Caroline and Gustavo Ordonez-Sanz have achieved the family home of their dreams by adding a modern extension to their Victorian property

WORDS CAROLINE EDNIE 

PHOTOS DAVID BARBOUR

Having lived in London for seven years, Caroline and Gustavo Ordonez-Sanz came to the point where they yearned for a quieter lifestyle. They wanted to spend less time commuting and needed more space for their expanding young family. For Caroline there was also a strong pull to return home to Scotland. “I grew up in Stirling and had roots in the area, including my family whom we visited often.”

In terms of house hunting, the couple decided to look at a local conservation area in the city. “This particular region is steeped in history, with beautiful sandstone houses and good schools close by. Glasgow and Edinburgh were also within commuting distance for work. So, it was an easy decision to move back,” says Caroline. Fortuitously for them, a handsome Victorian period property came on to the market, and they purchased it in September 2016.

Identifying problem areas

The existing C listed property was built circa 1870 and was in need of modernisation. “When we purchased the house, it was with the intention of fully renovating and extending,” says Caroline. There was an existing addition to the rear. At ground level, this was partly the original house, but there was a newer structure on the first floor. This unsympathetic development ultimately resulted in the damage and destruction of some original features.

“The bones and layout of the main house were great but the existing two-storey extension just didn’t work,” says Caroline. “We knew that we wanted to restore and renovate the traditional sandstone house sympathetically, but we also wanted a modern, large, open space for our kitchen that would suit our family with three children.” So they set to work looking for someone to design it.