Bought a house someone else extended? Know what to have checked, which decisions belong together, and who to involve — before you commit to a renovation.
The guidance we begin with in our client projects, brought together in one practical guide
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You need to know which advice applies to your house.
You can spend months collecting it. A kitchen company, a structural engineer, a builder, an architect. Each one answers their own question well, and nobody is answering yours.
A cold kitchen may need investigating before you order a new floor. A wider opening can leave too little wall for storage. Drawings approved for planning may still lack the detail a builder needs to price accurately.
Those connections usually surface once the work has started, when changing your mind is expensive.
Groundwork puts them in front of you first.
Explore six recurring concerns: rooms that are too hot or cold, leaks, awkward floor levels, underused original rooms, uneven heating and unwanted noise. Learn what may be behind them and what to have checked, so you can discuss the cause before choosing a remedy.
Understand the difference between new finishes, a different layout, changes to heating and structural work. See when further investigation, permissions or specialist input may be needed, so you can discuss the scope beyond the items you want to replace.
See why furniture, kitchen arrangements, storage, openings and heating need thinking through together. Know what information to request before pricing and construction, rather than leaving essential choices to be resolved on site.
Understand the roles of designers, surveyors, engineers, contractors and specialists. Learn what to check in an appointment, what to prepare for your first meeting and why you need to name the person coordinating the overall design.
PLUS: Practical questions throughout help you apply the explanations to your own home. A consolidated source list lets you explore the published guidance further.
These clients worked with us on full projects. Groundwork is the part we explain before any design work begins.
Chris & Kate
270sqm Three-storey detached house
Full internal remodeling & refurbishment
Bespoke joinery, furniture & accessories
Iva & Ivan
192sqm Three-storey Victorian terrace
Full internal refurbishment & Landscaping
Garden, furniture, art & accessories
Josh & Katherine
140sqm Four-storey Victorian terrace
Full internal refurbishment
Bespoke joinery, furniture & accessories
Phelim & Sophie
Two-storey Arts & Crafts semi-detached house
125sqm GF rear extension & refurbishment
Bespoke joinery, furniture & accessories
Joey
112sqm Nearly new built high rise flat
Interior decoration
Bespoke joinery, furniture & accessories
Roy & Deborah
206sqm Three-storey 1930s detached house
Full internal remodeling & Refurbishment
Garden room construction
Stephanie
Three-storey Victorian terrace
149sqm Loft conversion
Bespoke joinery, furniture & accessories
Victor
45sqm newly converted flat
Interior decoration
Furniture & accessories
Kristen
556sqm Detached Grade II listed house
Rear extension & full house refurbishment
Interior design, furniture & accessories
I’m Yoko Kloeden, founder of Yoko Kloeden Design. Over the past ten years, we have completed more than 70 projects. Our London studio brings architecture, interiors and garden design together, considering how the whole home works for the people living in it.
At the start of our projects, we explain the issues and decisions clients need to understand before moving forward. The same concerns have come up repeatedly in houses extended by previous owners.
I created Groundwork to bring those explanations together. You can begin with the wider picture, instead of having to piece it together over months of separate conversations.
Here, “inherited” means living with decisions made by previous owners. You may have bought the house recently or lived there for years. The guide is for you if you are considering changes and want to understand where to begin.
You can research each issue separately. Groundwork brings the recurring problems, types of work, early decisions and professional roles together, drawing on our project experience. You can see how they relate before deciding which advice you need next.
It explains possible causes and what to investigate. Your home may still need a survey, testing or an assessment on site. The guide helps you prepare for that advice; it does not provide a diagnosis, personalised drawings or cost estimates.
No. You can use it before either is in place. If you have already begun discussions, use it to check what still needs clarifying before you agree the scope or proceed to construction.
The Groundwork PDF digital guide, The Inherited House, to read at your own pace and refer back to as you plan. It will be delivered to your email inbox a few minutes after the purchase. The permissions and building regulations guidance relates to England.
A practical guide to common problems, key decisions and who to involve in a house extended by previous owners.
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