When Julie and her husband looked at their existing dining room, all they saw was a dark, unused space that had become an unloved storage room.

They dreamed of a bright, welcoming space where they could enjoy spending time together - somewhere to relax, and connect with their beautiful back garden.

From Dark Dining Room to Light-Filled Living

After an initial home visit to the property, we could see that the existing dining room was simply too dark to be enjoyable. Without adequate natural light, it had gradually become a catch-all for storage rather than a welcoming extra living space.

Julie wanted to transform this underused room into somewhere they could genuinely love - with enough space for reading, crafts, and sewing.

A Compact 4.5m² Rear Extension

With Julie’s budget and requirements in mind, our design team worked on creating a highly effective 4.5 square meter single-storey extension that would completely transform the space.

Key Design Features:

• Double French doors opening directly onto the rear garden
• Two skylights flooding the space with natural light
• High-level bespoke shelving for displaying ornaments
• Integration with existing dining room through redecoration
• New LVT flooring

The extension plans qualified for permitted development rights (meaning no planning permission was required), keeping timelines tight and costs controlled.

Overcoming Challenges

Although a seemingly simple rear extension, tree roots from nearby mature trees required deeper foundations than initially planned, in order to meet building regulations.

Our team adapted quickly, ensuring structural integrity while protecting the existing landscape - one of the many benefits of having a project manager when extending your property.

How They Use the Space Now

The transformation has exceeded our client's expectations. The space now serves as their dedicated relaxation zone for:

• Quiet hobbies like sewing and crafts
• Reading with garden views
• Morning coffee with the French doors open
• Quality time away from everyday distractions

We also completed a ground floor WC refurbishment and redecorated the existing dining room to ensure the spaces worked cohesively together.

We'll be retuning very soon too, to board up their loft for extra storage space.

The Client Experience

Julie and her husband came to us through a BNI networking referral.

What sealed the decision was our comprehensive project management service - they wanted to enjoy the transformation without coordinating multiple trades.

Interestingly, Julie had been Laura's Year 2 art teacher at primary school, which was a surprisingly lovely connection!

The entire project took approximately 7 weeks from start to finish.

The Result

The Trinity Place Project is a great example of how you can reinvent underused spaces to fit your changing needs.

At just 4.5sqm, the extension proves that strategic placement of windows, doors, and built-in features can create spaces that feel much larger than their footprint suggests.

Even small changes can make a big difference to how we live.
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Are you considering a single storey extension for your Congleton or Cheshire property? Feel free to contact Powell Design & Construction to discuss how we can help transform your underused spaces.

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