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Houzz Tour: An Airy, Scandi Finish for a Tall Victorian House
From a tricky inherited bath to a sticky-out staircase, on-site problem-solving led to a seamless update for an old home
The couple who own this four-storey house in east London found Big Bean Construction on Houzz a few years ago, when the construction firm renovated a property they’d previously owned. After buying a new family home in a serious state of disrepair, they wanted someone they knew and trusted, and didn’t hesitate to contact Big Bean’s Jeff Kasfikis to help them again.
To see more great projects where the homeowner found their professional via Houzz, take a look at our Born on Houzz series.
To see more great projects where the homeowner found their professional via Houzz, take a look at our Born on Houzz series.
The rear extension, designed by the architect, is clad with blackened timber slats, which have been treated using the Japanese tradition of Shou Sugi Ban, where wood is charred and oiled to give it this rich, dark shade and improved longevity.
The team also constructed the large, flat-roofed dormer, which has been clad to match.
Jeff explains the work involved in making the interior and exterior spaces work practically. “The patio didn’t exist before – they had a wall and steps, which were obviously further back,” he says. “So we created a space, excavated and lowered levels and created new steps up to a raised garden. We also had to do a bit of underpinning of neighbours’ walls.”
The team also constructed the large, flat-roofed dormer, which has been clad to match.
Jeff explains the work involved in making the interior and exterior spaces work practically. “The patio didn’t exist before – they had a wall and steps, which were obviously further back,” he says. “So we created a space, excavated and lowered levels and created new steps up to a raised garden. We also had to do a bit of underpinning of neighbours’ walls.”
Inside, a kitchen designed by West & Reid echoes the exterior colours.
The kitchen designers fitted the kitchen, and Jeff and his team ran the water and power in and did the second fix.
It’s easy to find and hire building companies through Houzz.
The kitchen designers fitted the kitchen, and Jeff and his team ran the water and power in and did the second fix.
It’s easy to find and hire building companies through Houzz.
Slatted details, such as the oak screen between the end of the worktop and the window seat, tie in with the cladding.
The cabinet above the range cooker conceals an industrial extractor.
Range cooker, Lacanche.
The cabinet above the range cooker conceals an industrial extractor.
Range cooker, Lacanche.
The cabinet fronts combine an oak veneer detail above an inky blue door, made from a sustainable compressed paper material. “It doesn’t scratch,” Jeff explains. The worktops are Quartzite.
Cabinet fronts, Blue Canyon Richlite and crown cut oak veneer; Quartzite worktops in Antarctica White, all West & Reid.
Cabinet fronts, Blue Canyon Richlite and crown cut oak veneer; Quartzite worktops in Antarctica White, all West & Reid.
The opening to the garden is split between a door and a window.
The glazing is bifolding and gives the window seat a sense of being part of the garden when it’s open.
The tall cabinet at one end contains an integrated fridge and freezer.
The dining space, also featuring West & Reid joinery, has a polished concrete floor that butts up to an engineered oak finish. Creating a flush transition involved complete precision.
“The wood floor has a different-level substrate, so we had to build up to same level with a laser to get them to line up exactly,” Jeff says. “And the concrete floor is 60mm thick and contains underfloor heating pipes. You can’t just apply it over an existing floor.”
Polished concrete floor, Lazenby. 20mm natural oak engineered flooring, Havwoods.
“The wood floor has a different-level substrate, so we had to build up to same level with a laser to get them to line up exactly,” Jeff says. “And the concrete floor is 60mm thick and contains underfloor heating pipes. You can’t just apply it over an existing floor.”
Polished concrete floor, Lazenby. 20mm natural oak engineered flooring, Havwoods.
The dining space opens into the home’s main living area, which is a TV-free zone.
On the right there’s more slatted wood, behind which the team slotted a cloakroom. “The 50mm by 50mm strips give a Scandi look throughout,” Jeff says.
On the right there’s more slatted wood, behind which the team slotted a cloakroom. “The 50mm by 50mm strips give a Scandi look throughout,” Jeff says.
This whole kitchen/dining/living space is located within the building’s lower ground floor. “The door you can see on the right is a secondary entrance,” Jeff says. “There are steps up to a grander entrance, which is the main, formal way into the house.”
Jeff fitted speakers throughout this floor. “They’re pulled back to a hub in the pantry, where the owners can connect devices or an amp to play music.”
A decorative marble fireplace adds architectural character.
Speakers, Sonos.
Jeff fitted speakers throughout this floor. “They’re pulled back to a hub in the pantry, where the owners can connect devices or an amp to play music.”
A decorative marble fireplace adds architectural character.
Speakers, Sonos.
One floor up is another living space, where the family can watch TV. It’s a screen that can display art when it’s switched off, so usually it won’t look like a black rectangle on the wall.
Jeff reinstated badly damaged original cornicing with new but historically authentic equivalents here and throughout the house. “You need to get the right size for each floor – the ground floor has your biggest size and it goes smaller as you go up to the bedrooms,” he says, explaining the conventional hierarchy of cornicing.
Frame television, Samsung.
Jeff reinstated badly damaged original cornicing with new but historically authentic equivalents here and throughout the house. “You need to get the right size for each floor – the ground floor has your biggest size and it goes smaller as you go up to the bedrooms,” he says, explaining the conventional hierarchy of cornicing.
Frame television, Samsung.
The couple wanted to create a suite on one entire floor of the house. This is the main bedroom, which leads onto a new en suite bathroom.
