Existing buildings come full of old stories and history, not to mention substantial amount of embodied carbon. Built during the 1940’s, this existing cottage measured 74m2 and contained four rooms and a kitchen, all of which became a spacious open plan kitchen, dining living space in the new design. When the existing roof was stripped back to just the timbers and the large volume revealed itself, the clients made the decision to retain the large volume over the kitchen dining living area. The rear wall of the cottage was opened up to maximise the views west via large, fixed glazing bringing light into the living area. A new single storey flat roof extension was introduced to the north of the cottage, providing three additional bedrooms, a utility/ plant area, family bathroom and a new family room. This new extension was linked to the existing cottage via the entrance hallway, a transition space between the old and new, bringing the overall floor area of the completed works to 175m2. The existing cottage was wrapped with external insulation and finished with a traditional off-white self-coloured plaster.   The upgrade works to the house brought the energy rating from E to A3 and ensures that another generation can add to the stories of this old cottage.