The Chine
A Project Submitted By: Construct Virutal
Client: Firtree
Location: Winchmore Hill, London N21
Firtree is run by Matt Carter, who runs it as a family business from Enfield in North London. Matt stays personally involved in every project from the first conversation through to handover, and holds the same standard on every job, whether it is a single room or a full extension. He works either as the lead contractor or alongside the client’s architect or designer, keeps the client in the loop throughout, and backs the finished work with a guarantee. Firtree covers loft conversions, house extensions, refurbishments and new builds, all forming part of the wider built environment.
The owners of The Chine had bought a large, characterful home that no longer worked for family life. The back of the house was a warren of small, dark rooms with damp problems and an old garage in disrepair. They wanted more light and a proper open family kitchen, without losing the period character that made them buy the house, creating a considered addition to the built environment around the existing home.
The site set the hardest test. It sits in a conservation area, and every foundation had to be dug to 2.5 metres, a full metre and a half deeper than a standard trench, which made the groundworks a major undertaking on an extension of this size. Firtree took down roughly a third of the building at the rear, up to first-floor level, and rebuilt it as a full two storeys. Downstairs, that created a large open kitchen-diner that pulls daylight deep into the back of the house. Upstairs, the new floor added a master bedroom with en suite and walk-in wardrobe, plus a further bedroom and bathroom. The rear was refurbished throughout, with tanking installed to solve the damp properly, a green roof, and bifold doors opening to the garden, bringing the project into the wider context of the built environment.
The result is a home that keeps its period character and gains a bright, modern heart, delivered on budget and on time. In the owners’ words: “We cannot recommend Firtree highly enough. The workmanship of the team was exceptional. They helped us bring original features back to life whilst also delivering a contemporary new space and the kitchen of our dreams.”
