Aim:

The existing house had been an earlier conversion of a kiln building which had a number of ad-hoc and poorly built extensions over time. The result was a series of damp, cold, low ceilinged and badly lit spaces that had been crammed together with no flow between the rooms and no logic to the layout. The project took over three years from start of the design process to the completion on site and involved the demolition and replacement of the majority of the existing extensions including an old detached garage to the rear accessed through a low opening in the existing building.

Additional images can be seen in the Project Brochure which can be downloaded here.

Thanks to Matt Chisnall Architectural Photography for the photography work.

Scope:

BWP Architects were involved in this project from the original inception through to handover and our work included the design of much of the interior work and gardens as well and the building itself and working with the clients on the design and selection of individual pieces of furniture, kitchen and bathroom design, bespoke metalwork, fountains, garden features and interior finishes.

Kiln Building:

A key element to the design was the complete stripping out of the three-storey interior to the kiln building and removal of the roof to be replaced with a new pyramid structure and the construction of new attached curved stair tower to the rear. This allowed a single new floor to be inserted in the old kiln building in place of two previous floors to give high ceilings and create usable spaces.

The stone spiral staircase is built using solid stone treads from the same quarry as the stone tiling to the ground floor. The new pyramid roof over the former kiln building includes a traditional working cowl which is visible internally from a glazed opening above one of the bedrooms.

Rear Extensions:

Behind the original front buildings a series of existing rear extensions were replaced with a single 3m wide glazed corridor to link the main living spaces along the front of the original building ending in a large gable end glazed elevation giving views to the countryside and hills beyond. This main body of the house also received a complete new replacement roof allowing high vaulted ceilings with stainless steel ties and oak purlins to be incorporated.

The 1970s built duo-pitched roof extension further to the rear had the main structure retained but the roof removed and replaced with a gull-wing roof. The allowed 3m high French windows to the Master suite to maximise the views and the cantilevered zinc roof and traditional dark stained timber clad wing walls provide privacy and passive solar shading.

Garaging:

The detached garage to the rear was partially demolished and, with the infilling of the former access through the building, created a private formal rear courtyard. A new curved replacement garage was constructed below the front garden, accessed via a curving ramped driveway with turntable in front of the curved, automated timber doors. Bronze coloured bespoke balustrading adds a dramatic and artistic feature to the access stair and upper courtyard over the garage, reflecting different light and colours as they follow the curve of the garage walls.

Gardens:

The gardens and rear courtyard were redesigned to relate to the new works and completed with a new glazed pavilion style garden room complete with reflecting pool. The three-sided glass pavilion is completed with a cantilevered zinc roof to compliment the rear of the house.

Summary:

The final project is, we feel, a huge success and blends both the traditional original building with the new contemporary style works acting as the perfect backdrop to the clients’ extensive collection of modern and antique furniture and works of art.

All successful projects require commitment and trust from the client and we have been delighted to be involved in this and to help them realise the full potential of the property and gardens.

For other BWP Architects remodelling projects please click here.

A ribbon of glazing runs the entire perimeter of the building at eaves levels giving the appearance of a shallow floating roof projecting beyond the external walls to provide shelter and passive solar control of excessive summer gains. Internally, the structure supports the roof with a concealed ring of flitch beams at the eaves supporting steel fins.

Due to the topography of the site, the garden elevations appear to sit on a deep stone plinth or base further enhancing the pavilion aesthetic. At night, the glazed ribbon comes alive as light projects out and is reflected off the soffit of the overhanging roof. All white interiors, white windows and self-coloured white external render complete the minimalist look. The shallow pitched standing seam zinc roof behind is hidden from views due the site levels and the projecting eaves to give the appearance of a simple thin slab roof.

Read the Government’s announcement in full here.

More photographs of the finished project can be found here.

Starting on site in September 2011 and completed spring 2012 the construction works were managed by Steele-Perkins Project Management.

The existing neglected bungalow has been thoroughly modernised and extended with the addition of a timber frame first floor extension providing an additional full floor of accommodation.

The ground floor has been re-modelled with all internal walls removed or adapted to create an open plan living, dining, kitchen area as well as a study and separate TV room to the rear overlooking the gardens.

