The brief was to restore the house back to its original fabric, upgrade its functionality, inject plenty of daylight and extend at ground and roof level. Layers of accreted finishes silted the walls and floors, making the house dark and introverted. The work was carried out in a series of phases, allowing the family to stay in occupation and budget for the work. After the house was stripped back to the plaster and bare timber floor boards, the services were replaced and the original fabric was then thoughtfully stitched back together. We reorganised the centre of the house to provide a service core and office in place of the original breakfast room and scullery and introduce a family bathroom and linen press. A modern, light-filled kitchen / dining extension was built, forging positive connnectivity with the west facing garden and trees beyond and taking advantage of southerly aspect to capture heat gain in the winter, but avoid glare in the summer. The loft was converted and extended into additional accommodation, also offering the opportunity to being daylight down through the centre of the house.