English architects Designscape have reversed the orientation of a country house in Bath by adding a prominent glazed entrance to its rear.

Flanked by Bath stone walls, the extension to The Fosse comprises a single-storey garage and the double-height entrance lobby, which overlap one another to create balconies both inside and out.

Timber-clad exterior walls and doors face a new courtyard that was excavated during construction.

Rooms in the existing househave been refurbished, former extensions are removed and the former front entrance now functions as the door to a private back garden.

If you're inspired by this extension, check out a few more here.

Photography is by Jeremy Phillips.

The text below is from Designscape Architects:

The Fosse

This once dilapidated Victorian villa has been reinvented to create modern family accommodation.

The main body of the house has been sensitively refurbished and the numerous extensions to the north have been demolished or altered to rationalise the plan.

Using bold dimensions the new double-height entrance hall is designed to be an identifiable new addition; it was felt that a continuation of the same language of the existing house would detract from its current form.

It looks over a newly excavated courtyard lined with a continuous rubble bath stone wall that penetrates through a glass screen to form an internal first floor gallery linking inside with outside.

However, the aim was also to maintain a strong relationship between the two buildings and to respect the original building through complementary materials.

In addition, the scheme incorporates a range of sustainable solutions, from recycling stone that was originally onsite to an improved thermal performance.

The concept of the new extension and house refurbishment work was to reverse the orientation of the building to create the entrance to the rear north elevation, allowing the elegant Victorian south façade and garden to become a private sanctuary for the family.

In a clear case of less is more, numerous lean-to extensions were removed and the rear garden excavated to create a new contemporary double-height entrance hall overlooking a level courtyard.

This new external space is lined with a reclaimed rubble bath stone wall that wraps around the space and creates a roof terrace over the garage, penetrating through the new glass screen to form an internal first floor gallery, linking inside with outside.