WHILE some home owners prefer to tear down an existing house to build a bigger one, the owners of this single-storey bungalow off Upper East Coast Road were happy with what they bought.

"The last owner renovated the house about five years ago," says the home owner, a housewife who declined to give her name. "Everything was still in good condition, so we didn't see the need for further renovations."

The couple - the husband is a trader - live with their two young sons in the 3,000 sq ft home which sits on a 7,356-sq-ft plot. They bought the house for $2.7 million last year.

A new addition to their property was a single-storey glass house, just by the side of the main building. "We had plenty of garden space, but felt it would be more enjoyable if we could build extra living space, but have it separate from the main house," says the home owner.

They worked with architect JC Cheong of IMT Architects to create the glass house. While they left the design of the house to Mr Cheong, it had to meet one criteria. "We told him it had to be simple and to complement the main house," says the  home owner.

The result was a 240 sq ft house that has a bedroom and an adjoining bathroom. Floor-to-ceiling folding glass doors all around give it a light and airy feel. Roller blinds can be lowered when privacy is needed. This is especially so in the toilet area which looks out onto the driveway.

It cost the couple $180,000 to build the house inclusive of furnishings. Construction time took two months, and the home owner says the house was literally built by hand.

Due to its tight space, the former empty grass patch was hand-dug to lay the foundation. There were no bulldozers involved and the contractor built the house piece by piece.

"He also took special care not to destroy the existing trees and ferns in our garden," says the home owner.

With air-condition and sound and home theatre system installed, the glass house is used as a chill-out area for the family.

"We usually watch movies with the doors open, but if they are closed, the glass house is soundproof," says the owner.

When relatives stay over, the glass house also serves as an additional bedroom. "Guests still get their privacy but they are not isolated from us," says the owner.

The couple furnished the glass house with furniture pieces from upmarket homeware stores such as Mod.Living, Recaptured, Molecule and the Life Shop. They also hand-picked the granite tiles from upmarket tile company Builders Shop.

For the bathroom, the owners turned it into a mini art gallery. "We didn't want it to look like a toilet. With glass doors, it can be rather unsightly when seen from the outside," says the owner.

She cleverly places a standing light from Molecule at the toilet entrance that blocks the toilet from outside. It also works as a full-length mirror and lights up the area at night.

On the walls are pop art paintings of the couple's two sons, which the owner painted herself.

"Guests are pleasantly surprised when they come to the house and realise there is another smaller one next to it," says the owner.

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