A Victorian Terrace Home Renovation in Exeter

This renovation was of a compact 2 bedroom terrace house in Exeter that had seen very little modernisation since its construction in the 1890s. This project allowed Mark to work as Architect and Builder and involved creating an open plan ground floor layout along with energy efficiency improvements.

 

The living and dining room had been knocked through previously but the kitchen was dark and very basic with space taken out for the outhouse. The house was draughty and also had minor structural issues with rotten floor joists and movement in the bay window brickwork. 

 

Not every project has to be a new build house, large extension or have a big budget. Simple but significant architectural interventions can be added to modest houses. Furthermore the majority of existing homes will have to make significant energy efficiency improvements to meet current climate change targets.

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As the first home of MJM Architecture there wasn't a large budget and a lot of the works were completed by Mark and Siân themselves. Careful specification of materials and finishes ensured that a high quality finish could still be achieved without the expenditure. 

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The main architectural move was to open the kitchen to the dining room by inserting a new beam and reducing the understairs cupboard. The old outhouse wall was demolished and then a new modern kitchen planned to maximise the space available. The old concrete yard was taken up and replaced with a new fully decked area providing an additional outside room with built in seating and planter.  

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Energy efficiency measures were also incorporated; insulation added between the ground floor joists, additional insulation to the loft, insulated linings to the external walls as well as draught proofing to external doors. 

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