Our Clients bought an unremarkable 1930s Arts & Crafts style detached 2-storey suburban house. It was tired, dark, cellular and too small, but had a large south-facing rear garden, which they asked us to re-imagine to fit them as a modern family - embodying the spirit of indoor/outdoor Californian life-style into a British climate context. We quickly realised their budget wouldn’t allow a newbuild. Although not in a conservation area, the Planners resisted any major rearward expansion, so we overcame this using our skill in permitted development. From the street, new porches on the original Arts & Crafts façade hint at what can be found beyond. The rear of the building is a formalised cascade of grey modern boxes that reach to the landscape and terminate with a pavilion which appears to have escaped to the bottom of the garden. A rear and two side extensions create space for generous open-plan living, kitchen & dining. The first-floor internal walls are rearranged to integrate storage, and a loft extension accommodates a master bedroom & en suite. The existing garage is converted into an annex for visitors, and a grass-roofed studio/gym is housed at the end of the plot defining a courtyard garden between.