Acorn Close - Jackson Builders

Acorn Close: Our experience on the client side and the lessons we learned.

Project Overview: Acorn Close is Charlee and Daniel’s own home, a typical three bed semi-detached on an estate. They’d had planning permission for a single rear extension and two storey side extension but were busy creating fabulous spaces for clients when Covid-19 hit. With the construction industry allowed to continue working, Charlee and Daniel found themselves on the client side and leant some valuable lessons that shaped the way they approach projects.

Objectives and Goals: The primary aim was to create a functional family home that allowed everyone a little more personal space as their children continued to grow. With a wealth of experience creating high end commercial spaces and amazing homes for others, they new the importance of setting out a clearly defined brief and a realistic budget.

Before the Renovation: The entrance hallway was really narrow which made for cramped greetings of family and friends and the kitchen was compact and separated from the back room which served as lounge, dining room, office etc. Upstairs, there was a primary bedroom with ensuite, a small double and a box room.

Scope of Work: As well as the two extensions to the property, a full renovation was undertaken, complete re-wire, new boiler, new plumbing installation throughout, soundproof insulation installed and all ceilings re-plastered.

The downstairs walls (all non structural) were removed to create an open plan kitchen and dining space.
The stairs were replaced and downstairs cloakroom relocated into the side extension.
The side extension on the ground floor added a second lounge and utility room complete with downstairs WC and shower.
Upstairs the two children’s bedrooms were knocked through to create a more functional third bedroom.
The second floor of the side extension became the primary suite with bedroom, walk through dressing room, ensuite and mezzanine level.

The project, commenced in April 2020 and completed in September 2020.

Challenges and Solutions:

Charlee was committed to a large open plan kitchen but this is centrally located within the property and a key challenge was working out how to extract the kitchen hob to meet building regulations. The width of the property meant the kitchen island couldn’t accommodate a pop up extractor and the route through the ceilings to the external walls was too long. An induction hob with built in charcoal filter extractor fan was eventually sourced which made the kitchen plan viable.

Covid-19 meant severely impacted supply chains which meant project programme and procurement were critical, materials were sourced well ahead of time to prevent project delays.

Despite completely gutting the property, Covid-19 also meant that the family couldn’t move out which was a huge challenge both practically and from a health & safety perspective.

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Results and Outcomes: A spacious family home and entertaining space has replaced the once cramped boxy layout, the completed project is an interpretation of mid-century modern inspired by the Austrian Alps and one man’s love for yellow.

What was your biggest takeaway?

“We are far more considerate of the client journey that we were before, dust is exhausting, and decision fatigue is real. If we’re building extensions, we always leave ‘knocking through’ as late as possible to minimise client disruption but if you are embarking on a project of similar scale to ours, if you can, move out. The build will go quicker if you aren’t there and living in a building site is not for the faint hearted”

Where did you save money?

“We already had double patio doors leading out to the garden, instead of making that opening wider (which would have required structural calculations and steels) we kept the opening the same size. The view to the rear of the property isn’t exactly rolling pastures, in fact, we’ve a streetlight right at the bottom of the garden! Instead of investing in a bi-fold door system, we’ve two tilt-and-turn windows either side of a central pillar that hides the lamppost and gave us space for a feature radiator and a bit of art.

Where did you splurge?

“Most clients are prepared to tackle the painting themselves but personally, I don’t understand why you wouldn’t budget for a professional decorator, they do the job in half the time and provide a better finish. The light switches are from Buster and Punch and were a definite investment but they are of exceptionally good quality.

Did you hire an architect?

“In direct contradiction to the advice we give our clients, we hired an architect who produced drawings for planning for us. Once we had the outline of the building we then set about producing our own detailed plans to build too but we have 30 years experience draw on and we weren’t going out to tender!”

Did you hire an interior designer?

“We are fortunate to have seen a lot of interiors, so we took what we have learnt, personalised it and delivered a home that reflects us. We’ve travelled extensively, but there is something extremely calming about the Austrian Alps, it’s a really reduced palette of greens, wood, grey, navy and blacks and that became our mood board for the house. As a result of the house feeling quite cluttered before, we’ve really leaned into a mid-century modern aesthetic and repeated themes throughout the house which give it a cohesive feel. As we had quite a defined ‘vision’ we didn’t hire an interior designer but we absolutely encourage all of our clients too, they have a pivotal role to play that’s far beyond curtains and cushions.”