The difficulties of dealing with a Heritage home and renovating it are not for the unprepared or faint hearted. Not only will building consent be required for a proposed extension, a resource consent will automatically be triggered also. This means designing the extension that the Council Heritage Architect will approve and support. As well as the Council planning team. Extensions toward the rear of the property will always be easier as the proposed work isn't easily viewed from the street frontage, where the character of the houses isn't permitted to change.
We have done several projects now where the flow changes from the tradtional hallway with bedrooms off it to open up to the new open plan living/entertaining areas that we have added onto the heritage home. The most difficult aspect being the change in ceiling/roof design to try and match the existing with the extension or purposefully change the look and ceiling height. Skillion ceilings are great for this and open up the walls to more glazing which lets in more light. They also give a sense of more space due to the greater head height. Though more expensive to implement, they can change the look and feel of the extension drastically.
Blending the extension into the existing exterior look is crucial to delivering a quality result. Timber decks, weatherboard and pergolas all give that villa extension look while also appealing to more modern living aspects. The image below shows how the new extension acts like an outdoor living space by being level entry/exit.
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