With the arrival of twins, the Richardson family were in desperate need of more living space. A light-filled extension at the rear of the house was the answer.
Firefighter Dean Richardson, 36, along with wife Polly, three and a half year old Jake and 18 month old twins Arlo and Oscar live in a two-storey house in the leafy Derby suburb of Allestree.
In 2018 they embarked on an ambitious single-storey extension project at the back of their house. The extension would provide much-needed extra space for this growing family.
Dean said: “We knew we had to do something to give us more space when the twins came along. We wanted an area where the boys could all play and somewhere we could also chill and relax. The open-plan kitchen / play area works perfectly for us as it means we can still see the children play while we cook dinner, do the washing etc.”
The Richardsons now have a great light-filled space to relax. Electric blinds on the roof windows allow them to control the daylight at the touch of a button.
The family enlisted the help of an architect and a builder to plan and build the extension which was fairly straightforward except for a spot of unseasonal bad weather in the spring.
When planning Dean was adamant he wanted roof windows along with bi-fold doors to let in as much light as possible in to the space.
He said: “I did a lot of online research in to the best roof windows for the job and there was no doubt - VELUX came out on top in terms of reputation and quality. Our builder also recommended the product so installing VELUX INTEGRA roof windows in the extension became a must for us.”
Dean wanted to maximise as much light as possible in the extension which would help bring more light in to the kitchen, which was quite dark before it was opened up with the new extension.
The home extension includes a play area for the kids, with the bi-fold doors adding more light and giving easy access to the garden
“Everything seems so much bigger and brighter with the roof windows. The windows have definitely made the space a happier place, and with the added ventilation a healthier one too.
“We also have VELUX electric blinds which are great for when we want to dim the light from the windows at the touch of a button. The extension includes bi-fold doors, which we wanted to help bring the outside in. On those rainy days when you can’t get outside, you still feel close to nature, and on the sunny days we can open the doors and play outside and pop back in to cool down. We absolutely love our new space and how it’s helped transform our home and how we spend time together as a family. It was well worth the investment and a lot less stressful than moving to a bigger house with young family.”
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