4-Bed Home Conversion In Great Houghton – Design And Build

A modern home conversion, extension and interior renovation project in Great Houghton

This 1970s home conversion in Great Houghton was transformative —inside and out. The result is a light-filled, modern family home that fits seamlessly into its village setting.

Last updated June 2025 — written by the project team at LD Design & Build, Northamptonshire

Project at a glance

Original house: late-1970s detached, brick cavity construction
Result: floor area doubled and room count increased from two to four bedrooms.
Location constraints: lies inside a village conservation area, so every change had to respect character yet win consent.
Planning route: secured under a standard householder application, avoiding a full planning hearing.
Time on site: 28 weeks (plus 6 weeks for design and approvals)
Budget band: £180 k – £250 k (inc. VAT & professional fees)
Added footprint: none – we kept the shell and invested in fabric, finishes and services

Original Build

Planned Conversion

Why the owners wanted a change

The brown-brick façade looked tired, the windows were small and the front steps stayed damp all year. Inside, corridors carved the ground floor into dark boxes that hid the garden from view. The family liked their plot and the village; they simply wanted a lighter, four bedroom home with 2025 comforts. A smart conversion offered the win-win: heritage respected outside, contemporary living inside.

Design principles

Modernise without shouting. Off-white render and limestone-toned stone slips soften the mass while the original ridge line stays put.
Pull daylight through. Oversized windows, an open stairwell and a new rear slider push sunlight from front drive to back garden.
Spend on quality, not square metres. By retaining the envelope we channelled budget into insulation, joinery and energy-saving tech.

Exterior makeover

Silicone render in warm white keeps algae at bay and bounces light into the lane.
Split-face stone slips reference local dry-stone walls and break the façade into three vertical planes.
Anthracite aluminium windows ordered 14 weeks ahead to dodge supply hiccups.
A simple porch canopy hides pipework and creates a dry threshold.
At the rear, a 4.8 m sliding door and a first-floor Juliet balcony connect house and garden.

Structure first

A new steel spine carries the load, erasing two internal walls so the front door now frames a view straight to the garden.

Kitchen that anchors the ground floor

Three-metre porcelain-clad island with under-mounted sink and pop-up sockets
Handle-less textured-oak cabinetry concealing fridge, freezer and larder
Amber-glass pendants bring warmth to an otherwise monochrome palette.

Floating stair feature

White-oak treads cantilever from a concealed concrete stringer. Low-energy LED strips under each tread double as night lights and a subtle wow-factor piece.

Garden studio and landscaping

A 15 m² rendered garden room, built under Permitted Development, serves as office-plus-gym. It runs on a slim infrared panel heater and hard-wired data. Gabion baskets filled with local stone retain the sloping plot and double as informal seating when the patio doors slide away.

Costs and timing (rounded)

Design & planning: £12 k – 6 weeks
Strip-out & structural: £35 k – 4 weeks
Exterior envelope: £62 k – 7 weeks
Mechanical & electrical: £24 k – 4 weeks
Kitchen & bespoke joinery: £24 k – 4 weeks
Finishes & flooring: £16 k – 5 weeks
Garden studio & landscaping: £42 k – 4 weeks
Contingency: £22k, of which 9% covered hidden drainage, the rest funded upgraded fittings

Thinking of modernising your own 1950s-70s home?

Re-imagining what you already have often beats starting from scratch. If you’re in Northamptonshire, book a free site visit with LD Design & Build and we’ll map out budget, timeline and options tailored to your address.

This 1970s house in Great Houghton was completely transformed—inside and out—without adding a single square metre. The result is a light-filled, modern family home that fits seamlessly into its village setting.

About LD Design & Build

We’re your Trustmark-registered, turnkey design and build firm based in Northamptonshire, offering a full‑service process from architectural drawings and 3D modelling all the way through to project management and high‑quality finishes.

Operating across the East Midlands and London, the team at L.D. Design and Build handles everything—extensions, conversions, kitchens—under one roof, taking care of planning, building control, and attention to detail every step of the way. As a member of the Federation of Master Builders and TrustMark, we bring both design and construction expertise to every project. Contact our team here.

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