Eastcliff

Porter Robson was commissioned to extend and refurbish an existing 1960s home in Lee-on-the-Solent, transforming an awkward internal arrangement into a more coherent contemporary family home with a clearer relationship between arrival, living spaces and garden.

The existing house was originally orientated towards Broom Way, while pedestrian and vehicular access approached from Eastcliff Close at the side of the property. The design responds by redefining the entrance and approach, repositioning the front door and establishing a more intuitive sense of arrival. This also allows the garden spaces beyond to become more private and reduces the extent to which the driveway intrudes into the site.

A combination of two-storey and single-storey extensions wrap around the existing building, allowing the internal arrangement to be comprehensively reconsidered while retaining the principal structure of the original house.

At ground floor, the former arrangement of separate kitchen, lounge and dining spaces is reorganised around a generous new kitchen, dining and family room. Carefully positioned rooflights, larger openings and a vaulted ceiling introduce daylight deep into the plan, while new doors strengthen the relationship between the principal living spaces and the garden.

The revised plan also introduces a ground-floor bedroom with en-suite accommodation, a dedicated home office, utility, cloakroom and practical storage. Together, these spaces give the house greater flexibility and allow it to respond to changing family requirements over time.

At first floor, the accommodation is reorganised around two generous en-suite bedrooms, including a new principal bedroom suite with integrated wardrobes and access to a private balcony. The balcony is carefully positioned to retain the opportunity to enjoy the morning sun while maintaining an appropriate relationship with neighbouring properties.

Externally, the extension is intentionally expressed as a contemporary addition. Pale facing brick, dark aluminium glazing and crisp stone parapet detailing establish a new architectural layer against the retained house, which is externally insulated and finished in white render. A planted roof softens the lower extension and helps integrate the enlarged building with its garden setting.

Environmental improvements form part of the wider transformation. The proposals incorporate upgraded thermal performance to both new and existing fabric, careful junction detailing to reduce thermal bridging, natural cross ventilation, improved daylight and provision for integrated photovoltaic generation.

Eastcliff demonstrates how an existing home can be reorientated, extended, refurbished and improved environmentally to establish flexible living and garden connection.