The Vale
The reconfiguration and extension of a light-filled seaside family home.
Location: Broadstairs
Project type: Renovation/extension
Client type: Homeowner
Status: Completed 2024
Area: 180sqm
A long-underused Victorian house in Broadstairs has been carefully reworked to create a bright, practical family home, with its original character being reinstated and its layout adapted for contemporary living. The project involved a full internal reconfiguration alongside targeted extensions and repairs, unlocking the potential of a building that had seen little change for over 30 years.
A key intervention was to replace a failing PVC conservatory with a new brick bay window, restoring proportion to the rear elevation while bringing in daylight and framing views to the garden. The layout has been reworked to create a more fluid ground floor, with a dark, enclosed series of rooms replaced with a light-filled kitchen and dining space that opens directly onto the garden.
At first floor level, a number of small rooms were combined to provide a family bathroom and separate laundry room, improving functionality without compromising the scale of the original reception rooms and bedrooms. The result is a calm, light home that balances the retention of period character with the needs of contemporary family life.
Photographs by Jon Spencer.