Space Above, Life Below

At High Trees in South Shields, the brief was clear but demanding. The family needed more room — an additional bedroom and a dedicated home office — but they didn't want to sacrifice the ground-floor garage and utility space that made everyday life run smoothly. The answer was to build upwards.

We delivered a full-length bedroom extension above the existing garage, carefully tied into the original roofline so it reads as a natural part of the home rather than an addition. Inside, the landing and upstairs circulation were remodelled to open up sightlines, improve daylight, and create a more generous flow between rooms.

The new home office was designed with remote working in mind — separate power and data provision, acoustic insulation where it adjoins busier parts of the house, and careful glazing to balance natural light with reduced glare. The result is two flexible rooms that can evolve with the family: guest space, study, nursery, whatever comes next.