Private Homes \ [House in Elie]

The existing house (Lark Rise) was built in 1959 on the north edge of Earlsferry and is a single storey bungalow laid out under a large pitched tiled roof. Grange Road is separated from the rest of the village by the golf course and the house and those either side of it look south across the fairways to the village and from upper levels have views across the Forth to East Lothian. Behind the house are fields and farmland with the ground rising gently to the north.

The existing form of the house and the front facade fails to make the most of either its setting or the views to the south. The proposed development required significant alterations to the existing house to create a new first floor living space and re-organisation of the ground floor to provide more flexible kitchen dining spaces and bedrooms.

The key move was to create a single large living space at the first floor running the full depth of the house; this replaces and extends the current bedroom in the roof. By moving the living space to the first floor this helps to make the most of the panoramic views. To the front the existing flat roof above the loggia is converted to form a balcony and the living room opens onto this through full height glazed windows.

The central hall and kitchen are linked by a new opening in the central wall of the house. This then allows the creation of a second set of living spaces running through the full depth of the house and bringing south light into the rear part of the plan. To extend this idea we have added a garden room extension on the north side of the kitchen creating an informal breakfast and eating area and replacing the shabby existing conservatory.

The project was completed summer 2014.