Two very different solutions to the problem of creating contemporary spaces within traditional suburban homes have recently emerged in Edinburgh. Both projects, precipitated by the desire to accommodate growing families, share the same cutting-edge credentials, as well as similar budgets - just shy of £100,000.

Yet both have taken entirely different approaches. The Scott family's east Edinburgh home has an entirely new-built structure, whereas what appears to be a new addition to the McGregor's property in the west of the city, is actually a re-invention of existing elements.

Claire Scott, says: “We wanted to create more space. The kitchen was very small and we had a separate dining room, and I liked the idea of a more open-plan kitchen and dining area.” So she decided to embark on a “maternity-leave project” to extend the two-storey, semi-detached 1920s villa that she shares with her husband Gareth and their children.

“Originally, we considered connecting the new area with the house's existing conservatory, at the rear of house, which we never really used. But the architect suggested that if we kept the original conservatory we'd end up with a bitty extension, so we decided to demolish it and just go for it.”

“Going for it” involved demolishing the existing cold and drafty conservatory and “creating something that was very modern and distinct from the rest of the house”, explains Scott. “It's always going to be an extension, so I decided to make it completely different.”

When Walter Wood, an architect with Slorach Wood Architects in South Queensferry, showed me the initial sketches, I realised that I could probably get a lot more out of the space than I had initially thought. The design opened up this whole part of the house and I realised that it was a space that we could easily live in.”

The result is a new east-facing extension - creating an additional 500 sq ft of space - which features an open-plan kitchen and dining area with an adjoining garden room, and an additional utility room and lavatory. The light and airy effect has been achieved by means of a steel-frame structure with large glazed elements, which harnesses the morning sun and garden views. The extension is clad in red cedar and slate, which creates a visual sub-division between the kitchen, dining area and the garden room.

The flat, membrane roof acts as a sunshade, and an intermediate-level timber deck, which joins up the garden and the house levels, creates a split-level deck effect.

Internally, the galvanised-steel frame forms a decorative - as well as structural - element and adds to a powerful compositional effect. The large picture window in the dining area, the glazed sliding doors in the garden room and the skylight along the width of the extension allow the light to flood in. The timber finishes, which include a walnut floor in the garden room, form a warm counterpoint. The timber moving wall between the kitchen and garden room was designed to add flexibility to the space, so the whole extension can function either as an entirely open-plan space or two separate rooms.

The project took almost 30 weeks to complete. “We originally thought we could stay in the house while the work was being done, but the builders said, 'no way', and they were right. So we moved out,” explains Scott.

“When we moved back in, it was still a building site. The kitchen had just been fitted and had no windows. But the wait was worth it. I've got everything I want. We use this area all the time now. We hardly ever use the sitting room, and the dining room is now only used at Christmas and for special occasions. You could say the house has totally reorientated itself in the way that we live in it.”

Malcolm and Lindsey McGregor also took their growing family - and frustration with their existing poky, badly-laid out kitchen - as the starting point for their decision to create more space in their Victorian semi-detached villa.

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