The Brief
Our clients in Romsey had a beautiful south-facing garden but a dark, north-facing kitchen that felt disconnected from the outdoor space. As keen entertainers with a love of cooking, they wanted a light-filled kitchen that would bring the garden inside — a space where they could cook, eat and socialise with the garden as a constant backdrop.
The brief was clear: maximum glazing, seamless indoor-outdoor flow, and a kitchen that works as hard for a Tuesday night family dinner as it does for a Saturday night dinner party.
Our Design Approach
We designed a 35m² single-storey extension with a contemporary flat roof incorporating a large structural glass rooflight running the full length of the kitchen. The rear wall is almost entirely glazed — a combination of fixed panels and sliding doors that stack to one side, opening the room completely to the garden terrace beyond.
The flat roof was a deliberate design choice. While a pitched roof might seem more traditional, the flat profile allows for the continuous rooflight and keeps the extension's height below the first-floor windowsills, maintaining light to the bedrooms above. Externally, the crisp white render creates a clean, contemporary contrast with the original Victorian brickwork.
Planning and Approvals
The extension qualified under Permitted Development rights, keeping the process straightforward. We obtained a Lawful Development Certificate from Test Valley Borough Council for peace of mind. Building Regulations approval addressed the structural glazing requirements, thermal performance of the extensive glass areas, and drainage for the flat roof.
Key Design Features
- Full-length rooflight: 6-metre structural glass rooflight flooding the kitchen with natural light throughout the day
- Sliding glass wall: 5-metre sliding door system that stacks to one side, completely opening the kitchen to the garden
- Flush threshold: Level access between kitchen and garden terrace for seamless indoor-outdoor living
- Entertainer's kitchen: Large island with integrated downdraft extraction, twin ovens and wine storage
- Garden terrace: Natural stone paving extending from the kitchen creates an outdoor dining area
The Result
This Romsey extension has fundamentally changed how our clients use their home. The kitchen-garden room is now the centre of everything — from quiet morning coffees watching the garden to lively dinner parties that spill out onto the terrace. The extensive glazing means the room feels connected to the garden even in winter, with the rooflight providing overhead light that the original north-facing kitchen never had.
The combination of high-quality glazing and a desirable Romsey location has added an estimated £50,000-£60,000 to the property value.
Cost and Package Guidance
For a 35m² garden room extension in Romsey, 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 Romsey 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.
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