Cambridge Gardens is the ever-growing home of a growing family. The homeowners, Fred and Charlotte, have lived in their Ladbroke Grove home since 2009, and have adapted the property a couple of times over the years to make sure their home was keeping up with their evolving needs as a family.

Fred and Charlotte are no stranger to renovation. Back in 2014, they took the traditional architect route to complete an ambitious side extension on this same property. This time around, after reflecting on their experiences with the traditional process, and having been recommended Resi by a friend, they were intrigued to give our way a go for their rear extension.

Now a family of five, they were in desperate need of an additional bedroom. We designed a 250 square ft extension onto the rear of the property, to create a modern and spacious kitchen dining area. This freed up the previous kitchen as an additional bedroom for the family to use. A fantastic example of how a relatively simple redesign can be a game-changer.

How's life in your newly extended home?

It's grand. We're delighted with the build, it's changed our lives really. It's given us a third bedroom, which is invaluable for a growing family.

What was the toughest part of the project?

Planning was definitely the hardest part. We're in a conservation area with mature trees, and we had to go through different planning application processes to satisfy the council. Resi managed that process really well.

What made you choose Resi for your extension?

We used a traditional architect for the side extension in 2014, and having been through that process we were very interested in Resi’s approach. We were very happy with Resi’s proposal in the first instance - the plan that was put forward was very clear, good value for money, and seemed a very efficient use of our time and Resi’s time. Plus a really good online platform for managing the whole process.

Do you have any tips for first time renovators?

Be patient, always be prepared to compromise, have a clear vision in your mind but take the professional advice from the designers and be prepared to work together, as it's a collaborative process.

Planning was tricky on this one, what happened?

Danielle Price, Senior Planning Consultant at Resi:
We did a pre app on this project, as the property is in a conservation area and we wanted to open up a relationship with the council early. We were granted planning permission in July 2021, but were faced with a number of conditions regarding trees, flood risk and sustainable drainage, which we had to get further approval for. This was a big challenge, as Kensington and Chelsea don't take amendments on condition discharge application, and the drainage plans were impacting the trees, so it was difficult to get all the officers and consultants to agree on one scheme that worked. It was tricky, but we managed to get everyone on the same page and everything was happily signed off by the council.

Photography by Matt Gamble.