The homes on the desirable and leafy Dulwich housing estate are almost impossible to extend and Helena Rivera’s problem house was no different.
The squat, two-storey brick home — half-red-brick half-rendered in white timber — had a pokey kitchen stuck at the front, a loft too shallow to convert and sits in a conservation area. This means planning restrictions are rigid and the neighbours — foxes, squirrels, bees and bats — are resistant to change.
