Published10 March 2025Updated5 October 2026
A 1960s Bungalow Gets a Contemporary Rethink in Lichfield
Downsizing clients wanted something bigger, brighter and a bit more interesting than the bungalow already on the plot. Planning is now with Lichfield District Council.
A 1960s bungalow in a Lichfield suburb is getting a contemporary rethink, for clients downsizing into something bigger than what's already there.
Downsizing is supposed to mean less house, not more character. Our clients wanted both: a smaller commitment than their current home, but somewhere bright, modern and a little quirky, not the beige inheritance a modest 1960s bungalow usually comes with.
More house than the bungalow it replaces, not less
The existing bungalow is modest by design: low ceilings, small windows, rooms that do one job each and do it grudgingly. The brief called for something bigger overall, so the scheme extends the footprint, but the real work is internal: reconfiguring a layout that currently wastes more space than it uses.
Extensions on this scheme are kept deliberately modest. The bigger gains come from unlocking wasted space inside: better circulation, rooms that finally look out onto the garden instead of a fence panel, and a layout that stops fighting the way the clients want to live.
Contemporary, not merely newer
'Modern' on a project like this doesn't mean glass boxes bolted onto a brick bungalow. It means a considered material palette, a proper look at where the light falls, and a layout that feels intentional rather than inherited. Quirky was on the brief, and quirky is in the drawings.
The application is now with Lichfield District Council, and it's pending consideration. Early feedback has been positive, though a positive conversation and a decision notice are two different things, and we won't pretend otherwise.
Areas We Cover
JSA Architects Across the Midlands
We work with homeowners, developers, and landlords across the Midlands. Fees, planning authorities, and project types vary by location — find local insight and project examples for your area:
Architects in Derby → — Quarndon, Kirk Langley, Duffield, Allestree, Darley Abbey, Mickleover, Littleover
Architects in Nottingham → — The Park Estate, West Bridgford, Edwalton, Mapperley Park, Wollaton, Bramcote
Architects in Lichfield → — Shenstone, Little Aston, Four Oaks, Streetly, Aldridge, Walsall, Tamworth, Whittington
Architects in Solihull → — Knowle, Dorridge, Hampton in Arden, Shirley, Dickens Heath, Olton
Architects in Sutton Coldfield → — Four Oaks, Wylde Green, Boldmere, Mere Green, Streetly, Little Aston
faq's
Common Questions
A modest 1960s bungalow in a Lichfield suburb, being extended and reconfigured for clients who are downsizing.
Not yet. The application is submitted to Lichfield District Council and is pending consideration.
Their current home is larger than they need, but the existing bungalow on this plot was too small. The scheme grows it to the size they need, no more.
A contemporary, characterful remodel: modest external extensions paired with a fully reconfigured internal layout.
A residential suburb of Lichfield.
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