Two-bedroom accessible garden annexe by Vita Modular
A 55sqm two-bedroom home in Reading, designed around DDA principles for elderly parents, with the garden view given to the bedrooms as well as the living space.
In most garden annexes, the living space gets the best of the garden. Full-height glazing, doors that open onto a terrace, the view – all of it tends to be pointed at the main living space, while the bedrooms make do with a lesser view. This two-bedroom annexe by Vita Modular does something you don’t often see: it gives the bedrooms as much connection to the garden as the open-plan living space.
Built for a family in Reading, the 55sqm annexe was commissioned to provide a self-contained, accessible home for elderly parents with mobility needs. It’s a striking building inside and out, and a good example of design choices following on from how the owners wish to live.
At a glance
- Size: 11m x 5m, 55sqm — two double bedrooms, an en-suite to the main bedroom, a family bathroom, and open-plan kitchen, dining and living.
- Built for: a family in Reading, as a self-contained, accessible home for elderly parents with mobility needs.
- Accessible by design: step-free throughout, flush thresholds, wider doorways and turning space, a walk-in shower, reinforced walls for grab rails, worktop heights considered for seated use.
- Outside: mono-pitched and flat roof forms under dark grey standing seam metal, vertical cedar cladding, black aluminium glazing with sliding doors to the living space and both bedrooms.
- Construction: Vita Modular’s engineered steel frame, panels made off-site, a warm roof; about seven weeks on site, project managed by the company.
The roofline
The roofline is the first thing you notice. Rather than settling for a single shallow pitch of the kind many ranges default to, this bespoke design combines mono-pitched and flat roof forms. That keeps the overall massing low, so the building sits quietly within its residential surroundings, while the shift between the roof planes gives it genuine architectural character. A standing seam metal covering in dark grey accentuates those planes and keeps the lines crisp and contemporary.
The dark grey metal fascias and trims play their part too. By keeping the framing elements dark and recessive, they let the richness of the vertical timber cladding carry the elevations. With what looks like Western Red Cedar, the cladding plays against the anthracite detailing to give a clean, high-end look that stays balanced enough to sit comfortably in the garden rather than competing with it.
Glazing blurs the lines between inside and out
High-specification black aluminium windows and doors have been fitted throughout. Large-format glazing and sliding doors open the main living space onto the garden, but the same generosity extends to both bedrooms, so the connection to outside carries right through the plan. For everyday convenience the owners can access their home via a glazed front door.
It’s a simple idea with a real effect. Waking up to a full view of the garden, or stepping straight out from a bedroom rather than only from the lounge, changes how a home like this feels day to day. For a building intended as a permanent residence rather than an occasional guest space, that everyday quality matters.
The layout: two doubles, open-plan living
The 11m x 5m footprint is arranged for clear separation between the private and shared zones. There are two double bedrooms, with the main bedroom served by its own en-suite and a separate family bathroom alongside. The remainder of the plan is given over to an open-plan kitchen, dining and living area, with a contemporary kitchen in dark cabinetry and integrated appliances running along one side.
Accessible by design
The accessibility here isn’t an afterthought bolted onto a standard model. The annexe has been designed around DDA principles from the layout up: step-free access throughout, flush thresholds at the external doors, wider doorways and wheelchair turning space, and an accessible bathroom with a walk-in shower. Walls have been reinforced where grab rails may be needed, and kitchen worktop heights have been considered for seated use.
These are the details that make the difference between a home someone can visit and one they can genuinely live in independently. Getting them right at the design stage, rather than adapting later, is far easier and far less disruptive, and it’s worth asking any company about early if accessibility is part of the brief.
Steel frame, warm roof and a managed process
Underneath the finishes, the annexe is built on Vita Modular’s engineered structural steel frame, with the panels fabricated off-site and assembled on site. A warm roof construction sits above, keeping the insulation continuous and the thermal performance suited to full-time, year-round living. The build reached completion in around seven weeks on site, project managed by the Vita Modular team.
Learn more about Vita Modular
Vita Modular designs, manufactures and installs bespoke garden rooms, annexes and house extensions from their Warwickshire base, working nationwide with an all-inclusive service. To explore more of their work or discuss your own project, visit vita-modular.co.uk, call 0330 133 7209, or email sales@vita-modular.co.uk.
