Mill Lane — Large-Scale Residential Refurbishment, Milton Keynes
The clients came to us with a house that needed rethinking from the ground up — not a cosmetic refresh, but a considered refurbishment across the whole building, phased to manage disruption and allow each element to be done properly. The standout ambition was the rear of the house: they wanted the entire back elevation glazed, bringing the outside in in a way that would change how the house felt to live in. The floor was to be the thread connecting everything — running continuously from inside the house to the outside terrace and down into the garden.
The challenge
A project of this scale requires careful sequencing. Getting the envelope right — the glazing, the floor, the structure — before moving to the fit-out means decisions made early have a long reach. The inside-outside floor continuity is one of those decisions: the same material has to perform in a heated interior and an exposed garden, and the junction between them has to be resolved so it reads as seamless rather than as a practical compromise. Extensive glazing at this scale also changes how a building behaves thermally and acoustically, and those implications have to be considered alongside the design intent from the outset.
_PNG.png)
.png)
.png)
The approach
We are working through the project in phases: flooring and glazing first, establishing the spatial ambition of the house before anything else. The kitchen and bathrooms follow, then a full carpentry programme, then the outdoor sequence — terrace, external stair, and the continuation of the floor into the garden. The roof comes last. The inside-outside floor was the design move we kept returning to in early discussions with the clients: it is the detail that makes the rear of the house feel like a single space rather than a house with a garden attached, and it shaped decisions about the glazing system, the terrace level, and the stair down into the garden.
.png)
.png)
_PNG.png)
The Demolition and Discoveries
The first month on site brought the kind of discoveries that can make the beginning of a renovation particularly challenging. Once the building was opened up, we found that several elements were very different from what the existing structural information had indicated. What was expected to be steel within the structure was, in reality, timber, while the existing floor construction consisted of block and polystyrene beams running in two directions — a system that required additional consideration to safely receive the new, thin 8mm floor finish. In other areas, where foundations were expected, we discovered voids instead.
These findings had a direct impact on both the structural design and the construction budget, requiring additional steelwork, concrete and reinforcement, as well as further layers to create a robust and permanently safe floor build-up. As if that wasn't enough, opening up the roof revealed that the existing construction had no breathable membrane. A new approach to the roof therefore had to be developed, balancing the need for a properly protected and insulated structure with the existing constraints of the building. The revised solution also meant reducing the insulation thickness and accepting some loss of headroom.
It was an uncomfortable start to the project, but exactly why thorough investigation, close coordination and the ability to adapt are so important during renovation. Existing buildings rarely tell the whole story until you open them up — and good design has to be able to respond when they do.
.png)
.png)
.png)
First Fix and Defining the Volumes
Once the structural surprises had been resolved, the project could finally move forward into the first fix. Plumbing, HVAC and electrical services were installed and carefully coordinated within the new layout, setting the technical foundations for the spaces that would follow.
As the services disappeared behind plasterboard, the house began to change visually. New walls, ceilings and openings started to define the rooms, while changes in level, ceiling heights and architectural details began to create the volumes we had imagined in the design. For the first time, the proportions and scale of the new spaces could really be understood on site — and the house started to look less like a construction site and more like the home it was going to become.
.png)
.png)
.png)
Finishes and the Final Stage
With the main structure, services and volumes now in place, the project is entering the finishing stage. Plastering, tiling, flooring and painting are beginning to transform the spaces, while the final materials and details are being brought together throughout the house.
The project is now starting to look increasingly like the home we designed, with each finish adding another layer to the overall character of the interiors. The remaining works are being carefully coordinated with the aim of completing this phase of the renovation in October, bringing the first part of the project to life and creating a finished, fully habitable home ready for the next stage of its transformation.
_PNG.png)
_PNG.png)