“In here, we lowered the ceiling to make space for a new floor above [for the dormer room],” Jeff says. Cleverly, he and the team realised they could make use of the new height by recessing the curtain tracks to conceal them.
Also, before plastering, they installed recessed downlights. “To do this, you need the lighting plan really early on in the project,” he says.
“In here, we lowered the ceiling to make space for a new floor above [for the dormer room],” Jeff says. Cleverly, he and the team realised they could make use of the new height by recessing the curtain tracks to conceal them.
Also, before plastering, they installed recessed downlights. “To do this, you need the lighting plan really early on in the project,” he says.
The structure in the top right corner of the ceiling is the bottom of the new staircase up to the loft.
“The couple wanted to leave it exposed but looking nice,” Jeff says. “The only other option would have been to hide it inside a cupboard, but we felt that would have killed the space, as you’d have then had a dogleg there. We came up with the solution of plastering in this curve, which they liked.”
Jeff also sent all the four-panel doors off to be stripped and had them re-oiled before rehanging them. “The owners wanted to keep as many original features as possible,” he says.
“The couple wanted to leave it exposed but looking nice,” Jeff says. “The only other option would have been to hide it inside a cupboard, but we felt that would have killed the space, as you’d have then had a dogleg there. We came up with the solution of plastering in this curve, which they liked.”
Jeff also sent all the four-panel doors off to be stripped and had them re-oiled before rehanging them. “The owners wanted to keep as many original features as possible,” he says.
West & Reid built the wardrobes that link the bedroom to the bathroom. The top halves are lined with hessian fabric.
Installing the copper bath was quite a mission. “The owner had it in her parents’ house in France and we had to be super careful getting it into the house. It was also quite complicated to plumb in, due to its age,” Jeff says.
He explains that the taps needed to be positioned with extreme care at the first fix and then that the bath was fitted with equal care, so that when the tap is turned off it doesn’t dribble onto the floor.
“We’d seen the drawings, but then when we saw the reality, it wasn’t quite working,” he says. At this point, though, they’d already done all the tiling and so had to cut into the living room ceiling below to move the waste.
He explains that the taps needed to be positioned with extreme care at the first fix and then that the bath was fitted with equal care, so that when the tap is turned off it doesn’t dribble onto the floor.
“We’d seen the drawings, but then when we saw the reality, it wasn’t quite working,” he says. At this point, though, they’d already done all the tiling and so had to cut into the living room ceiling below to move the waste.
The walls are tadelakt, a specialist water-resistant limestone plaster finish applied using traditional methods.
“We flew a guy we know over from Turkey to do this and the walls in another bathroom,” Jeff says. It is completed with a wax finish to seal it.
The rest is marble that Jeff had templated and cut. There’s underfloor heating beneath the herringbone clay pavers. “These needed sealing to prevent dust,” he adds.
The loo is tucked into a niche to the right of the basin…
“We flew a guy we know over from Turkey to do this and the walls in another bathroom,” Jeff says. It is completed with a wax finish to seal it.
The rest is marble that Jeff had templated and cut. There’s underfloor heating beneath the herringbone clay pavers. “These needed sealing to prevent dust,” he adds.
The loo is tucked into a niche to the right of the basin…
…and the shower is to the left.
At the top of the house, the new loft space has a bedroom that overlooks the garden. The locally handmade hardwood windows echo the ones in the kitchen three floors below.
Walls throughout painted in Slaked Lime, Little Greene. Painted joinery and woodwork in All White, Farrow & Ball.
Walls throughout painted in Slaked Lime, Little Greene. Painted joinery and woodwork in All White, Farrow & Ball.
There’s also a bathroom with a walk-in shower in the loft.
And what do the owners think of their home now? “They gave us a really nice, glowing review,” Jeff says. “[The owner] asked our opinion a lot on the architect’s plans and we did a lot of problem-solving together and would always give her lots of options. We were the bridge between them and could often come up with cost-effective solutions, which I think they really appreciated.”
Tell us…
What’s your favourite feature in this airy family home? Let us know in the Comments.
And what do the owners think of their home now? “They gave us a really nice, glowing review,” Jeff says. “[The owner] asked our opinion a lot on the architect’s plans and we did a lot of problem-solving together and would always give her lots of options. We were the bridge between them and could often come up with cost-effective solutions, which I think they really appreciated.”
Tell us…
What’s your favourite feature in this airy family home? Let us know in the Comments.
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Who lives here? A young family with a baby daughter, born after the project was completed, and Paddington the Australian sheepdog
Location Hackney, east London
Property A Victorian mid-terrace
Size Three bedrooms and three bathrooms
Principle contractor Jeff Kasfikis of Big Bean Construction
Architect Dericote Studio
Project year 2021
Photos for Big Bean by Daisy Powles of Fourwalls; photos for West and Reid by Chris Snook
Jeff worked closely with the couple and their architect to fulfil their brief of creating a restored period home with a light and airy feel, reconfigured to be family- and user-friendly.
“The house was quite dilapidated. It looked as if it hadn’t been touched in 40 years and was all out of level with no insulation,” Jeff recalls. “We took it back to bare brick.” The whole renovation took eight months to complete with a full team working flat out.
Part of the project was to restore the entrance to this lovely Victorian building. “The steps were previously black asphalt,” Jeff says. “We clad them with classic London black and white tiles and marble. The owner had off-cuts from the bathroom and that gave us enough for the risers.”