Due to the vagaries of East Hampshire District Council’s planing policy, a number of applications had to be submitted to extend the existing cottage (on paper at least) to form a realistic “fall-back” position where the existing cottage could be significantly increased in size above what would normally be permitted for a replacement dwelling. With these extension permissions secured, a planning application could then be submitted for the new house.

The client’s initial brief was for the new home to have the simple built-form, reminiscent of traditional gable-end and rectangular agricultural barn structures with lower eaves, but with a contemporary aesthetic overall externally and internally. Materials were to be a mix of simple timber cladding and stonework with slate and standing seam metal roofing. The finalised design is for a U-shaped building creating a sheltered courtyard to the rear, looking out over the sloping site and woodland beyond. The wings of the U-shape are single storey and contain the main living space and principal bedroom; both of which are vaulted to give large windows and to take advantage of the simple construction nature of a SIPs build. The building form is expressed on the ends of the two storey and single storey wings with aluminium clad panels from ground level and over the edges of the roof. The single storey elements are stone clad with a zinc standing seam roof, the two storey front section of the bulding is timber clad with slate roof.

The ground floor contains the principal bedroom, ensuite and dressing room, study, laundry / utility room (complete with dog-shower…), and the open plan kitchen, dining and reception room. A fourth bedroom with ensuite completes the ground floor accommodation. The vaulted entrance hall, with sunked spiral wine-store as a focus and talking point in the centre of the space, leads up to a bridge link between the two first-floor bedrooms and bathrooms. The gable ends of the first-floor bedrooms are completed wih re-entrant balconies, set back from the end of the bulding to give privacy and shading to the glazing.

Large glazed openings facing south-west would normally be a concern with their potential for creating internal overheating; the lack of a cantilevered roof structure prevents deep eaves shading the windows. However, in keeping with the agricultural barn appearance, large sliding timber panels have ben designed and included that can be used to close off each of the south-west facing windows in summer on particularly hot days; with the sliding screens closed the doors behind can be opened to maintain a refreshing cross breeze through the building.

For more new SIPs panel homes click here

For more new homes click here

SIPs Contractor was Bentley Projects

A series of planning applications and Permitted Development Rights approvals were sought to extend and remodel the original dwelling to bulk up the existing property to around 336sq.m and give a volume of around 1,160cu.m and at that point the planning application was submitted to Waverley Borough Council. Despite the limitations of their planning policies to cap the size of replacement dwellings is was acknowledged that the extant permissions would amount to ‘very special circumstances’ to permit this larger replacement home.

The existing house, sitting right on the side of the access track, was effectively single storey with a small room in the cramped loft space. The replacement dwelling is designed to give the appearance of a single storey dwelling through the roof forms and materials yet the ‘bedroom wing’ is a full two storey element giving an increase in the overall height of just 0.6m.

Planning Permission was granted in August 2019 and construction was completed in 2022.

For more new SIPs panel homes click here

For more new homes click here

SIPs Contractor was Bentley Projects

Winner of an award in the UK regional stage of the International Property Awards 2014-15.

Photographs (c) Matt Chisnall

A naturally sloping site nestled between trees within Farnham’s Area of Special Environmental Quality is always a challenge, particularly when the client wishes to replace an existing house with a highly contemporary design.

For more photographs and floor plans please download the project brochure.

This 3,300sqft design was submitted to Waverley Borough Council in November 2012 and takes advantage of the central plateau of the site. Designed as a sculptural piece within sylvan landscape the proposed replacement dwelling is based on the concept of a ‘broken box’. The client’s aspirations were to take the now “traditional” white render box of contemporary designs and subvert it; pulling the rendered box apart to expose the timber core within. The design takes advantage of the wide frontage offered by the plot and the southerly aspect by placing the main day-to-day living spaces on the south façade, leaving more ancillary spaces to the north façade.

Using the Mantle Panel System SIPs building system which provides a U-value of 0.1 W/msqk and an air-permeability level of 1.0 allows for a highly energy efficient scheme which maximises standard glazing and open plan spaces with minimal need for columns and steel beams.