71 Carlyon Road is a redbrick three bed semi located in Alperton, west London.

Built in the 1920's, the house enjoys a long garden that backs onto the Grand Union Canal and is located midway between the larger centres of Ealing and Wembley.

Alperton was designated a Housing Zone by the Mayor of London in 2015 and this project took place against the backdrop of an ambitious regeneration programme for the area including over 6,000 new homes, new workspace, community facilities, improved public realm and open space, transforming Alperton from an industrial zone into a waterside residential neighbourhood.

When MiDRISE were first appointed the house was in an almost completely derelict condition, and the project involved stripping back the interior to the bare brick walls and joists, and rebuilding the interior from scratch. The house is small measuring just 71 square metres internal floor area, and so the approach was to open up the floorplan to maximise the sense of space and light, while retaining distinct zones for living and dining - an technique known as ‘broken plan’ rather than ‘open plan’. The overgrown gardens had become a bit of a jungle, so these were cleared and replanted, new boundary fences were installed, and the garage was re-roofed.

The Client was a young family in their twenties with a newborn son, and so this project was executed on a tight budget. In addition to architectural design and project management roles, MiDRISE assisted the Client with specifying and sourcing cost-effective materials and fittings, balancing architectural interventions and clever low-cost adaptations to deliver an end result that the Client was delighted with. The project took approximately 6 months to complete, and market valuations show that the works increased the property value by over 60%, meaning this project was both a successful financial investment as well as a design success forming a cozy starter home for the young family.