A Writer and Filmmaker Builds a Forever Home on a Narrow Lot in East London

In the dense urban setting of Leyton in East London, McMahon Architecture had slightly more room to work with than some. Their client, a writer and filmmaker, had purchased a narrow plot at the end of a ’60s terrace in addition to an adjacent small garden, hoping to build a contemporary home across both sites where he could stay for years to come.

"He wanted an oasis within the city where he could live and work, and a residence that would be able to adapt into a ‘forever home’ through both his and the home’s lifetime," explains McMahon.

But the garden was zoned for a two-story mock Victorian at roughly 1,000 square feet, making it difficult to obtain a permit for bigger plans. "The process of persuading the city to embrace a more modern design approach took 24 months," says McMahon. "But we managed to obtain approval for a 188-square-meter house [around 2,000 square feet] that respects the spirit of the ’60s terrace while addressing the Victorian context of the neighboring street."

McMahon created a rectangular plan with a brick plinth in a stretcher bond, topping it with a timber box clad in Siberian larch. Key to taking advantage of the entire site was integrating a basement, finished in clay plaster, that spans the home’s footprint.