Stuart & Karen's
modular extension
story.
Traditional builders quoted them months of disruption and a price that didn't stack up. The modular system gave them a better room, built watertight in five days, with the kids still playing in the garden throughout.
A rear extension that
wasn't working for them.
Stuart and Karen had been in their Detached home in Livingston, Edinburgh for several years when the old rear conservatory finally got the better of them. The structure had been added decades before â poorly insulated, too cold in winter to be comfortable and increasingly shabby. What should have been a useful family room had become a space they walked through rather than lived in.
"We weren't able to use it as a proper family room the way we'd hoped," explains Karen. "It was cold, it looked tired, and it felt completely disconnected from the rest of the house and the garden."
When the couple began looking into their options, the figures from traditional builders came as a shock. Multiple quotes came back in the range of ÂŁ65,000 to ÂŁ75,000 with lead times of 16 to 20 weeks â months of scaffolding, noise and disruption, with the garden effectively out of action for the duration.
What the builders
were quoting
What they actually
got instead
A design that ticked
every single box.
Rather than simply patching up what was already there, Stuart and Karen used the project as an opportunity to completely redesign the rear of their home. Working with the Modular Home Extensions design team, they created a layout that dramatically improved the connection between kitchen and garden â something the original addition had completely failed to achieve.
Full-length windows were positioned to maximise natural daylight from the south-west, and a set of wide aluminium sliding doors was installed to open the room directly onto the garden â an essential feature for the family, who use the outdoor space throughout the year. Because the modular wall panels are lightweight by design and built offsite, this saved both time and cost compared to a traditional build.
For the roof, Stuart and Karen chose the hybrid system â a solid insulated roof with strategically placed glazed panels that bring light precisely where it's needed without compromising thermal performance. "We wanted a solid roof for proper comfort, but we also wanted light," explains Karen. "The hybrid gives us both â and in the evenings, the view up to the sky through the glazed panels is really something."
"The speed was honestly hard to believe. There was no big machinery, no mess, no chaos. It felt completely different to any building work we'd imagined."
â Stuart, Livingston, Edinburgh
Engineered for Scotland.
Designed for family life.
One of the key advantages of the modular system for Stuart and Karen's project was the speed of the installation process. To meet Scottish building control, the existing base was taken up, re-laid and made fully compatible â meaning no issues when selling the property and a significantly faster start to the installation itself.
Because all components arrive on site pre-cut and pre-sized from the factory, there is no cutting, drilling or wet cement work required during installation. The whole process is clean, controlled and remarkably quiet compared to a traditional build â something that made a real difference to a family living in the property throughout.
Beyond what they
thought was possible.
The transformation has been complete. The room that Stuart and Karen once walked through without a second thought is now the centrepiece of their home. The family gather there every morning, the kids do homework at the table in the afternoon, and the sliding doors mean the line between inside and garden has effectively disappeared on dry days.
"We were astounded by the speed, the quality and the confidence of the build," says Stuart. "To be sat in the room now, it's gone beyond what we expected." The hybrid roof brings light down from above even in the depths of a Scottish winter, and the insulation performance means the room stays genuinely comfortable without the heating working overtime.
From initial consultation through to handover, the project was handled end to end by Modular Home Extensions â planning submission, building warrant, design and installation. Stuart and Karen didn't have to coordinate a single contractor or manage a single tradesperson. The process was, by their own account, the easiest building project they'd ever been involved with.
The modular system was the best choice we made â without question. We got a better room, a better finish and a better experience than anything the traditional builders were offering. We couldn't be happier.â Karen, Livingston, Edinburgh
"This system is an absolute game changer — getting watertight in two or three days, it's the future of home extensions. I've been totally blown away by the engineering behind it."
Laura Jane Clark — Architect & star of BBC's Your Home Made PerfectCould your home be
next?
Get in touch with our Scottish modular extension specialists for a free, no-obligation consultation. We'll design your project, handle planning and build it in a fraction of the time of a traditional build.