Having spent many summers in the charming Suffolk seaside town of Aldeburgh, Jo and Richard Caseby decided the family would eventually like to live there on a more permanent basis, but for this to happen they would need to upsize from their 8ft wide, three-storey holiday hut.
"Hard though it was to sell our beachfront place, we found a 1960s bungalow just a few hundred yards further from the sea," says Jo. "We bought it because it was completely sensible and well laid out."
Having purchased it back in 2015, Jo had no intention of extending it. "It was a big investment for us so we wouldn’t have had the money anyway," she says. "But the house never made my heart sing – having been used to our old hut that faced the sea, this didn’t have the same feel because the main outlook was inland to the west – it felt like the whole building needed shifting round."
Project details
- Location Aldeburgh, Suffolk
- Project Extension and renovation
- House type Bungalow
- Build method Timber frame construction
- Size of house 140 sq m
- Architects Mole Architects
Exciting plans
After five years living in the bungalow, Jo began considering how they might endow it with more space and character, and she had an architect in mind. She had seen a couple of local projects by Mole Architects that were very distinctive, but had assumed that they would be out of her price bracket.
She also thought a basic bungalow renovation wouldn’t be of interest to a top architect, which was partly true. "When I met Meredith Bowles from Mole, he said that simply 'doing up' a bungalow wasn’t his thing, but that an extension on the side could be an exciting project for all involved," says Jo.
"While we considered the idea of a full demolition and rebuild, we realised that much of the existing house continued to meet the family’s needs," says Meredith.
"So we proposed a sensitive renovation and contemporary bungalow extension that retains a similar footprint, while unlocking the full potential of the coastal plot. Previously, the layout placed primary living spaces to the south, where mature trees restricted daylight and limited the outward views, and a large garage occupied the more open northern end of the site."
Subsequently, plans were drawn up to replace the garage with a timber-framed extension, projecting into the garden to create a light-filled, open-plan living space. The expansive glazing would open up long views – south to the woodland edge and east to the sea and sky – enhancing the home’s connection to its wonderful surroundings.
Creating extra rooms
Because the focus of the house was now on the end where the garages used to stand, it was only logical that the rest of the house be reconfigured and renovated accordingly.
"The new extension housed the kitchen/dining/living room, and the old kitchen, which never really worked, became a much more successful main bedroom and en suite," says Jo. "By cleverly rearranging the bungalow, Meredith also gave us another bedroom as well as a utility room."
Because the extension build was such a big investment financially, savings had to be made in other areas. "I bought the kitchen on eBay, which saved me thousands of pounds – money that we felt was better spent on the fabric of the build," says Jo. "My way of thinking is that if you try to save money on the wrong things, you can lose the vision."
And luckily, that vision was unimpeded by any planning permission issues. Although the extension is double height, in a district that Jo affectionately describes as ‘bungalowland’, there were no objections from neighbours. "Besides, it’s quite hard to make a bungalow look any worse, and Meredith’s design – radical though it is – is clearly a thing of beauty," she says.
Touch of renaissance
Once built, the extension proved a revelation to the family, and aesthetically it surpassed all expectations.
"It’s quite a long, thin room and we’d always had this vision of it being a modern take on an Elizabethan gallery," says Jo. "The look was partly inspired by our large oak table that we felt should take pride of place at the glazed end of the room. I love wood, and the timber beams and rafters provide real character and a feeling of warmth, with a rich colour that continues to deepen with time."
Another unusual feature of this high-ceilinged space is the triangular rooflight and angled column that separates the main dining and kitchen areas from the elevated living space beyond.
Proving that traditional and contemporary can sit side by side, the prime spot in this extension is a kitchen that is neatly set into a funky aubergine-coloured alcove.
And sitting solidly on the endgrain woodblock floor is a striking kitchen island idea formed by a block of marble, whose colour and pattern Jo likens to a seascape painting by local artist Maggi Hambling.
"This county is renowned for its artists, with quality of light being a factor, and I feel that here we’ve captured the essence of Suffolk – the light, the sea, the space and sense of freedom."
Bungalow facelift
Doing a renovation alongside the build gave the architects the opportunity to upgrade the original building and Meredith’s retrofit strategy focused on improving the thermal performance of the existing structure.
Upgrades included high-performance double-glazed windows and enhanced loft insulation. The new extension exceeds current Building Regulations by over 30% in thermal efficiency, reflecting Mole Architects’ continued commitment to low-energy, sustainable design.
Another transformative change to the bungalow was to clad it in Siberian larch, which not only had the effect of unifying it with the extension but gave it a fresh, updated look.
"This and all the other changes have transformed our lives," says Jo. "Previously this was an occasional holiday home for ourselves and the kids but we now spend most of the time here."
For more inspiration, take a tour of this oak frame self-build with zero electricity bills or this extended home designed for flexible family living.
