Location: Brighton, East Sussex
Work carried-out: A Certificate of Lawful Development Application was submitted for a loft conversion. There was a Building Regulations application and Scheduled Fixtures, Finishes & Fittings to enable a smooth build with an appointed Contractor.
Project description: This terraced property was in a deteriorated state and had been in multiple occupation. It had a very good location in a central position with great views to the rear over the city.
The two main reception rooms on the Ground Floor were linked together to form a comfortable Kitchen / Living / Dining Room. The smaller room at the rear became a Study. The Basement had its own independent access so the potential is there for holiday and other lets when not needed for family living. There is a separate WC Shower-room on this floor along with a Lounge Area and Utility with garden access.
The First Floor accommodation is Bedrooms and Bathrooms and from this Landing another stair flight was incorporated up to the new loft converted Bedroom with magnificent views and its own En-Suite.
The client has a gift for Interior Design and this has been used here to create beautiful finishing touches to the new layout.
Contractor: Jurial Construction Ltd
I’m so glad I chose David Kemp of DK Architects. Though I’ve had quite a lot of experience renovating exhausted Victorian houses, this time, with quite a few structure issues involved, I felt I needed an Architect’s practice. Choosing DK Architects turned out to be a great decision, possibly wiser than falling in love with an abandoned, much neglected ex-student house! A house suffocated by years of neglect, dirt, damp, and layers of paint obscuring and hiding the beauty of the original features. David, arriving on his bicycle, embraced the vision entirely as we walked around the cold, rotting building. His enthusiasm for creating ‘real’ homes for people to enjoy living in and understanding how we would function as a family within the space was immediately apparent. Function, integrity, and honesty can describe what I wanted from my new home and from the professionals who would help me to build it. I didn’t want any preconceptions of trendy design or someone else’s interpretation of what would work best for us. David managed to translate my whirlwind of ideas and emotions about restoring this old house onto paper and then into plans and planning applications and accurate tenders from builders. It was reassuring to have every step of the process logged, printed, and navigated, choosing how much I wanted to do myself and how much I wanted them involved. The builders chosen from David’s recommendations were also impressive and, as budget is possibly what frightens us the most, they were on time and on budget. There’s no doubt that in any project there’s a time of impatience and frustration when things just seem to go on forever and we just want to be living in our new home. But David and his team were always available and held steady and when you read in testimonials that employing an architect is money well spent, you can believe it. It’s a team project; your ideas and vision, David’s interpretation and invaluable suggestions and design experience, a builder who can build it well, all helping you create a home you love.