The new first floor provides four generous double bedrooms and two bathrooms with a walk-in-wardrobe to the master suite.

The existing yellow brick and concrete tile facades have been reworked to give a modern, clean rendered and timber clad finish with a new slate tile roof to complement the grey aluminium powder coated windows.

Re-landscaping to the front and rear gardens completed the project which sold, above the asking price, within days of being marketed.

Construction work is shortly to start on the BWP Architects designed pair of  Contemporary new houses on a piece of woodland just off The Shrave in Four Marks, Hampshire.

Originally designed for a private client and his parents the project has recently been sold on to a developer who is now intending to build out the project for the open market. Further details and images can be seen on our projects page here.

It was quite a challenge to satisfy two families, each with different ideas of what a modern house should look like. Leigh has managed this and produced a pair of designs that really sit well together and integrate nicely with the site. Leigh took our initial quite detailed brief and even his first offering managed to accommodate every element of the brief. The designs have progressed a long way since then, but without losing any of the original features that we liked so much, and yet evolving into something altogether much better.”

Private clients, Hampshire

Photographs (c) Matt Chisnall

The site in Four Marks, Hampshire, is surrounded by protected trees whose Root Protection Zones cover almost the entire site and dictated both the design form and construction of the foundations of the houses. The gently sloping site coupled with a piled foundation system allowed the suspended ground floor slabs to be lifted out of the ground preventing damage to the roots and ensuring that ground water is still able to get to the roots. The effect is to give the appearance of the houses floating out over the site as the ground falls away.

The use of additional insulation, tight air-leakage limits, whole house ventilation with heat recovery, photovoltaic panels and wood burning stoves with LED lighting throughout will mean that the energy usage of these buildings is kept to a minimum. Cedar shingles and rainwater harvesting utilising the space below the ground floor slabs add to the environmental credentials of these houses. As the cedar shingles weather and silver naturally the sculptural houses will blend further into their woodland setting.

Adjacent to the A31, acoustic screening and a heavy masonry structure will limit noise from one side of the site while the north of the site will benefit positively from the passing sound of the occasional train along the adjacent Watercress Line, a volunteer and enthusiast run local steam train line.

Owners of the first of these developer marketed homes

Granted Permission by the Planning Inspectorate in August 2008 following an appeal against Hart District Council it was noted by the Planning Inspector in his report that “the innovative designs proposed would enliven an otherwise unremarkable line of dwellings.” The houses were constructed by local developer Econvery.

The design and siting of the houses respond to the long, thin nature of the site. The houses are set back from the road and screened using dense new planting to provide both visual and acoustic screening from the main road and due to the linear nature of the site daylighting into the houses was focused at the ends of the buildings thus avoiding overlooking issues to the adjoining properties. A re-entrant courtyard along the side elevation allows natural light to be brought into the centre of the house and forms a natural secluded space off the main living spaces while still allowing views from the living room out to the rear gardens through the kitchen space on the other side of the courtyard via the large glazed openings.

The external finish materials include white self-coloured render and timber cladding and were selected as they are common to the area while also complementing the contemporary design. The position of the timber cladding in relation to the render has been designed to emphasise the re-entrant corners at the front and rear of the houses while also breaking down the long side elevations into smaller visual components.

The single storey rear extensions have been completed with an “extensive green roof”. This type of roof is planted with tough, drought-proof, evergreen, low-growing and low-maintenance plants such as sedums. Such roofs are not intended to be accessed and used a roof-terraces, rather they are seen as helping to preserve the natural landscape and bio-diversity on the site and helping to absorb water in times of heavy rainfall, while also contributing greatly to the insulation of the building.

The Planning Authority cited “overshadowing” as a reason for their initial refusal. BWP Architects produced a series of sun-path analysis drawings which the Inspector referred to in his report, stating “the modelled shadow diagrams show that the proposal would have little impact on the amount of sunlight reaching the gardens or windows of the adjoining neighbours.” Without these, the decision to overturn the planners refusal may have been different.

The project is for developer Peter Hawkes and this is our third project working with Peter.