The Brief

Sometimes the most impactful extensions are the smallest. Our Reading clients had a compact Victorian terraced house with a dark rear kitchen that received almost no natural light. Rather than a large extension, they wanted something modest in footprint but dramatic in effect — a glazed garden room that would flood the kitchen with light and create a connection to their small but beautifully planted courtyard garden.

Our Design Approach

We designed a 15m² glazed extension with a pitched glass roof supported by an exposed green oak frame. The oak structure is both structural and decorative — heavy A-frame trusses with traditional pegged joints give the small space the character and presence that a simple aluminium-framed conservatory could never achieve.

The AGA range cooker, which had been crammed into the old kitchen, was relocated to the extension where it serves as the visual centrepiece — positioned against the one solid wall with handmade tiles forming a splash-back. The remaining walls are entirely glazed, with opening casements providing ventilation when the AGA makes the space warm.

Planning and Approvals

This compact extension qualified under Permitted Development rights. Building Regulations approval addressed thermal performance (the glass roof required high-specification low-E coated units), structural certification of the oak frame, and ventilation strategy to manage heat from the AGA.

Key Design Features

• Pitched glass roof: Full glass roof with low-E coating for thermal performance and solar control
• Green oak frame: Traditional A-frame trusses with pegged joints — a structural and visual feature
• AGA centrepiece: Relocated range cooker positioned as the room's focal point
• Handmade tile splash-back: Artisan tiles providing colour and texture behind the AGA
• Courtyard connection: Glazed doors opening onto a planted courtyard for garden dining

The Result

This Reading extension demonstrates the transformative power of light. What was once the darkest room in the house is now the brightest — natural light floods in from the glass roof and walls, bouncing off the white-painted surfaces and making the compact space feel generous and welcoming. The green oak frame adds warmth and character that will only improve as the timber seasons and develops its silvery patina. At just 15m², it is proof that great design is not about size — it is about quality, light and the right materials in the right place.

Cost and Package Guidance

For a 15m² garden room extension in Reading, the biggest budget variables are usually structural steelwork, glazing specification, drainage changes, foundation conditions and final kitchen, bathroom or joinery choices. Hampshire Build's fixed-fee design packages give homeowners clear design-cost certainty before construction begins, with Essential, Pre-Build and Premium options depending on how much technical documentation and contractor support is needed. The design fee is separate from builder costs, planning fees, Building Control fees and any third-party specialist reports, so clients can make informed decisions without confusing design work with the wider construction budget.

Local Context and Practical Considerations

Projects in Reading benefit from early attention to neighbouring amenity, overlooking, daylight, access for builders and material choices that sit comfortably with the existing street scene. On this project, the drawings needed to communicate not only the look of the extension but also how it would work technically: roof drainage, insulation build-ups, structural openings, floor levels and practical circulation through the home. That level of detail helps planning officers, Building Control and builders understand the proposal clearly, reducing avoidable questions and giving the homeowner a stronger basis for the next stage of their extension journey.

Garden Room Extension

Romsey Garden Room & Kitchen Extension

Romsey · 35m²

Kitchen Extension

Winchester Traditional Kitchen Extension

Winchester · 25m²

Contemporary Extension

Petersfield Contemporary Family Extension

Petersfield · 45m²

Book Complimentary Consultation 01722 548911

Our Packages Cost Calculator Client Reviews Full Portfolio