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The Motor House

Integrating a classic car on a constrained urban site

Aerial view of narrow back gardens and patios between terraced houses, showing paved courtyards, planters, lawns and skylights on flat roofs.Aerial view of narrow back gardens and patios between terraced houses, showing paved courtyards, planters, lawns and skylights on flat roofs.
This was a constrained site with a complex set of requirements. The existing house was dark, poorly arranged and restricted by party walls on both sides.

The aim was to combine a generous living space with a garage that allowed the client’s Porsche to be experienced as part of the house, not tucked out of sight.
Client
Private Residence
Location
Chester
Status
Complete
Scope
Rear extension
Garage
Black sports car parked inside a modern garage with open door revealing a brick-walled courtyard and indoor seating.
Open folding glass doors from a brick house onto a paved patio with metal bistro table and chairs, showing an interior with plants, a leather armchair and kitchen beyond.
Classic black Porsche parked in a modern home extension, viewed through open folding glass doors with potted plants nearby.

What mattered

The existing layout didn’t work. Levels were inconsistent, daylight struggled to reach the centre of the plan and circulation felt compromised.

Planning risk was a key factor. The scale of the proposal and the tight urban context meant consent needed to be managed carefully rather than approached in a single application.

Modern kitchen interior looking through open glass doors to a garage with a vintage black Porsche and potted plants.

The garage also mattered. It wasn’t just storage. It needed to sit comfortably within the architecture and relate directly to the main living space, without dominating it or reading as a separate element.

These issues needed to be resolved together, not in isolation.

Worn dark stone staircase with stepped white trim, metal handrail and a glass balustrade panel on the right
Tall window showing a small courtyard with an olive tree, potted plant on the sill, outdoor chair and black floor lamp nearby.
Minimal modern kitchen island with white countertop, potted orchids and anthuriums, pendant light and colourful wall art in open-plan space
Narrow modern kitchen with long island, white countertops, skylights, stainless appliances and framed paintings on the right wall

Our approach

We secured planning consent in stages, separating the extension and garage to manage scale and reduce risk.

Internally, the layout was reorganised around a clear sequence of spaces. A full-length rooflight was introduced to bring daylight deep into the plan and resolve level changes in a straightforward way.

Rear garden with paved patio, raised brick planter and olive tree, metal bistro set, and a modern garage with a parked car.

The relationship between the living space and the garage was handled through proportion and alignment rather than visual emphasis. The car is visible, but not overstated.

We stayed closely involved during construction, managing party wall matters, sequencing and on-site decisions as constraints emerged.

The outcome

The garage is integrated into the house without becoming the focus. The house is now lighter and easier to move through, working as a single, coherent whole rather than a series of disconnected spaces.

Clear judgement is carried through the project, from planning to completion.

Sunlit living room with green sofa, leather armchair, wall-mounted TV, coffee table and open glass door to a small brick patio.
Dining room with a wooden table surrounded by four purple chairs, built-in beige cabinets with lit display shelves and artwork on the walls.
Modern garage with a black car, skylight, white cabinets and open folding doors leading to a small brick courtyard garden.