First floor extension

Ruscombe, Stroud, Gloucestershire

An additional bedroom was provided in this house by utilising the space above a previous, flat-roofed, single-storey extension. The existing eaves on two sides of this alcove made it necessary to roof the extension with a double-pitched roof, creating a valley gutter between the new and existing roofs and presenting a second gable to the garden. The external walls of the extension were constructed in lightweight timber frame using a modern insulated sheathing panel made from recycled wood fibres. The walls were finished in sand cement render and painted white to match the existing house. This approach kept the loadings on the existing foundations to a minimum and avoided the use of heavy building materials which would have presented problems due to difficult access to the house from the public highway. The new bedroom is now virtually indistinguishable from the original house.