Your local architectsand builders inMiddlesex

The 1930s semi and its limits

The bay-fronted inter-war semi is the defining Middlesex house: solid or early cavity walls, a shallow rear kitchen addition, a hipped roof with a modest ridge height, and a detached or integral garage down the side. It extends beautifully, but the constraints are consistent; the original rear addition is usually the weakest structure on the plot, the side access is often too narrow for machinery, and the hipped roof limits loft headroom until it is squared off to a gable.

We design around all three at once. Where a hip-to-gable and a rear extension are both wanted, doing them under one contract saves a second scaffold, a second structural design and a second period of disruption.

• Original rear addition assessed rather than assumed sound
• Hip-to-gable considered where loft headroom is marginal
• Side access and machinery constraints priced into the programme

Thames flood plain and high water tables

Ashford, Staines-upon-Thames, Sunbury, Shepperton, Laleham and parts of Feltham sit in or beside the Thames flood plain, on gravel over clay with a high water table. That has practical consequences: basements and deep foundations become significantly more expensive, soakaway drainage often will not work, and some applications require a flood risk assessment and flood-resilient detailing.

We establish the flood zone and the ground conditions at the design visit, so the drainage strategy and foundation approach are settled before the contract sum is fixed rather than discovered when the trenches fill with water.

Aircraft noise, insulation and glazing

Much of southern Middlesex sits under the Heathrow approach. For extensions and loft conversions near the flight path, acoustic performance is not a luxury; it determines whether the new bedroom or open-plan kitchen is actually pleasant to use.

Where noise is a factor we specify glazing, ventilation and roof build-ups accordingly at design stage. Getting acoustic and thermal performance right at the same time is far cheaper than retrofitting either.

• Glazing and ventilation specified with acoustic performance in mind
• Roof and wall build-ups designed for thermal and acoustic gain together
• Upgrades carried out while the fabric is already open

Post-war services well past their design life

Many Middlesex houses are still running on partially upgraded electrical installations, original cold water tanks, minimal loft insulation and boilers sized for a smaller house than the one the owners now want. Adding an extension or a loft bedroom onto that base loads a system that was already at its limit.

We assess the heating, hot water and electrical capacity as part of the design, so the new space works from the first winter rather than exposing the shortfall once you have moved in.