The client approached Studio FRI to refine the front elevation of their home on Bache Drive, Chester. While the property was well cared for, the entrance lacked definition. The brief was to introduce a porch extension and a subtle façade uplift that would enhance the home’s presence while blending naturally into the existing architecture, avoiding any sense of visual overstatement.
The new porch was conceived as a continuation of the existing house rather than an addition. By carefully aligning roof pitch, structure and proportions, the extension integrates seamlessly into the original form. This approach gives the entrance clarity and purpose while maintaining the balance and restraint of the elevation as a whole.
All existing windows were resprayed in Agate Grey, a restrained, contemporary tone chosen to sharpen the façade without overwhelming it. The update brings cohesion to the elevation and introduces a quiet modernity typically associated with high-quality new-build homes, achieved without replacing original elements.
This project reflects Studio FRI’s wider residential work across Chester, encompassing porch and house extensions, loft and garage conversions, façade reworking, internal reconfiguration, and bespoke new-build homes. Each scheme is shaped by proportion, planning strategy and long-term value, ensuring improvements feel measured and enduring.
Studio FRI is engaged where clients value clarity and considered judgement. Our role is to guide design decisions with confidence, balancing architectural quality with planning and technical constraints, and supporting clients from early concept through to Building Regulations and delivery.
If you are considering a porch extension, a wider house extension, a conversion, or the early stages of a new-build home, the quality of the outcome is shaped long before construction begins. Engage Studio FRI early. We advise from feasibility through to completion, ensuring your project is strategically sound, architecturally resolved, and executed with confidence.
Whether you’re considering a new home, an extension, or a complex planning proposal, Studio FRI offers clear guidance and measured design insight from the outset. Get in touch to discuss your project and understand the best path forward with confidence.
Studio FRI is a contemporary architectural and planning practice based in Preston, working across Lancashire and the wider North West. We specialise in refined residential architecture and strategic planning, delivering calm, considered design solutions shaped by insight, proportion and purpose.
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