INSPIRING
Although their new house offered one couple plenty of room, it didn’t link well with its beautiful outside space – something they put right with a striking extension that gave them a light and bright sociable area perfect for indoor/outdoor living
HOME PROFILE
Sue and Nigel Evans, a retired couple
A Victorian era Georgian-style detached two-storey five-bedroom villa in Eskbank, Midlothian, featuring a new single-storey contemporary rear extension
In 2019 when Sue and Nigel Evans were looking to retire and relocate from Aberdeen to Edinburgh, they decided to buck the usual trend of downsizing. Instead, the couple upsized to a detached villa built in 1862, with beautiful mature gardens. ‘Even though it’s just the two of us, we wanted it to be a good-sized family home with plenty of room to entertain,’ says Nigel. Keen to find somewhere they could put their stamp on, the couple initially looked at properties in Edinburgh. But while visiting their daughter in Eskbank, a suburb of Dalkeith, they decided to change tack. ‘Our daughter had just moved to Eskbank and when we came and looked at the area, we thought it was ideal,’ remembers Sue. ‘Although it’s a little further out of town, it’s very accessible for Edinburgh and has beautiful countryside nearby.’
With 320 square metres of internal space, Fala House was built on a grand scale, and this was one of its main attractions for the couple. But from the outset they knew they wanted to open up the property at the rear. ‘As it was, the house had little connection to the garden,’ explains Sue. ‘To get to it from the back you had to go through a whole series of small rooms, including a kitchen, pantry and a scullery, each with tiny windows. We wanted the garden to feel like part of the house.’
Before purchasing the property, Sue and Nigel approached architect Niall Hedderman of Capital A Architecture, who they found by searching online, to discuss this idea and ascertain if it could be achieved. ‘Niall got it straightaway,’ says Nigel, ‘and advised us what we could do to create a more liveable layout. So we agreed and went ahead with the purchase.’
The couple’s brief was to create a space that would take advantage of the beautiful rear garden and also be a hub for family life. Niall’s design proposal involved a bold contemporary cantilevered extension to the rear, with a modern, open-plan kitchen, dining space and snug connected to the garden by extensive glazing and a raised patio area.
