Hurst Avenue House Crouch End photos, Modern North London home design, Contemporary N8 property renewal images
Hurst Avenue House in Crouch End
30 + 23 March 2023
Design: Mulroy Architects
Location: Crouch End, London N8, England, UK
A rebuilt listed brick-facade home in North London allows open-plan living and strong connections between inside and out.
Photos by Dan Glasser
Hurst Avenue House, UK
Hurst Avenue is an entirely dismantled and rebuilt house in London’s Crouch End, which enabled a generous open-plan layout and the harmonious relationship between home and garden.
The building is locally listed so the front façade has been carefully dismantled and rebuilt to the same original order. An attitude of reuse was essential throughout the project, particularly with the rebuilding of the front façade where bricks were meticulously removed, restored, and re-laid.
A critical design decision inside the home involved moving the staircase to an entirely different location to unlock the plan and introduce a clear route and flow through the house . The new, sleek staircase now sits at the centre of the home and creates moments of drama amongst a top-lit atrium.
We have made use of the steep garden to create rich views and a play of levels. The new rear elevation is made up of three distinct floors: a spacious ground floor volume that extends into the garden with an open-plan conservator, the frameless glass balustrade terrace at master bedroom level, and the generous top floor children’s and guest rooms.
This is a house that has been designed to flourish, not just last, over the test of time. As the brick weathers, the wood darkens, trees form canopies, and plants spill over – the home’s naturalistic qualities will fully integrate and become more beautiful. The new rear dormers and kids play den are flexible additions that will facilitate growing family life for years to come.
What was the brief?
The brief was to achieve a large extension that would transform the 327 sqm house from its previously small bedrooms, cramped communal spaces, and non-existent connection to the garden. We were able to drastically increase the family home into 450 sqm of bright and open common areas and generous bedrooms, with rich views of the luscious, landscaped gardens – forming a seamless relationship between the interior and exterior.
What were the solutions?
We were able to build a new basement for a significantly lower cost under this new build construction model than if remodelling the existing structure. The project was eligible for a reduced VAT rate of 0% which further helped towards making the transformation financially viable.
How is the project unique?
As both the Architects and Quantity Surveyors, our team identified a number of challenges in how to best make use of the constrained site – carrying out a cost exercise to compare between retaining and extending the existing house against dismantle and rebuild.
Interestingly, while it was slightly cheaper to retain and extend the existing house, it was still financially viable to take apart and rebuild the house, which enabled the design team to accommodate such a spacious layout. This was crucially important as it allowed for a complete thermal upgrade to bring the rebuilt house up to modern standards and building regulations – presenting an opportunity to address all the conditions and incorporate high performance insulated bricks.
What’s so special about the garden?
An unusual feature is that the rear garden is on a steep elevation – almost floor level – which informed a play of levels by introducing a frameless glass balustrade terrace at bedroom level, while the new rear elevation expresses three clear elements divided by floors: living spaces, master bedroom, and children’s and guest bedrooms. The glazed ground floor volume extends into the garden to create an open-plan conservator: inhabitable as dining room and living room, its panoramic sliding doors flood the rooms with an abundance of light and life from the garden for an ever-evolving natural background to the home: a perfect harmony for the client, a Landscape Designer.
The co-ordinated landscape design sees zigzagged patio wall nooks enhance intimacy and soften the transition up the garden steps, surrounded by vibrant, planted borders. A timber pergola becomes a retreat for alfresco dining. A brick header draws the line of the open-plan conservatory up to the site boundary, creating a courtyard and wet shelter for tree ferns. All plants are exactly suited to the soil, light, natural watering conditions of the site. Dynamic colours and foliage are thriving as part of this bold design.
What was the approach for the interior design?
At the heart of the interior palette are elegant, traditional materials made from natural materials and light colours. Parquet timber floors stand out, as does the feature staircase’s solid wood treads, newels, balustrade, and slim profile cast iron balusters. White, grey, and charcoal paints delineate special experiences in a unified way. Offsetting these are punchy moments where sensual, richly coloured accent finishes dominate – peacock blue paint and matching bathroom tiles, and brushed brass light fittings.
We are are extremely proud to have delivered this high quality, bespoke, and vibrant house for their clients as they grow their family and make Hurst Avenue a home.
What are the sustainability features?
By deconstructing and rebuilding the house, we were able to unlock the plan and introduce a complete thermal upgrade to bring the rebuilt house up to modern standards and building regulations. This allowed us to address all the previous conditions and transform the small bedrooms, cramped communal spaces, and non-existent connection to the garden, into 450 sqm of bright and layered living areas, with drastically improved comfort and performance levels, together with beautiful views of the new landscaped gardens.
Actual energy use before: 458.05 kWh/m2/yr – SAP Band F
Actual energy use after: 83.13 kWh/m2/yr – SAP Band B
Hurst Avenue House in Crouch End, North London – Building Information
Architect: Mulroy Architects – https://www.mulroyarchitects.com/
Project size 456 m2
Completion date 2022
Building levels 4
Robin Howorth: Party Wall
Kantec Bespoke: Main Contractor
Symmetrys: Structural Engineer
Alexander Lyons: Building Surveyor
The Heritage Advisory: Heritage Consultant
Fiona Lamb Design: Garden Designer
Berthold Bauer: VAT Consultant
Buildzone: Building Warranty
Photographer: Dan Glasser
Hurst Avenue House, Crouch End, North London images / information received 230324 from Mulroy Architects UK
Location: Crouch End, North London, N8 9JJ, southeast England, United Kingdom
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