BUNGALOW EXTENSION
Squashed into a post-war bungalow with their two daughters, Andrew McFadyen and Claire Heffeman chose to extend and renovate to give their home – and their family – a new lease of life
Claire Heffeman and Andrew McFadyen had lived in their attractive two-bedroom Portobello bungalow for over 15 years but as their children grew up, space was at a premium, to the point where the couple, both Chartered Building Surveyors, decided to take decisive action.
“Our two daughters were sharing a room and really needed their own space,” says Claire. “We also needed a spare room for visiting family; the sitting room doubled up as a spare room but this wasn’t feasible going forward. We also needed a larger office, as both Andy and I work from home.”
After a great deal of consideration the couple felt that moving house wasn’t an option. “We love this area with its proximity to the beach and local landmark Arthur’s Seat, the independent shops in Portobello, good schools and our great friends,” says Claire. “Every house we looked at needed about as much work as our own, so this pretty much informed our decision to stay put, extend and renovate.”
TAKING IT FORWARD
As surveyors, Claire and Andrew were largely unfazed by what was in front of them, and approached local Portobellobased architects Chambers McMillan to help take the project forward. “We knew Ian McMillan & Thea Chambers from Portobello and had seen their work locally and loved their energy and their design solutions. We had an initial meeting with them and talked through our requirements, putting together a ‘wish list’. Our brief was to provide bedrooms for the girls, a spare room and larger office. We also spoke about extending the existing kitchen/living/dining room into the back garden,” says Claire.
