A Riverside Bungalow Re-imagined
This project is a story about what can be achieved when a strong client vision, an open-minded contractor and an architect work closely together.
Originally built around 1937, this much-loved riverside bungalow had been part of family life since the 1960s. Its waterside position had shaped generations of nautical adventures, family gatherings and everyday life, with boats arriving and departing from its tidal wet dock and private jetty. Over the years, the house had grown and changed in a rather informal, unfettered way — a collection of additions and alterations that reflected its history, but which had left the building tired, thermally inefficient and increasingly difficult to maintain.
By 2023, the house was leaking water in and heat and energy out. Starting again with a new-build house would have been tempting, but the ambition was different: to retain and rejuvenate as much of the existing building as possible, strip away the less successful additions and create a home capable of serving the family for another 50 years.
The result is a radically transformed contemporary home that remains firmly rooted in its riverside setting and its industrial and marine heritage.
Working with what was already there
The project involved internal alterations, a new first-floor extension, external alterations, refurbishment, landscaping and a comprehensive programme of energy-efficiency improvements.
A key principle was to avoid unnecessary demolition and excavation. The existing structure, drainage and materials were retained wherever practical, with reclaimed materials from the original building finding new uses within the refurbishment.
Internally, the layout was opened up and reorganised while retaining important characteristics of the original bungalow. Timber and plywood became the principal materials — a deliberate reference to the owners' lifelong connection with boatbuilding and marine design, as well as practical, robust materials that could be used economically.
The new first-floor addition provides a quiet master bedroom and lookout over the river and surrounding landscape. Carefully positioned, it redirects views towards the church and town skyline, creating a more intimate relationship with the wider setting while turning away from the increasingly prominent development across the river. It also releases valuable space at ground floor level for dedicated study and home-working areas.
Externally, the previously complicated collection of pitched roofs was simplified into a much clearer architectural form. A new flat parapet roof and balcony define the first-floor addition, while a carefully considered palette of corrugated metal brings together the original bungalow and new extension.
Silver horizontal corrugated metal wraps the principal bungalow form, complemented by a red corrugated roof and black vertical corrugated metal to the two-storey element. The materials deliberately reference the area's industrial past and the boatbuilding sheds that once occupied the locality, while giving the house a distinctly contemporary identity.
A home shaped by its setting
The relationship with the river is central to the project.
The house sits between the river to the north and a rare expanse of beach shingle habitat to the south — a dynamic, constantly changing environment. Although the later tidal defence works have altered the property's historic relationship with the water, the site still extends to the tidal wall, with steps leading down to the private jetty and river beyond.
The refurbishment strengthens this connection through a sequence of decks, terraces and landscaped spaces, extending the life of the house into the garden and towards the water.
The architecture also draws directly from the owners' own experience. With a lifetime of marine design experience beginning just metres away at a boatbuilding company, the industrial and nautical references are more than aesthetic choices: they are part of the story of the house and the people who live there.
Retrofit rather than replace
The project demonstrates what can be achieved through a thoughtful, fabric-first approach to refurbishment.
The existing building has been significantly upgraded to reduce energy consumption and improve thermal comfort. High levels of insulation, improved airtightness, high-performance windows and doors, mechanical ventilation with heat recovery, photovoltaic panels and an air-source heat pump all contribute to a much more efficient home.
These interventions are integrated into the architecture rather than treated as additions. New cladding and roof forms provide opportunities to improve the building's thermal envelope while simultaneously giving coherence to a house that had accumulated decades of disparate alterations.
With a restricted budget, every decision had to work hard. Reusing the existing structure, minimising demolition and excavation, reclaiming materials and carefully selecting robust, economical materials were as important to the success of the project as the architectural design itself.
Successful architecture is a team effort
Perhaps the most important aspect of the project was the way it was delivered.
The clients had a strong brief, clear ideas and a genuine desire to be involved in the process. The contractor was willing to embrace that involvement, allowing the clients to work alongside the construction team, undertake labouring work themselves and be present to discuss details and make decisions as the building evolved.
This created an unusually collaborative process between client, architect and contractor. Rather than the design simply being handed over and built, ideas were tested, details were discussed on site and opportunities were identified as the existing building was opened up.
That level of collaboration was fundamental to the final result.
The house could not have been achieved through a generic refurbishment approach. Its character comes from the combination of the site's unique qualities, the history of the existing building, the clients' ideas and knowledge, the contractor's willingness to engage with the process and the architect's role in bringing those ingredients together into a coherent whole.
The finished house is therefore not simply an extension or refurbishment. It is a unique riverside home that has evolved from its history rather than erasing it.
For clients considering the refurbishment, extension or retrofit of an existing property, the project demonstrates the value of looking beyond the obvious solution. An existing building does not necessarily need to be replaced to become something remarkable. With a clear brief, the right team and a willingness to work collaboratively, its constraints, history and imperfections can become the starting point for something genuinely individual.
