Two-Bedroom Cottage in East Lothian House Plans

Having enjoyed weekends away in East Lothian, Edinburgh-based couple Rowan and Julia Walker were excited when a period property came onto the market there. Although happy with the location, as time went by the cottage began to feel cramped, so the couple approached Tom from Somner Macdonald Architects with a brief to create more space for their growing family.

The fact that the neighbours already had extensions set a precedent for development, with the final design almost doubling the floor area of Rowan and Julia’s house. The considerable rear extension was to be partly timber-clad and partly rendered. “We wanted the timber to age and weather naturally, like the cottage itself has,” says Tom.

see the home

All changes to the front of the property were about enhancing the existing character of the building. The roofing was replaced with existing reclaimed pantiles, the masonry repointed and double-glazed windows in keeping with the character of the property. Inside, sliding doors open from the new open-plan kitchen-diner into the northwest facing garden at the back, creating a connection to the outside that the house was missing.

Underfloor heating was installed throughout. “It still looks like a charming traditional cottage, but the thermal performance is more like what you’d expect from a modern building,” says Tom.