Home in conservation area harmonises with heritage roof windows

We visited Carly and Andrew in Tynemouth, to see how the family was getting on with their newly transformed forever home.

The couple moved to their first home in Tynemouth in 2020, from London with their sons to be closer to family and friends. However, it soon became apparent that they needed more space after renovating their first home. So, their search was on to find something bigger in the same area, and when they discovered this house for sale on the road that they liked, they knew they had to visit. Soon after, an offer was made and accepted.

Their home is in a great location for schools and it’s a three-minute walk to the beach. Often the boys go down there to play with their friends and as a family, they spend afternoons collecting shells, enjoying surfing lessons and taking a stroll along the sand.

For Carly and Andrew, their second home had more potential, and they began extensive renovation work. They created a kitchen-diner family room, installed three large VELUX Heritage conservation roof windows, improved the boys’ bedrooms, and opened up a space for guests to stay.

Preservation in a conservation area

With the home close to a conservation area, they wanted to maintain the integrity of the property by preserving its character. Throughout the renovation, emphasis was placed on making subtle yet modern changes by blending traditional and contemporary aesthetics.

One of the improvements they made was installing three VELUX Heritage conservation windows. The roof windows sit flush to the roof, and the family feels they complement the house perfectly. Andrew says; “The VELUX Heritage conservation roof windows are really flat to the roof; they have a very low profile – they’re complementary to the house itself.” The family’s favourite aspect of the Heritage roof window, is how the black bars seamlessly match the exterior timber of the house, giving them a low-profile appearance that merges in as if they were the original roof windows of the home. 

Never too bright, never too dull

The placement of roof windows in the hallway has allowed an influx of natural light from the top down. On the middle floor, this effect is particularly noticeable, with the guest bathroom also benefiting from the abundant natural light streaming in.

During daylight hours, the space is bathed in natural light. Being North-facing, they don’t receive direct sunlight, ensuring a consistently pleasant climate and a studio-like ambience. Both the temperature and lighting remain constant, never too bright and never too dull.

Thoughtful roof window positioning

They positioned two Heritage conservation roof windows at the top of the hallway and the natural light floods down through the central staircase of the house. They also put one more in parallel, so it looks in keeping from the outside in the bathroom.

Before, the bathroom was just a box room, there was no natural light at all in there. However, thanks to the roof window, it's the lightest room in the whole house.

The bathroom was redone mainly for the boys because it's close to their bedrooms, and they made it into more of a shower room. What’s more, there's a guest bedroom nearby, so when friends and family stay over, it serves as a guest bathroom for them too.

It was important to Carly and Andrew that they could open the roof windows up to ventilate - particularly in the bathroom. So, they positioned the roof window at the perfect height to make opening and closing with the hand winder easy. It was also a clever design choice that reflects a somewhat more traditional approach. They did the same in the hallway too, the roof windows can be opened directly with a manual winder. 

Smooth installations

The roof window installation spanned five working days and showcased meticulous attention to detail as three large roof windows were seamlessly incorporated, even in the challenging space. The installers navigated the difficulties with finesse and made the overall experience positive for the family.

Spectacular sights and better perspectives

The family sensed the transformation was imminent the moment the gaps in the ceiling were created. Suddenly, the space that used to have a small, ineffective window and an oddly placed internal window, became a real source of natural light thanks to their roof window installation.

The whole perspective of the house changed dramatically from the top floor.

Learning about the Heritage conservation roof window

The family came across the Heritage conservation roof window when looking through a VELUX brochure, the photos in it featured an Edwardian house and they felt it looked very similar to theirs, so right away they felt it was the perfect fit.