With rising house prices in London, many people are choosing to purchase properties with the intent of renovating them, which works out as a smaller cost than buying a home which is ready to move into. In the past seven years, property prices in London have risen – in some areas as much as 60%. With the help of residential architects who have expert knowledge of improving, expanding and renovating existing properties, you can avoid paying extortionate property prices with the added bonus that you can put an individual stamp on the property and truly make it your own.
Director of Coffey Architects, Phil Coffey, renovated his own home in 2007 together with his wife Tamsyn. Rather than purchasing a building that wasn’t fully suited to his personality, he chose to completely renovate a smaller, more affordable property in Highbury, London. The design was was based on the one that won him his Young Architect of the Year award in 2012. Preserving just the facade, the two-storey structure was demolished to make way for the new space-savvy home.
Phil acted as his own architect for the job and after a seven-month planning and design stage, construction was ready to begin. The small terraced house was transformed with an open-plan kitchen, living and dining area on the ground floor. Originally there was only enough space for one double and one single bedroom on the first floor, but with the addition of space-saving wires in place of handrails on the staircase, over a foot of space has been saved – enough for two double bedrooms to be installed, adding value to the property and increasing its functionality.
Other features in the property include a glass staircase, which allows for an unbroken view up to the skylight and allows natural light to flood all the way through the property. This is just another example of using light and space to enhance an architectural project – a trademark of the work we do at Coffey Architects.
Creativity and optimum use of the available resources is one of our strong suits at Coffey Architects and we believe that you shouldn’t have to spend a fortune to live where and how you want to. Using many different techniques we can ensure that your space is used to its full potential and that you have something to truly call your own. Contact us to start discussing your residential architecture project in London or anywhere else.