St Devenicks
Renovations and Conversions
St Devenicks
The Brief
The main requirement of the project was to create a new open plan kitchen and family area on the ground floor to the rear of the existing property by removing an internal loadbearing wall. The client also wanted to improve bathroom facilities upstairs as the family bathroom was very limited in size.
LOCATION
Cults, Aberdeen
YEAR COMPLETED
2018
KEY INFORMATION
Alterations to a period property in Aberdeen. Internal layout reconfigured at ground floor and first floor levels. Bore hole and ground source heat pump installed.
The Design
The property is a granite built period property whose front elevation faces St Devenicks Terrace and
the Deeside Way. Consequently, the main everyday access to the property is from the parking area
and lane at the rear. Access was via a door on the back elevation, through a utility space and door
into the cramped and dark kitchen. The property had a large rear garden, but it was divorced from
the rooms inside, and there was little opportunity to enjoy a view of the garden from the kitchen.
Upstairs a series of alterations had been made to create a small bathroom by installing a very
unsatisfactory flat roofed dormer next to an original dormer window. The bathroom was
inadequate, the dormer was both visually unappealing and it was leaking.
The first main design move was to relocate the rear entrance to the side of the building, in a more
convenient and efficient location for the internal floor plan. This created an opportunity to maximise
views of the garden to the rear. The internal loadbearing wall was removed to form an open plan
space, and utility facilities and ground floor toilet were re-located to the darkest part of the floor
plan so that light was maximised in the main kitchen space. A connection to the garden was created
by the addition of a frameless oriel window, giving uninterrupted views of the garden by removing
the corner of the building. The new window cantilevers to form a deep window seat reveal,
allowing family members to sit at the table in the sunlight in a beautiful social space.
The existing first floor dormer was replaced with a contemporary dark grey zinc clad addition,
contrasting with the original building and complimenting the existing granite masonry walls and slate
roof. The new dormer allows light to flood into a re-arranged bedroom and a new, more spacious
bathroom has been formed making use of an existing small window on the rear elevation.
The design solution has answered the client’s brief exactly, but it has achieved much more. The
finished home is light and bright. Although no floor area has been added, it feels more spacious
because it is organised to maximise the available area and the garden is now part of the home which
increases the sense of space. The design of window alterations has answered an ordinary brief with
a striking, contemporary and more unique solution to enhance the overall appeal of the property.
