Creative thinking

A very clever (and small) extension has paid big dividends for Janet and Pete Hanson

- LOU O’BRYAN

It's rare for a property to defy classification by architectural style or period, but this detached home on the edge of a park in Hertfordshire does just that. Built 35 years ago in what was once the garden of a neighbouring house, it doesn't qualify as a new build, nor does it reflect a particular historic era. Yet for Janet and Pete Hanson, who were house hunting after relocating from London with their two children, it was the property's unique character that drew them in. 'The gabled roof, wide frontage, quirky triangular plot and especially the beech hedge lining the boundary - it had charm,' says Janet. 'We felt that with thoughtful updates like a cladded porch and timber-framed windows, we could give the house a timeless feel, like it had always belonged here.'