Rocking Along: Progressing in a smooth fashion

Works are almost complete in this north facing garden extension to a 1980s bungalow in Edinburgh.  The orientation meant getting sunlight into the space would be challenging,  particularly with a shallow garden as this restricted the extension depth, and kept it within the shadow of the main house.  To help resolve this we looked at five different layouts to optimise the design, and chose a diagonal wall which worked best with the internal layout, as well as connectivity to the garden.

This re-oriented the extension to face west, to catch the evening sun, and this also allowed long views across the garden, increasing the sense of space.  We pushed the extension right to the boundary, enough for  a tall south facing window gaining  direct sunlight into the new space.  We also integrated in a two metre long rooflight adding further sunlight into the space.

A split level plan kept the kitchen on the upper level of the main house, and this overlooks the new dining and social spaces which are at garden level.  The new space connects into the existing house by removing a corner wall, which gives better integration as well as a much better flow.

Initial Concept Sketches

'Before'