Bring light into a basement

Instead of building to the side or back of your home, why not gain extra space by building down? Our renovation of a large Neo-Georgian detached property in Templewood Avenue included two single-storey extensions on the ground floor. But, in paying respect to the architectural setting, the majority of the project actually centred below what your eye can see – with the expansion and refurbishment of the basement area.

Creating additional space underground comes with its own distinct challenges. How do you make a basement light-filled and spacious?

The key to most basement extensions is to find unique, innovative ways to bring light down into a usually dark and uninviting room. By creating a seating area at the back of the house, we were able to divide the space into more intimate spaces and use these sections for light-wells.

Glass balustrades allow for more light to pour down into the basement, and a generous opening ensures that the basement windows don’t look out onto a brick wall. These basement rooms provide the family with much-needed space, and by removing some garden space and opening up the floorplan, it allowed us to create this additional floor in the house.

The basement area at Templewood Avenue was increased by a staggering 230 sqm (2,000 sqft) in order to create a playroom, a gym, a home cinema and additional accommodation. In a thorough and extensive process of excavating beneath the home, we were able to really maximise the amount of space we could add. This required us to go through underpinning and strengthening the existing foundation, allowing us to open up even more room.

As a result, we were able to increase the basement so it matched the footprint of the entire existing house. Natural light was a real focus here, ensuring that the space maintained a bright, liveable atmosphere with the addition of two extensive and inspiring light wells.