Oliver Leech Architects has given a detached inter-war house in Epsom a new sense of identity through the addition of a hipped-roof two-storey rear extension that reveals a depth of clean, intricate detailing throughout. The clients, a couple with two young children, briefed the architects to redesign the home to include more spacious and open living areas in which they could spend quality time together. Despite contending with strict planning conditions at their Epsom estate, the clients asked Oliver Leech Architects to create a new modern identity to visually set the house apart from its neighbouring rear additions. The new extension accommodates a new master bedroom and bathroom suite on the first floor featuring vaulted ceilings and garden views. On the ground floor, the house has been opened up to allow for a large, flexible kitchen and living space with views and connections to the internal courtyard and large rear garden. The form of the extension was defined by the existing house. Oliver Leech Architects designed a hipped form that mimics the original roofscape, featuring a large dormer window that punctuates the roofline. Planning restrictions meant that the external material palette was limited to what was previously on site, including dark clay tiles, timber, and render. The architects worked within these constraints to design a contemporary palette that gives the house it’s own sense of identity, using a handmade, grey Danish clay tile that is visually very different to the neighbouring red tiles more commonly seen on traditional Surrey roofscapes. What the client said: "We chose to work with Oliver Leech Architects because we loved their projects, particularly the way they worked with light to create calm, homely interiors. From the outset, Oliver and Ross listened closely to our aspirations for the house, offering ideas and design advice that blended with what we wanted perfectly. They also took the stress out of the build too; they took care of things that would normally cause headaches, allowing us to be excited about the project the whole way through.” “Our favourite space is the kitchen and living area. We can be anywhere in that room and feel together as a family, even if we’re doing different things. The concrete, timber, and the way the light is drawn in through the courtyard and large windows - we just love it. We love how the room flows into the garden, too. ”