensure your project will maximise the liveability and value. The right design can completely change the property, leaving just the bones. It can be a fantastic investment. A few little touches to the exterior can make it stand out for the right reasons too.
If you want some help with terrace renovation, we would be proud to assist. Contact Coffey Architects and create the most incredible residential architecture in London. We’ll design a home you will love.