A young family wanted to extend the attic of their detached house, in a green allotment in Mariakerke, Ghent.

The existing roof was composed of two saddle roofs, that shifted into each other. Both roofs had a very low cornice, leaving little useful space in the attic.

Instead of building a new volume on top, the decision was made to retain the ridge line of the highest roof and to raise the roof surfaces higher. 

This allowed to provide 4 compact bedrooms and a family bathroom, around a spacious night hall, with two framed views on the green surroundings.

The new roof structure was built with a slim steel structure, supporting a wooden beam structure. 

Wood as a finishing material was used throughout the first floor, where walls, doors and ceilings were created in finnishpine wood. 

The lifting of the roof has not been hidden, but was shown in a fair way in the facade layout:

In the elevated facades the existing brickwork (a combination of red and red-brown bricks in standard format) was supplemented with a new type of brick (concrete bricks) in a larger size and in a compatible color tone. The sealing of existing openings and the creation of new openings was left visible in the final image of the facade, that consists of a surprising patchwork of masonry.

The night hal was extended outside with the addition of a new cantilevered terrace with a slender parapet.

On the ground floor the refurbishment was limited to the removal of the existing veranda and the creation of a new kitchen.

A new staircase reaches the night hal, under the wooden structure of the roof.