KITCHENS
CONTEMPORARY OPEN-PLAN KITCHEN
AND FAMILY ROOM EXTENSION
Alison and Phil Ball, both working at family company Heating & Boiler Services Ltd,
had always dreamed of creating a light and contemporary family living space in their
home in Rainhill near Liverpool.
When the couple moved into the early-‘80s detached
property in 2011, they soon realised that the existing layout
would not suit their requirements for a family home. With
no doors from the conservatory at the back of the house to
the adjoining living area, the downstairs of the property was
boiling hot in summer and freezing cold in winter – so much
so that the conservatory actually doubled up as a wine
cooler in the winter months!
A few years after moving in, Alison and Phil made the
decision to knock down the conservatory and extend the
back of the house, in order to put their own stamp on their
dream home.
In July 2017, the couple enlisted the help of local architect
Dave Price at DP Design Services to help them realise their
vision of creating one big open-plan living space, spanning
the width of the back of the property. This would comprise a
large kitchen with a breakfast bar island and a contemporary
yet cosy family area.
Planning permission went through fairly quickly, even though
the couple had to apply to two councils due to the location
of the home. Alison said: “The only requirement was for all
the windows and doors at the back of the property to be
triple-glazed, which we duly did. This does make it nice and
toasty when they’re all shut, but luckily we designed the
space so that when they are open it’s perfectly airy.”
Phil set about with father Graham – a joiner by trade – to
undertake the majority of the building works. With the help
of friend John Kingdon, the trio dug the foundations for the
extension while roofing and plastering were completed by
Andrew Cross at local company Xperia Construction.
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