Ideas and inspiration for your next renovation project

If you’re looking for a renovation project, then look no further than a mid-century property. Victorian terraces and Edwardian semis ooze kerb-appeal right down to the last design detail whomes built in the 1960s and 70s are often seen as the ugly ducklings of design. Flat facades, concrete tiles and white painted boarding can appear functional, cheap and even brutal. Houses from this era often sit on the market for months up and down the country. Yet they often come with a generous plot and can be had for a good price.

Finding a great opportunity is about seeing things that others might miss. It requires vision and imagination. We’ve asked Chartered RIBA architect Chris Fry for his top tips on how to totally transform houses from this less popular era into something seriously cool.

The existing building

In the 1960s and 70s, house design was shaped by a government report, ‘Houses Today and Tomorrow,’ also known as the Parker Morris report. It’s recommendations for bigger homes became mandatory in the public housing sector, and the blueprint was widely adopted in the private sector, too. “The Parker Morris Standards encouraged builders to build better space standards than had happened before. The plots are often a lot wider,” explains Fry. Moving away from the cramped conditions of the pre-war era, architects designed homes with bigger living rooms, bigger kitchens and bedrooms. “Internally, there is a lot more space compared to Victorian fixer-uppers,” says Fry.

Mid-century houses often come with a garage, a driveway and both front and back gardens. Cars were then still regarded as essential to the design of new estates. This meant space to park one or two cars, increasing plot size. “The best thing to do when looking for a mid-century house in terms of opportunities is to look for one that hasn’t already had a conservatory or extension tacked on the back or side. And look for as wide as frontage as possible. These are the plots to hunt for,” says Fry, a qualified architect for 35 years. A wide frontage creates the potential for a rear extension to add valuable living space. “If you have a growing family you could build at the back, perhaps pulling down a tacked-on conservatory, or go up. You could change a three-bedroom property into a four-bedroom home. Houses of this era typically have decent sized gardens, so even if you extend to the rear, you are still left with a good-sized garden,” he says.

Check the roof space to see if it is suitable for an attic conversion.  Another advantage of homes dating from the 1950s and 60s is they are often built with traditional cut timber framing. “A” shaped rafters are ideal for attic conversion, supporting the roof without the need for extra support beams. Roof trusses, seen from the 70s onwards, on the other hand, mean less usable attic space. It’s still possible to convert a trussed roof but a structural engineer will need to be involved to ensure the roof maintains its structural integrity. A loft conversion requires a minimum 2.1 metres head height. Modern construction methods mean roof pitches are often less than 30 degrees on newer homes, which means less headroom in the attic. By contrast, homes built more than 40 years ago often have steeper roof pitches, ideal for loft conversions.

Reconfiguring the internal layout

Some 1970s houses look a lot bigger on the outside then they appear on the inside. “In some of these houses, a large proportion of the ground floor is taken up by the garage,” says Fry. It may be possible to convert the integrated garage into living space under permitted development rights. “It’s always worthwhile checking because it’s a really straightforward conversion,” says Fry.  Building work typically includes replacing the garage door with a cavity wall and double-glazed window. Garage walls are often single-skin brickwork. To meet modern building regulations for a habitable room, the garage might be lined with a stud and plaster wall and the cavity packed with insulation. Other work may include raising the garage floor to the same height as the house. Heating and electricity will also need to be installed.

A garage conversion can create an extra room, such as a study, playroom or even ground floor bedroom with bathroom. Alternatively, walls could be knocked through to create a big kitchen diner, doing away with dividing doors and corridors. This has the benefit of creating a larger open plan space without the need to extend.

Many mid-century homes were purposely designed to have flexible layouts. “The nice thing about houses from this era is the ability to create open plan kitchen-dining-living spaces,” says Fry. There are fewer solid, supporting walls to worry about compared to older houses, says the architect. The upper floor rooms tend to be divided by stud partitions. You may find the fireplace has been removed and capped outside. But if the chimney is still there it gives you the opportunity to install a log burner.  “This can be a real plus,” says Fry. The chimney will need to be re-opened and relined but it’s still more straightforward than installing a log burner into a newer property without a chimney.

Mid-century homes often have an upper floor plan that consists of dark corridors with doors that lead to separate rooms. Reconfiguring the layout can totally transform the interior. In some projects, it might work best to move the staircase out of central spaces to create a better flow. It really pays to talk to a local architect in the early planning stages to make the most of the space available.

Enhancing kerb appeal

Homeowners looking to revamp an outdated 1970s house are usually keen to improve the external appearance. The popular look at the time was long and flat elevations. One way to make the exterior more appealing is to add elements of interest that break up the façade. For example, add a new bay window or incorporate a gable porch or window. The typically wide casement windows on 1960s and 70s properties mean these properties often have plenty of natural light. The windows might need replacing if they are more than 40 years old. “You have got to be aware of the state of the windows. Some 1970s houses still only have single-glazed windows,” says Fry.

Upgrading windows to double or triple glazing will not only improve energy efficiency but also the overall appearance. Avoid the current fashion for grey or blue UPVC frames, recommends Fry. White window frames will never date. More radical refurbs may combine the ground and first-floor windows in a front extension to create an impressive double-height entrance.  This can make your home a standout structure in a street full of similar looking houses but isn’t to everyone’s taste as it can look overplayed.

“A lot of brickwork used in the 1960s and 70s was perhaps not the most attractive and it can be tempting to smother the building in render,” says Fry. But he doesn’t recommend this approach unless the render is to include an insulation layer to improve the thermal performance of the house which is “killing two birds with one stone.” But he warns: “The render is only as good as the person applying it and will require maintenance. It will stain and need cleaning.” If you own a semi, it will look odd if your half is newly rendered while the other is the original brick.

Cement planking is popular, but Fry is not a fan. These weatherboards can be used to cover defects such as cracks in the brickwork, leading to damp and mould on interior walls. “You need to  know the substrate which the cladding is fixed to is sound.” Many 1960s houses had low quality timber cladding features, most of which has now been replaced by UPVC.  But natural oak planking is attractive. If you are replacing the windows, rather than opting for plastic frames, consider pairing natural timber cladding and wooden window frames “to give a warm, sympathetic look overall,” suggests Fry.

The house may need a new roof. Roof tiles are another opportunity to enhance kerb appeal. Instead of flat, slate-like tiles which are rather “sterile” consider a tile with a more interesting profile, says Fry. Depending on your budget, you may opt for hand-made clay tiles in a mix of attractive reds and burnt orange or more affordable, modern cement lookalikes.

In terms of space, the mid-century was a golden era. By the 1980s houses began to shrink again as land values soared and the Parker Morris Standards were abandoned. Houses from this overlooked era can be ideal for those looking for a renovation project. Reconfiguring the internal layout, adding modest extensions and updating the exterior shell can transform tired 1960s or 70s estate houses into beautiful 21st century homes.

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