Our clients approached us having purchased an unoccupied mews building in need of restoration. Having previously been a small office, the building also needed permission to be changed into a family house. The building is overlooked by neighbouring houses and is in a Conservation Area; however, we were able to add an extra storey and private roof terrace. Despite being a small house, our client needed a place that could host large family gatherings. As such, the entire first floor is open-plan, capable of accommodating a large 12 person dining table. Elsewhere we kept everything simple: the master bedroom is on the top storey; guest bedrooms take up the ground floor; and we even managed to find enough room for an integrated garage. Our clients are prolific readers and inbuilt bookcases are integrated throughout the house. Likewise, the custom-made oak staircase, designed to draw-in sunlight, also has bookshelves in place of walls. Our scope involved guiding the building owners through the legal procedure of converting a building into a home: a Change of Use application; Conservation Area Consent application; party wall agreements; and Building Regulations application. We also produced the construction drawings and liaised with the contracting team. To the delight of the client, the project was completed in 2010.