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Architect Tim Hatton found a novel way of overcoming the challenges of redesigning his own family home

- Tim Hatton

HOMEOWNERS Tim and Roseann Hatton LOCATION York PROJECT Rear and loft extension to Victorian townhouse BUILD ROUTE Main contractor CONSTRUCTION Recycled brick and block with zinc cladding BUILD TIME Six months HOUSE COST £286,000 BUILD COST £80,000 VALUE £425,000 WORDS Heather Dixon PHOTOGRAPHY Dave Burton

Getting creative with clients is much easier than designing an extension for your own home, as architect Tim Hatton discovered when he started drawing up plans to extend his three-bedroom house in York. “With clients, you can be a lot more objective and flexible to help them achieve what they want from their property," says Tim. “But when it's your own home and you have to live with the results, it's harder to make decisions. It was too close to home and I was getting stuck.”

So he devised a novel solution. “I took my wife Roseann's cue and pretended she was a client,” says Tim. “It broke the deadlock and I was able to see things a lot more clearly."

FUTUREPROOF DESIGN

Tim's newfound clarity helped the couple to come up with a design that would make their three-storey townhouse futureproof, with features including an open-plan living kitchen and a top floor remodelled to create a fourth bedroom.